I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.S. in geophysics. Shortly after graduation my wife and I moved to Laramie so I could pursue my Ph.D. at the University of Wyoming with Steven Holbrook. I am part of the Wyoming Center for Environment Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG), which gives me the opportunity to integrate near-surface geophysics into different fields like surface hydrology and geomorphology. I am interested in using near-surface geophysical methods as an imaging tool to provide new and unique perspectives of the subsurface that will improve understanding of hydrologic systems, ecosystems, weathering and erosional processes in the top 10 to 100 meters of Earth’s subsurface. Furthermore, I am interested in improving the ability to estimate the spatial distribution of parameters influencing groundwater flow and storage, specifically porosity. I am trying to exploit the sensitivity of seismic velocities in the vadose zone and surface nuclear magnetic resonance’s unique ability to determine pore scale properties in the saturated zone to provide spatially exhaustive estimates of porosity. Currently, I am working with an extensive geophysical data set comprised of 25 seismic refraction profiles, 27 electrical resistivity lines and 5 surface nuclear magnetic resonance soundings in a granite catchment in the Laramie Range, Wyoming. I am using these data, in combination with borehole data, to image subsurface structure, characterize preferential flow paths, and estimate porosity on large scales (100’s of meters).
NEWS:
- November 2016
- I received the Chevron Conference Scholarship ($1200) allowing me to present my research on estimating porosity from near-surface geophysical data at the Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP) in Denver, CO this March.
- May 2016
- I just received news that my proposal to ground truth porosity measurements estimated by geophysical measurements was funded by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). You can read a short bio and get the abstract here.
- December 2015
- A copy of my AGU poster titled, "Exploring Critical Assumptions of Petrophysical Models in Fractured Aquifers by Comparing Estimated Porosity Values Obtained from Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Shallow Seismic Refraction Surveys” can be downloaded here.
- July and August 2015
- I was lucky enough to travel to the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), Southern Sierra CZO, Jemez CZO and a field site in south-eastern Oregon this summer to collect a wide variety of near-surface geophysical data. I have had an extremely busy summer but some photographs of the WyCEHG geophysical team doing all the heavy lifting can be found on my Flickr page.
- December 2014
- September 2014
- My abstract to AGU titled "A Combined Near-surface Geophysical Approach to Delineate Hydrostratigraphic Boundaries in a Fractured Aquifer in the Laramie Range, Wyoming” has been accepted. I will be presenting a poster in the Hydrogeophysics session at 8 AM on Thursday December 18th. You can download the abstract here.
- June 2014
- I have just been informed that my SEG extended abstract has been accepted. I will be giving a talk at 8:55 AM on October 29, 2014 in Denver, CO. If you would like to read the extended abstract you can download it here.
- May 2014
- I have just returned on an amazing trip from Australia. I was there for 3 weeks collecting NMR and TEM data to search for a new groundwater resource for the Aboriginal people of South Australia. If you would like to see images and read about my experience click here to visit my field blog page.
- March 2014
- My essay was selected as a winner for the “Communicating About Water … Essay Contest” and is going to be published in the Communicating About Water Anthology. If you would like to read the essay you can download a preprint here.
- February 2014
- The Vista Clara ground magnetic resonance (GMR) equipment arrived this month. Mentors, colleagues and I went out into the field to learn how to operate this amazing equipment. GMR is the only geophysical instrumentation directly sensitive to the amount of water in the subsurface. To see a gallery of the training exercises click here.
- December 2013
- I will be in San Francisco from December 8-12 for AGU. My poster presentation is titled, "Surface-groundwater interactions mediated by fractures: seismic refraction and electrical resistivity results from the Laramie Range, Wyoming" and will be presented on Tuesday December 10th from 8:00 AM to 12:20 PM in Moscone South. To download a copy the poster click here.
- October 2013
- I attended a Critical Zone Observatory workshop prior to GSA, to download the poster that contains preliminary geophysical results from the SSCZO click here.
- Presented a talk on the data from the Laramie Range; you can download a copy of the talk here.
- I have just received news that my paper that was submitted to the Bulletin of Seismological Society of America (BSSA) back in March has been accepted for publication, you can download the color copy here.
- September 2013. I have just returned from collecting geophysical data in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO)
- August 2013. Geological Society of America abstract was accepted! The title of my talk is, "Geophysical Investigation of Variability in Granite Weathering Thickness, Laramie Range, Wyoming”
- February 2014
- The Vista Clara ground magnetic resonance (GMR) equipment arrived this month. Mentors, colleagues and I went out into the field to learn how to operate this amazing equipment. GMR is the only geophysical instrumentation directly sensitive to the amount of water in the subsurface. To see a gallery of the training exercises click here.
- December 2013
- I will be in San Francisco from December 8-12 for AGU. My poster presentation is titled, "Surface-groundwater interactions mediated by fractures: seismic refraction and electrical resistivity results from the Laramie Range, Wyoming" and will be presented on Tuesday December 10th from 8:00 AM to 12:20 PM in Moscone South. To download a copy the poster click here.
- October 2013
- I attended a Critical Zone Observatory workshop prior to GSA, to download the poster that contains preliminary geophysical results from the SSCZO click here.
- Presented a talk on the data from the Laramie Range; you can download a copy of the talk here.
- I have just received news that my paper that was submitted to the Bulletin of Seismological Society of America (BSSA) back in March has been accepted for publication, you can download the color copy here.
- September 2013. I have just returned from collecting geophysical data in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO)
- August 2013. Geological Society of America abstract was accepted! The title of my talk is, "Geophysical Investigation of Variability in Granite Weathering Thickness, Laramie Range, Wyoming"