Fundraising update: $10 for Guatemala

Geologizing is still on hold for a bit (it's amazing how hard it is to get your brain back into 'work' mode after field work happens), but here's an update on the fundraising drive for the Santiaguito Volcano Observatory in Guatemala. Donations have started to come in, but this is the official kickoff, and guess what? The International Volcano Monitoring Fund has made it incredibly easy (and affordable!) to help support volcano monitoring in Guatemala. Want to know more? Here's a message (and a flier) from IVM-Fund President Dr. Jeff Witter:

(Click on the flier for a bigger version!)

"Today we launch the first official fundraiser for the International Volcano Monitoring Fund. Please take a minute to read the attached flyer, which highlights the great volcano monitoring support program we have recently established in Guatemala. Please consider making the requested $10 donation. With your help, along with the support of the geology and scientific communities at large, we are hoping to raise $10,000 for Guatemala volcano monitoring. With this money, the IVM-Fund will help outfit the Santiaguito Volcano Observatory with volcano monitoring equipment so that Guatemalan scientists can keep watch on one of Guatemala's most active and dangerous volcanoes. The IVM-Fund Guatemala program intends to make a meaningful impact, improving safety at Guatemalan communities near Santiaguito volcano.

"A sincere thank you in advance for your support and for the continued support of those of you who have already donated. 

"Please contact me (Dr. Witter) directly or check out the specific project webpage for more detailed information on how we're supporting Guatemala: http://www.ivm-fund.org/guatemala/. To make a donation, please click on the DONATE NOW button at: http://www.ivm-fund.org/donate/."

Ten dollars for volcano monitoring is something that even a grad student can afford, and I hope that everyone who reads this will consider helping with a donation!

The Santiaguito Volcano Observatory needs your help!

While I was in Guatemala working at the Santiaguito lava dome complex, my field group had a lot of help from the Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Metereologia e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH). And when I say a lot, I mean "helped organize every logistical detail of the trip and gave us a place to stay at the Santiaguito Volcano Observatory". I could never have done any of this work without their help, and now I'm going to try and help them out in return.

The Santiaguito Volcano Observatory needs our help.

Unlike the geological organizations in the U.S. and Europe, INSIVUMEH doesn't have a lot of money to throw around. The scientists and observers at Santiaguito (and at other volcanoes in Guatemala) don't have the equipment they need to easily and accurately monitor active volcanoes. It's not a matter of needing big pieces of high-tech instrumentation; the folks at the Observatory don't even have the basics that we all take for granted - such as digital cameras, radios, and GPSs. What's more, even though they have a seismic station collecting data about the Santiagutio domes, there's no way to receive or process the information at the Observatory, because they don't have the computers to do it. 

In light of the recent large eruptions at Santiaguito and Pacaya, this is dismaying. The people who live and work around Santiaguito depend on the Observatory to help keep them safe, and INSIVUMEH's scientists don't have the basic tools they need to do their work. I've talked about the hazards of living near an active volcano in the past, and the key to doing it safely is to have diligent, well-equipped scientists monitoring volcanic activity. The INSIVUMEH volcanologists and observers are incredibly dedicated to their work, but there's a point when equipment needs simply hamper their ability to be effective. Because the average person in Guatemala lives on US$2 or less a day, there's no way they can afford to spend their own money to supplement their equipment. But we can, and that's why I'm making this announcement - and asking for your help.

Donate to the International Volcano Monitoring Fund!

The International Volcano Monitoring Fund (IVMF), which was created by Dr. Jeff Witter, has been set up specifically to help volcano observatories in developing countries. Dr. Witter has agreed to extend their current endeavors to purchasing equipment for the Santiaguito Observatory, and has just launched a new webpage where you can find out how to help: http://www.ivm-fund.org/guatemala/. He and I have been working with Gustavo Chigna, the director of INSIVUMEH's volcanology programs, and Rudiger Escobar, a Guatemalan PhD student in volcanology at Michigan Technological University, to develop a list of what the Santiaguito Volcano Observatory needs.

The equipment they've requested runs all the way from smaller items like tape measures and rock hammers to more expensive things like desktop computers (to receive and process seismic signals) and laser rangefinders. Each item comes with a dollar amount needed to purchase it and a description of how it will be used. You don't even have to purchase the whole item - like the DonorsChoose campaign that the geobloggers participate in every year, every little bit helps. The IVM Fund is a non-profit organization, so you can be assured that as much of your donation as possible will be going toward funding Guatemalan volcanologists.

Please, help my colleagues in Guatemala do their work! I'm incredibly lucky that I don't have to worry about being able to afford my equipment, and I want to make it possible for the volcanologists at INSIVUMEH to do their work without the same problems. Because any fundraising effort is a long-term endeavor, I'm going to place a permanent link on the blog and periodically update you all as the IVM Fund collects enough to start purchasing equipment. (I also think that t-shirts may be in the works for the future - you'll be able to donate toward volcano monitoring efforts and add to your geologic wardrobe!)

Eruptions - especially the ones that we've seen this year - remind us all that it's necessary for volcanologists to keep a close eye on active volcanoes. Like any scientist, they need the proper tools to do that. When they have them, volcanologists can do a lot to help safeguard peoples' lives, livelihoods and homes. If you think you can spare a little money, please help the volcanologists at the Santiaguito Volcano Observatory do just that!

Catching up

Wow, it would be nice to have more time to blog...unfortunately, three math-heavy courses this semester are not leaving me with much time to work on my own research, much less any other writing. So here's a bulleted update of a few things:

• Earth Science Week is this week! I've got my toolkit, although lack of free time mostly means that I'll be putting up posters instead of sponsoring an event. Still, there are lots of things going on - check out the ESW Events Near You page and see what's happening in your state.
• GSW Portland starts on Sunday (Saturday if you go to the welcome dinner). Callan has posted details for a geobloggers meetup at the Tugboat Brewing Company in downtown Portland (8 PM on Monday night). I'll be there - hope to see some of the rest of you!
• GSA has an ad hoc committee on electronic communication (eGSA), and one of the members wants to put my name forward to be on it! I'm still awaiting details, but it looks like I may be in a position to make suggestions for how GSA can better utilize current web technology for communication. More details to come...
• Don't forget the next Accretionary Wedge! The suggested due date for entries is the Sunday after GSA (Oct. 25th), but of course I'll add more entries as they come in. The theme this time around is Earth science outreach, so dust off those old field trip and demo photos and share some knowledge!
• The deadline for the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program is coming up fast - November 5th for the geosciences. If anyone out there is getting an application together and would like to talk to a real live Fellow (as I was introduced at an information session not too long ago), I'd be happy to answer questions about the application or the program.
  

That's all for now, folks. I have a few posts in the works, and hopefully I'll have some time to put them up this week. If not, I hope to see you at GSA!