[Loclphys] Colloquium Announcement (Dr. Declan De Paor) 2/23/2010

[Malin, Delicia M.]

Old Dominion University
Department of Physics

Spring Colloquium Series

Tuesday February 23, 2010

"Maps, Models, and Visualizations in the Earth and Space Sciences"

Dr. Declan De Paor
Old Dominion University



Earth and space sciences have long shared a common methodology based on maps and map-making. Both sciences began with mapping and both continue to rely on maps as the databases on which novel observations are made, models are constructed, and hypotheses are tested. In the case of astronomy, mapping the celestial sphere allowed the ancients to plot paths of planets, leading eventually to Heliocentrism, and to this day maps are used to discover comets, explore planets and moons, and study the cosmos on ever-larger scales, from the Hubble Deep Field to the WMAP. From the earliest of the geological and geophysical surveys, combinations of maps and cross sections aided visualization and analysis of tectonic structures. On the other hand, traditional maps have always been at least partially works of art. They are difficult to assess or validate, and they can anchor the viewer's perception in a current style of interpretation. In order to make tectonic maps more quantitative and falsifiable, I have developed methods of displacement, strain, and kinematic analysis and have applied these methods in a range of settings. With the recent emergence of new mapping technologies, including digital field devices and virtual globes, my students, colleagues, and I are building innovative 4-D visualizations that zoom from outcrop to planetary scale while moving forward and backward in time, and we are assessing their effectiveness both as learning resources and research tools. In the future, we aim to coordinate spherical and full-dome digital projections to create a cognitive link between the planetary and celestial domains

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Presentation: Physical Sciences Building II 1100 @ 3:00 pm
Refreshments: 1st Floor Atrium @ 2:30 pm

More details at http://www.physics.odu.edu
All are Welcome!

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