Leading the Way
As stewards of the Earth, you will be leading the way to a better future. Your work in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences will show you how to balance the safety of our planet and its natural resources with the needs of society. From the field to the lab, measurement and analysis will help drive advancements in areas including water-supply maintenance, natural-resource management, disaster mitigation, and infrastructure design.
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Associate Professor, Geological and Environmental Engineering
My approach to learning is not to rely only on the transfer of knowledge through lectures, reading, and rote practice. I place greater importance on providing opportunities for students in both classroom and research settings to develop their own problem-solving skills by attempting to solve problems independently. The best opportunities are those where the problem is new, requires synthesizing many technical aspects, and may also require the student to learn a brand new technical skill for some aspects. . . .
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Assistant Professor
Dr. Waite uses seismology to study the Earth over a range of scales from the crust to the upper mantle. His research integrates seismology with other geophysical and geological techniques to develop models for active processes in the crust and upper mantle. . . .
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Assistant Professor
My current research focus is the application of remote sensing data to studies of volcanic degassing, volcanic eruption clouds, and anthropogenic pollution. Space-borne sensors such as the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite now allow us to probe the chemistry of the lower troposphere and measure the abundance of sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone, bromine monoxide (BrO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other important trace gases with unprecedented sensitivity. The cross-platform sensor synergy provided by NASA’s A-Train satellite constellation is . . .
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Professor
Dr. Mayer's teaching interests include groundwater flow and transport and subsurface remediation. Research projects Dr. Mayer is currently involved in include: "Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Contaminant Transport in Groundwater Vadose Zones," "Mathematical Optimization of Groundwater Remediation Systems: Multi-Objective and Uncertainty Problems," "Surfactant-Enhanced Dissolution of Nonaqueous Phase Liquids in Subsurface Systems," "Groundwater Flow in a Fault Zone in the Vicinity of Desert Hot Springs, California," and "Simulation of Saltwater Intrusion in the Guaymas Valley, Sonora, Mexico California." Dr. Mayer has . . .
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Wayne D. Pennington
PhD, Geophysics and Geology, University of Wisconsin
Contact
906-487-2531
wayne@mtu.edu
Chair, Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
A geophysicist, Pennington’s research is centered on the response of Earth materials to changes in physical conditions, such as stress, saturation, and temperature. The applications of this work are found in induced seismicity, deep earthquakes, as well as oil and gas exploration and development. He has worked in both academia and in industry and has conducted fieldwork at sites around the world. In the 1970s, he studied tectonic earthquakes in Latin America and Pakistan. In the 1980s, at the University . . .
