Pennington named a Jefferson Science Fellow by the US Department of State |
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Wayne Pennington, chair of the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, has been named a Jefferson Science Fellow by the US Department of State. According to the State Department, the Jefferson Science Fellowship "was established to create opportunities for substantial engagement of tenured scientists and engineers from US academic institutions in the work of the Department. Fellows serve one-year assignments working full-time in the State Department or the US Agency for International Development." "I would like to congratulate Wayne for being nationally recognized as a Jefferson Science Fellow," said Interim Provost Max Seel. "The fellowship program is based on the premise that science and technology make fundamental contributions to the security, economic, health and cultural foundations of modern societies and are integral to the development and implementation of foreign policy. It will provide Wayne not only for a one-year engagement in the work of the State Department, but for continuous involvement as consultant after returning to his academic career at Tech." "This award is an exceptional honor for Wayne and presents him with a unique opportunity to aid in the formulation and implementation of our nation's foreign policy," added Dean of the College of Engineering Tim Schulz. “Jefferson Science Fellows are selected from the nation's best faculty, and Wayne's achievement is significant and notable for Michigan Tech." 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 interest are found in induced seismicity, deep earthquakes and oil and gas exploration and development. Pennington 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 of Texas at Austin, he studied the relationship of earthquakes to oil and gas production. Following that, he worked at the research laboratory for Marathon Oil Company, studying techniques to improve the identification of, and production from, oil and gas reservoirs. Since 1994, he has been at Michigan Tech, teaching and conducting research into geophysical observations of oil and gas production. He has served as the first vice president for the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, published over 30 papers and coauthored (with his students) one book. His degrees are from Princeton University, Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pennington will begin his term with the State Department in August, pending diplomatic security clearance approval. |
For more information about this talk , please contact the Department Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences—487-2531
4/02/2009