Candidate Statements
SSA 2009 Board of Directors

David Wald
U.S. Geological Survey

Principal fields: earthquake source, historic earthquakes, strong ground motions, wave propagation, real-time seismology, macroseismic seismology, earthquake impact assessment, earthquake response

One shouldn’t take for granted the importance of membership in the Seismological Society of America, and the Society’s benefit to your career and science. I believe the Society, because it is small and nimble, is unique among other societies in our and other sciences. I strive to achieve a holistic view of the earthquake problem. From such a view, it is clear that many different research, coordination, publication, and advocacy roles of the Society have important contributions to the overall success of the seismological community as well as to our mission of reducing the impact of earthquakes. As a member of the Board of Directors, I will make a good-hearted effort to maintain an informed view of the range of research, professional, and user-community interactions so as to keep the Society’s business moving forward smoothly and advocate its vision to promote earthquake science.

Brad Aagaard
U.S. Geological Survey

Principal fields: earthquake ground motions, earthquake rupture dynamics

SSA is known worldwide for its publication of seismologic research in the Bulletin. As a member of the board, I would work to insure that the Bulletin remains a premier research journal for seismologic research and that SRL, continues to be an effective means for dissemination of timely information supporting the research and public safety objectives of the Society. Additionally, I believe SSA should seek a proactive collaboration with engineers and emergency managers to facilitate and expedite progress in characterizing seismic hazard into mitigation of seismic risk. SSA should augment periodic joint meetings, such as the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference, with opportunities for discussion and exchange of information on a more frequent basis. Finally, the Sumatra and Sichuan earthquakes as well as hurricane Katrina serve as reminders that public awareness is an essential ingredient in preparedness for and mitigation of natural disasters. SSA should actively seek to raise the public awareness of seismic hazard and risk by enlisting its members in informing the public through lectures and other public outreach activities.

William U. (Woody) Savage
U. S. Geological Survey

Principal fields: Seismic hazards evaluations, seismic risk management for lifelines and critical facilities

The application of seismological discoveries and data to the built environment is essential to accomplish the public safety and disaster protection objectives of SSA. There is a significant and growing segment of the seismological community working for and with the public and private owners of earthquake risk; these practitioners are primary recipients of the benefits of SSA. My career has been anchored in this field for 35 years. I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Board to encourage more involvement of seismic hazards practitioners in SSA as members, and with SSA as promoters of worldwide improvements in earthquake risk reduction. Here are three areas for increased emphasis: 1) BSSA, and the annual and Eastern Section meetings are prime venues for encouraging publication of new techniques and case histories to bring professional recognition and growth to practitioners as authors; 2) businesses with employees and consultants involved in Society activities can become SSA corporate members as an enlightened investment in both their businesses and the public good; and 3) the international exchange of knowledge about earthquake hazards and risks is facilitated by jointly sponsored multidisciplinary meetings and publications, and sharing public advocacy for cooperation in seismic risk reduction.

Robert Graves
URS Corporation

Principal fields: strong motion seismology, earthquake rupture characterization, seismic hazard assessment

The Seismological Society of America was formed following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake with the goals of promoting earthquake research and providing an organizational framework for disseminating this information to the general public. As the Society enters its second century, these goals are still paramount; however, the Society’s role in pursuing these goals has had to become much more proactive. We must continue these efforts and promote the proactive use of science in general, and earthquake science in particular, by communicating information to and interacting with other organizations. These organizations include other scientific and engineering bodies (e.g., AGU, EERI, GSA), emergency preparedness organizations (both public and private), funding agencies, and the general public. At its foundation, the Society must continue to support the dissemination of peer-reviewed scientific information through its journals, and these journals must continue to evolve as the nature of information exchange continues to change in our digital world. Also, the Society must continue to explore ways in which its members can interact with other organizations on a more formal basis (such as the recent SSA/EERI joint meetings in 2006). As a member of the SSA Board of Directors, I will work toward these objectives.

William R. Walter
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Principal fields: Seismic source physics, crust and upper mantle structure, nuclear explosion treaty verification.

These are exciting times for seismology. USArray is moving across the country, revealing unprecedented structural details and new, unexpected seismic source information. Many countries are expanding or establishing new national seismic networks and the number of global seismometers providing near-real-time data is increasing rapidly. The distribution and manipulation of large volumes of data is an exciting challenge and SSA should continue to play an important role in fostering a climate of open, easy, and timely exchange of seismic data. SSA plays an equally important role in the exchange of ideas through annual meetings and BSSA, and SRL,. The electronic availability of all of BSSA, and SRL, is an important milestone for the Society that offers opportunities to shorten time lags in information exchange of information and broaden the types of information shared. Finally SSA serves a critical role in educating the public, governments, and future scientists and engineers about the importance of our field in its many roles, from hazard mitigation to treaty monitoring. This advocacy for the societal benefits from our science is critical now as budgets tighten. It would be an honor to serve the Society and its members on the SSA Board of Directors.

Tina M. Niemi
University of Missouri-Kansas City

Principal fields: Paleoseismology, archaeoseismology, quaternary geology, geoscience education and outreach

Events like the 2008 Mw 5.2 Illinois earthquake, the approaching bicentennial of the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes, and deployment of the EarthScope USArray provide a unique opportunity for SSA to promote earthquake research and education outside the tectonically active West. I believe that SSA and its members are poised to take a leading role in bringing earthquake science to a larger interdisciplinary audience by working with other professional societies and the public. The successful 2006 SSA annual meeting is a model worth repeating. The Society should continue to use historic earthquakes to heighten the mission of SSA, increase involvement with earthquake engineers and emergency managers, and promote earthquake awareness in the general public. Furthermore, as the out-going editor of Geology at the Geological Society of America (GSA), I know that the strength of a society is its publications. The number of paleoseismology papers in BSSA, and SRL, and topical sessions at SSA meetings demonstrates that paleoseismology is a growing part of SSA. As a new Affiliated Society of GSA, SSA should continue to promote interdisciplinary earthquake studies by sponsoring joint sessions at GSA meetings. As an SSA board member, I would work to support SSA’s broader earthquake science mission.

Brian Stump
Southern Methodist University

Principal fields: Earthquake and explosion sources, mining seismicity, regional wave propagation, seismic instrumentation, seismoacoustics and infrasound, seismological and geological education

As a member of the Seismological Society of America for many years, I am honored to stand for election to the Board of Directors. This office would allow me to give something back to the Society that motivated me as a graduate student, encouraged me as a young Ph.D., and continues to educate me as a professional. I believe that the key aspects of the Society are its publications and its meetings, as they facilitate research, education and training. These strengths need to be maintained and continuously analyzed to assure their effectiveness under changing environments. Outreach to the general public through education is critical to scientific literacy and to an understanding of natural hazards, among other things, for the long-term health of our nation and our discipline. On topics as far-ranging as natural hazards to nuclear test monitoring, we as a Society have an important role in communicating about the associated technical issues in a way that can be easily understood and acted upon.

Steven M. Day
San Diego State University

Principal fields: Earthquake dynamics, computational seismology, strong ground motion

The SSA was the first professional society I joined as a graduate student more than three decades ago. It remains the organization that best matches my scientific and professional interests and concerns, and I would be pleased to serve the Society as a Board Member. Our Society is largely defined by the quality and breadth of its publications, and we should be unstinting in our efforts to build BSSA, as a premier journal for the dissemination of research across the full spectrum of earthquake science. There is room to improve the inclusiveness of the journal, and perhaps we can do more to encourage contributions at the key disciplinary interfaces, including those with earthquake geology, rock mechanics, and computational mechanics. Also essential is the quality of our annual meetings. I was very impressed with how effective the 2006 joint meeting was in fostering exchange between the SSA membership and the emergency response, public policy, and engineering communities. We will be more successful in our mission of promoting public safety if we understand the needs of these communities better, and I would like to see us further promote that kind of exchange in the future.