FastTIMES is the technical near-surface geophysics magazine of EEGS and globally, it is the only magazine devoted entirely to near-surface geophysics news and outreach, bringing the message, in an accessible way of the latest research and development, applications, value and limitations of near- surface geophysical methods to both geophysicists and the broader audience of geoscience and engineering professionals who are the end-users of geophysics. As such it is a valuable NSGS community resource.
In addition to documenting and promoting the EEGS Annual SAGEEP Conference and its proceedings, FastTIMES features an ongoing series of Special Issues, each focused on a theme of sustainability for the Americas and globally (download recent issues from https://www.eegs.org/latest-issue). But what about the sustainability of magazine production?
A New Sustainable Editorial Model
EEGS is looking to maintain, as well as continue to improve, FastTIMES magazine and with the current Editor-in Chief, Geoff Pettifer, intending to move on in 2020, or lighten considerably his time commitment to FastTIMES production, EEGS is considering new ways of sustainably maintaining the quality and delivery of the magazine with the approach of a managing Editor and a team of guest Special Issue Editors, along with the current Associate Editors, to share the workload more sustainably.
The plan is to move therefore to a distributed Editor model for delivering FastTIMES, much like what is the case for ASCE-GI GEOSTRATA magazine which has an Editor -in-Chief providing strategic planning, continuity, mentoring and assistance to a team of Special Issue Editors who voluntarily take on almost full responsibility for a Special Issue once every 1-2 years with the Associate Editors and regular correspondents providing the regular copy material.
Join the Editorial Team
EEGS is therefore seeking expressions of interest in joining the FastTIMES Editorial team, from geophysicists / geoscientists who have the passion, time, energy and interest in either being an Associate Editor or being responsible, under the Managing Editor, for occasionally delivering as a Special Issue Editor, a single issue of the magazine with a theme of your choice from the many themes of sustainability for geoscience and geo- engineering identified as worthy of focus in the various sectors where near-surface geophysical methods can be applied, or from a technology theme.
What Themes Are Planned or Possible?
Depending on the interest shown and preferences and availability of each Editor, the Special Issues themes are chosen from a long list of possible themes that cover the context and applications of near-surface geophysics methods to issues of sustainability for the infrastructure, geo-engineering, geotechnical, groundwater, environmental, mining, agriculture, archaeological, forensic, UXO and resource delineation sectors as well a technology themes (see above graphic for themes covered so far and tentative plans for 2020 on page19).
Sustainability Themes
Potential future sustainability application themes include such themes as climate change, riparian and wetland condition, sustainable groundwater resources, landfill, nuclear waste disposal, geothermal energy, infrastructure – underground excavations & cavities, infrastructure condition assessment – NDT, abandoned mines and mine rehabilitation and closure, coastal engineering, mine tailings management – geotechnical, environmental / groundwater, mine water management, catchment mapping, contaminated sites – investigation and cleanup / auditing – Superfund sites, sustainable irrigation channel leakage, soil management, optimal agriculture, geohazards, micro-seismicity, documenting archaeological sites, underground and open pit mine safety geophysics, forensics geophysics, geophysical research and education, geological mapping, critical zone – surface and groundwater interaction, glaciology and permafrost.
Technology Themes
Technological themes applicable to sustainability and advancement of near-surface geophysics science, in addition to focus on advances in individual geophysical methods, includes such themes as uncertainty in modelling, transformation of geophysical parameters incorporating uncertainty into other geoscience and geo- engineering parameters, standards revisited, geophysical software, 3D inversion, calibration and instrument development, joint method inversion, advances in computing power, cross-hole methods, technology transfer from the O&G and minerals sector to NSG, NSG uses of mineral exploration data for mine site development, NSG uses of oil and gas exploration data, shallow marine geophysics, hyperspectral geophysics, remote sensing sensors and datasets, and 3D geophysical / geological integrated modelling.
If you are interested in outreach of near-surface geophysics science and being part of the Editorial team delivering FastTIMES, or want to learn more about what is involved, please contact EEGS Communications and Publications Chair: Judith Robinson ([email protected]) or
German Ojeda FastTIMES Editor-in-Chief:
( [email protected]; Cell phone: + 57-313-479-1700).
