Journally Speaking: Geoscientists without borders

Industry outreach takes on a lot of forms, many of which involve offering financial assistance to community organizations near a company’s operations. The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), however, has gone a step further with ‘Dignity in Depth,’ a program run by Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) and funded in part by SEG.

‘Dignity in Depth’ applies geophysical techniques to identify unmarked burial sites and aid in the restoration of three historic African American cemeteries within the Houston area. In addition to helping preserve the sanctity of the graves, the program provides geophysics students an opportunity to apply near-surface geophysical methods under the guidance of seasoned geoscientists.

On a field trip in August 2024 held by GWB in conjunction with SEG and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ (AAPG) annual IMAGE conference, the students not only carried out measurements and other data acquisition but went to the University of Houston to visualize the data. The project will run through 2026.

One of the cemeteries receiving GWB attention is Olivewood, a roughly 8-acre site near a bend in White Oak Bayou that serves as the final resting place for some of Houston’s earliest Black residents, many of them freed slaves. An organization called Descendents of Olivewood is carrying out general restoration at the site, the city’s first incorporated African American cemetery, established in 1875, just 10 years after emancipation arrived in Texas.

Initial steps include improving the grounds while raising funds for headstone renovation. The data gathered by ‘Dignity in Depth’ will help assure that Olivewood’s restoration is as comprehensive as possible.

Global reach

Befitting its name, GWB is active worldwide. Funded projects fall into four categories: disaster risk reduction; water, sanitation, and hygiene; environmental and cultural conservation; and food security.

Since being founded in 2008, GWB has completed 63 projects in 37 countries, involving 1,200 students, 85 university partners, 80 community partners, and 25 industry partners. It has used roughly $4 million in funding to affect the lives of an estimated 18 million people.

A recent food security project conducted benthic habitat mapping to improve fisheries conservation in littoral and pelagic fisheries at Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. The surveys of near-shore benthic habitats are being used to develop a conservation strategy focused on small-scale zones to be protected by local communities.

In Java, Indonesia, meanwhile, a GWB disaster-risk reduction project has focused on making communities aware of tsunami hazards and how to prepare and respond. The project is using evidence gathered from the geologic record of previous mega-tsunami events to increase overall resilience. Java has one tsunami event every 4 years and has suffered more than 200,000 related fatalities since 2002.

BGC Engineering Inc., IsrAID, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have engaged in a GWB water, sanitation, and hygiene project in Kenya to identify well locations to provide water to Kakuma Refugee Camp’s 185,000 residents. UNHCR and IsrAID have drilled three wells based on interpreted geophysical data and will use the data to determine additional well locations. Refugees and local students are participating in implementation to heighten the potential for food security and self-reliance.

GWB calls for applications for projects from nonprofits and higher-education institutions twice each year. Phase I of the process includes submission of a letter of intent which is evaluated by staff and a technical review subcommittee. Projects that move to Phase II need to submit a full proposal within 30 days. The subcommittee then decides awards using an approval matrix. The AAPG Foundation, Baker Hughes Foundation, and Kiwi Energy also support GWB.