Geological Society of America National Meeting in Minneapolis Oct 2011

GSA was fun!   The massive Minneapolis Convention Center was packed from wall to wall with people, presentations and posters.  Midwest GeoSciences Group was there in the midst of it all!

Busy Days at GSA (Keegan and Joe Julik pictured)

One of the many event highlights was to see so many geoscientists wearing their GeoMan or GeoWoman shirts in their "sartorial splendor" (thanks to Jim Butler for that wondrous descriptor!) 

Cait and Sean from Northern Illinois University Go Huskies!

GeoWoman Liliana's smile speaks for itself

Even the SuperHero GeoMan Thomas was unleashed at GSA! Thomas and Keegan looking great!

GeoMan Austin sporting the Hi-Vis Safety T during Day Two. If we were outside, you could easily see how he is Outstanding in the Field!

Thank you to all the GSA organizers and sponsors for hosting a world-class conference event.  GSA is like a family reunion in so many ways, but with too many family members to connect with in just a few days.  If we missed you, you're invited to send us an email at dan@midwestgeo.com and we are glad to send you a 2012 catalog with our latest offerings!

2011 Melbourne, Cairns and Sydney

Ken Bradbury and Maureen Muldoon led the teaching during our 2011 course: Improving Hydrogeologic Analysis of Fractured Bedrock Systems.   Arriving in Melbourne at the end of July, we had the privilege of meeting and teaching a wonderful group of scientists and engineers facing the same common ground water issues we face in the United States.

Hydrogeologic site characterization in the fractured basalts across Victoria pose some unique challenges but our friend and colleague, Tami Weaver, PhD, (URS Corporation, Melbourne) shed light on technical resources and references that outlined a meaningful process to tackle such a seemingly impossible mission.

Thank you to our friends at ACLCA for graciously hosting us in Australia again.  We are inspired by your hospitality and enthusiasm along with the course attendees who travel from across Australia and demonstrate their leadership among these challenging technical disciplines.

Maureen Muldoon at Ayers Rock which is located near the geographic center of Australia and made of Arkosic Sandstone.

Ken Bradbury (with his wife, Kari, in the background) snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and greeting one of the many, many fish species that are often only an arms length away.

Live Webinars vs. Recorded Webinars

Webinars are educational seminars available online.  Live Webinars are taught live by an instructor who receives participants real-time questions using a chat system on the computer screen.  Each Live Webinar is recorded and now available through the WEBINAR ARCHIVES at Midwest GeoSciences Group.

Just click on the link showing the Members Only Section located online at our homepage, midwestgeo.com and then choose your favorite webinar topic from list of recorded sessions.   A wide variety of webinar subjects are available now and more are being added all the time.

Watch the session like you’re in a classroom and listen to internationally-recognized instructors who specialize in each of their topics.  Submerse yourself in these 90-minute educational experiences and gain insights that are found no where else on the web. 

Recorded Webinars offer many benefits besides being available on demand, 27/7.  They simulate classroom sessions encapsulated in an easy-to-access online forum.  Some other benefits include:

1. Learn from recognized experts in the field
2. Improve your personal and professional skills and efficiencies
3. Learn to solve hydrogeologic, environmental and engineering problems we commonly face as professionals
4. Bring added-value to your projects and continue to build your career.
5. You can control the webinar progress or let it run automatically.  You have the ability to immediately repeat segments using a control slider, similar to YouTube.
6. Order Three Webinars and Receive Three More for Free!  Your Membership tracks both your paid and free Webinars automatically!

Not only can you experience the webinar alone or in a group, but every 90-minute webinar is equivalent to one and a half Professional Development Hours.  Each webinar includes downloadable handouts consisting of the Session Slides and a Record of Attendance Form.  Record of Attendance Forms may be used for documenting yours and your colleague’s attendance… in case you have licensure requirements for continuing education units. 

Experience webinars right on your personal computer or broadcast it in your conference room - choosing either a Live Webinar or a Recorded Webinar - both allowing an unlimited number of colleagues for no extra charge.

2011 University of Wisconsin: Rock Cores, Flow Meters and Models

The University of Wisconsin Madison is beautiful all year but my favorite season to be on campus is summertime.  Participants during our 2011 course "IMPROVING THE HYDROGEOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF FRACTURED BEDROCK SYSTEMS" indicated they enjoyed it too along with the on-campus fun.  Anyone who is familiar with the campus understands the uniqueness of State Street that connects the University and State Capitol.  We were aware of the daily (history-making) protests happening at the Capitol during our evening walks after class on State Street - which made our experience uniquely memorable.

The 3-day course takes advantage of the excellent facilities in Madison ranging from the state-of-the-art on-campus classroom auditorium, the extensive rock core library in Mt. Horeb and access to bedrock exposures and the fantastic field site with a variety of wells and downhole technologies.   The exercises range from practicing our rock core logging skills to FLUTe sampling to using the a host of dynamic borehole flow meters.  The 20-sec video below shows the rock core logging exercises:

Participants travel globally for this course with some travelling this year as far as the Western Cape of South Africa.   We are honored to have the privilege of bringing our educational experiences to people.  We enjoy meeting participants with such a wide variety of experiences, backgrounds and originating from such diverse geographic distributions.  Thank you to those who joined us in Madison for this fun and unique course!! 

Solid "H(o) Slug" .....what is it?

Pronounced:  H naught slug

The Solid H(o) Slug™ is a traditional solid slug that is designed to yield a pre-estimated initial displacement during a slug test. 

It's a new item available only through Midwest GeoSciences Group.  The H(o) Slug may ordered in either teflon or PVC.  

Calculated initial displacement is represented by "H(o)*" where H is the calculated distance of instanteous change at time zero (o) in water level created by the the slug.  "H(o)" is the measured initial displacement.  It is important to compare calculated H(o)* with measured H(o) as part of the QA/QC of the slug test for checking the reliability of test data.

The 60-sec video below shows initial displacement occurring within a two-inch diamter well using the H(o) Slug for a one-foot initial displacement.  Note how the water level changes by 1 foot after dropping the slug mimicing the initial displacement during a falling head slug test.

The H(o) Slug is available now at http://www.midwestgeo.com/ for both english and metric units:
12 in, 18 in and 24 in  --or--  30cm, 45cm, 60cm. 

Learn why slug testing with different initial displacements is very important and how normalizing the data can create appreciable data analysis efficiences using the FIELD GUIDE FOR SLUG TESTING AND DATA ANALYSIS.

2011 Pneumatic Hi-K Slug

Check out the Hi-K Slug !! The 2013 Pneumatic Hi-K™ Slug uses air pressure from a hand-held pump to lower the water level and the easy-to-use valve releases the pressure immediately to dramatically improve test results!

2013 Pneumatic Hi-K Slug

View more presentations from DanielKelleher.