Phase TransformatIons, MicrostructurEs, and their Seismic Signals from the Earth's mantle
New publication in 
the French edition of The Conversation!
The Conversation is a network of not-for-profit media outlets that publish news stories written by academics and researchers.
In this paper, TIMEleSS PI S. Merkel speaks about the Earth’s lowermost mantle, seismology, high pressure / high temperature mineral physics, and how phase transformations help us understanding deep Earth processes!
Students from the “Collège Val de la Sensée” in Arleux (Junior High School) are working on a project related to the famous Jules Vernes book Journey to the Center of the Earth.
On Nov. 25, 2019, they came to the Université de Lille for an example of a university class, as Otto Lidenbrock can teach in the Jules Vernes book. S. Merkel gave them a lecture on the Center of the Earth, as scientists view it and study it today, and how Jules Vernes visionary writings were both close and distant from today’s view of the Earth interior.
This week, two of the TIMEleSS PI’s are attenting the Final Workshop of the CREEP ITN at the Ecole de Physique des Houches, in France. The workshop is held from 27 January to 1 February 2019 in the town of Les Houches, in the Chamonix valley.
The CREEP ITN is a EU funded project that proposed an interdisciplinary and multiscale approach to study the origin of rheological complexity in Earth and analogous materials and how it controls the dynamics of our planet, including natural and human-induced seismicity, and affects a large range of industrial applications, from energy production and waste storage to production of high-performance glasses. It included a number of partners, from academia and industry with over 10 PhD fellowships. More details can be seen at the CREEP ITN website.
The TIMEleSS project, its objectives, and some results were highlighted in a an hour long invited presentation regarding Phase transitions in the mantle by PI S. Merkel.
The American Geophysical Union held elections to replace its council members earlier in 2018. S. Merkel, one of the TIMEleSS PI’s, was elected for the Mineral and Rock Physics section of AGU.
He will begin is 4-year term as a Council member for AGU on January 1st, 2019. As a member of the Council, representing the broad spectrum of AGU members, he will oversee the scientific affairs of AGU. The Council is responsible for the scientific affairs of AGU and plays three distinct roles: forming science policy, generating and deliberating science-related ideas, and advising on science and member issues.
He will also endorse the role of president-elect for the Mineral and Rock Physics section in 2019-2020 before becoming the section president for a 2-years term in 2021-2022.
One of the TIMEleSS PI’s gave a general lecture on Mantle Convection this week.
The French geological society meeting (Réunion des Sciences de la Terre) was held in Lille between Oct 22 and Oct 26, 2018, and included a workshop on Teaching Earth Science in High Schools dedicated to high school teachers in Northern France.
The workshop included a day of scientific presentations during which S. Merkel gave a class on Mantle Convection and a day of field trip. The workshop was also a nice and rare opportunity for high school teachers in Northern France to be in contact with international research in their region.
In June 2018, Tine Thomas went to Werner Von Siemens Gymnasium in Gronau to introduce geophysics to the pupils.
Thirty students attended and asked many questions. Will they be our new TIMEleSS members?!
