# CIG Newsletter - February 2025

**URL:** <https://community.geodynamics.org/t/cig-newsletter-february-2025/3913>\
**Category:** Announcements\
**Created:** [February 5, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://community.geodynamics.org/t/cig-newsletter-february-2025/3913 "2025-02-05T00:11:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ljhwang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/community.geodynamics.org/ljhwang/32/8_2.png) [@ljhwang](https://community.geodynamics.org/u/ljhwang)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://community.geodynamics.org/t/cig-newsletter-february-2025/3913/1 "2025-02-05T00:11:46Z")

</div>

| &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; | 

 ![CIGcirclelogo2020_BlackText-01](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/geodynamics/original/2X/9/90646d518a8a8b8b975b18ae880915938b74679e.png).

 | 

[&nbsp; &nbsp; February 2025. Volume 14 Issue 1.](https://geodynamics.org/newsletter)

 | &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; |

 ![25_feb_1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/geodynamics/original/2X/2/2dbad69a619ec69c8005893bf8ec44fec98002c9.jpeg)

## **_Research Highlight_**

### **Underworld3**

The most recent version of [Underworld (v3)](https://github.com/underworldcode/underworld3), is a ground-up rewrite of our widely-used geodynamics modelling code (there is not a single line of code carried forward from v2). Underworld3 does share many design patterns with Underworld2 though: it is a finite element code in which particle swarms and mesh variables have equal standing, with a python front end and a parallel-optimised (PETSc) back end, with rich symbolic algebra capabilities to help set up the mathematics of your model (this time we are using sympy instead of our own code), and full integration with the Jupyter notebook system for designing and analysing problems.

We say that Underworld3 is mathematically self-describing because every data object has a symbolic (sympy) equivalent, all the equation systems retain their symbolic representation throughout the problem assembly and, as a result, when you have finished building your problem, you can ask to see the mathematical representation of the numerical implementation. The symbolic representation that Underworld uses makes it easy to evaluate model derivatives for non-linear problems and optimisations, and ... [[full article](https://geodynamics.org/highlight-february2025)]

_contributed by&nbsp;_

Louis Moresi, _Australian National University_ 

* * *

## From HQ

Dear Community,

Please join me in welcoming Louis Moresi, _Australian National University,_ as the new Co Director for CIG. Many of you know Louis as a long time member of the geodynamics community, a champion of open source code, and the developer of software packages including Underworld (learn about [version 3](https://www.underworldcode.org/underworld3-come-and-get-it/)), CITCOM, Ellipses, GLUCIFER and Quagmire. Discussions of the future of CIG will benefit from insights gained from his internationally recognized research in geodynamics, computational mathematics, and computational modeling. I look forward to conversations to come as we plan for the future of CIG.

2025 is a busy year for CIG. Not only do we have returning events, our community wide meeting _CIG The Next Generation_ will be held from August 4-7, 2025. Our last community wide meeting in 2016 was both energizing and exhausting! With a slate of tutorials, plenaries, panels, and breakout sessions planned, I expect this meeting to be similarly reinvigorating. Many thanks to the Organizing Committee for the hard work that has already gone into planning. See article below for more information. I look forward to seeing you at the high altitude destination of Breckenridge, Colorado (9600'/2926m) this summer.

_Lorraine Hwang, Co Director_

* * *

## **Governance**

### Elections

Congratulations to our newest members of CIG Governance. Newly elected member Mark Richards joins relected member Marc Spiegelman and current members Phaedra Upton and Alice Gabriel on the Executive Committee (EC). Newly elected members Jacky Austermann, Kate Rychert, Joyce Shi Sim and Andrea Adams (early career) joins Sylvain Barbot, Adam Holt, Qinya Liu, and Elvira Mulyukova on the Science Steering Committee (SSC).

We thank Brad Aagaard and Dave May for their leadership on the EC and SSC respectively;  
and SSC members Peter Driscoll, Harriet Lau, and Emmanuel Njinju (early career) for  
their contributions to the community.

Many thanks to our Nominations Committee Ebru Bozdag, Mark Behn, Margarete Jadamec and Louis Moresi for assembling this year’s slate.

### Speaker Series
Do you know someone who would be a great ambassador for CIG research? The CIG Speaker Series is looking for talented speakers who can promote computational modeling in geodynamics and related earth sciences to a broad scientific audience. Open a ticket and include on the first line, "SPEAKER NOMINATION". More information for speakers and institutions looking for speakers can be found on our website. **Deadline is February 28, 2025.** [[info](https://geodynamics.org/outreach/speaker)] 
### Working Groups
 CIG seeks to engage its community and encourage new ideas by seeking members interested in participating as a member of a current working Group or starting a new Focused Working Groups (FWG). New FWG's should address a specific topic and have a clearly defined scope e.g., workshop, white paper, benchmark, etc. A WG should define concrete outcome(s) achievable within a short time frame, \< 2 years. Anyone can propose one! We look forward to your ideas in&nbsp;continuing&nbsp;the CIG community's&nbsp;dynamic leadership in the Earth sciences. [[apply](https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9NV78BFC3ZZh1Qy)]   

* * *

## **Opportunities**

**GSA’s Geophysics Division awards**. GSA’s Geophysics and Geodynamics Division is accepting nominations for two awards. The [Seth and Carol Stein Early Career Award in Geophysics and Geodynamics](https://community.geosociety.org/geophysicsdivision/awards/early-career-award-steins) that recognizes significant contributions in geophysics and geodynamics by a young scientist. This award includes an honorarium. Nominated candidates must be either no more than 35 years old or no more than 6 years beyond receiving a Ph.D. or equivalent, must be a current GSA Geophysics and Geodynamics Division member in good standing. The [George P. Woollard Award](https://community.geosociety.org/geophysicsdivision/awards/woollard) is given annually by the Geophysics and Geodynamics Division to recognize individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to geology through the application of the principles and techniques of geophysics.   
 **DEADLINE: February 15, 2025** ( for both awards).

The **Open Research Community Accelerator** ([ORCA](https://www.orcaopen.org/work/cap?mc_cid=563429fa08&mc_eid=6ec5ae1a39)), with generous support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, is pleased to launch the Open Scholarship Catalytic Awards Program. The program aims to stimulate a culture of open scholarship (encompassing open science, open research, open data, and a range of other open-sharing practices that promote transparency, reproducibility, community engagement, and collaboration) at US-based traditionally under-resourced institutions. The awards will foster a diverse range of open scholarship projects and activities to help nurture a culture in which both research processes and outcomes are more inclusive, innovative, efficient, and trustworthy.   
**Deadline: April 15, 2025.**

* * *

## Events

### Workshops

 **SAVE THE DATE**

 
 

**2025 CIG - The Next Generation.** Come join the geodynamics community in Breckenridge, Colorado from August 4-7, 2025 and to discuss cross cutting science and the next generation vision towards understanding of large and small scale Earth systems.

[Call for Sessions](https://geodynamics.org/events/details/349/sessions). We welcome **proposals** for tutorials and breakout groups organized and hosted by our community members. **Tutorials** are typically ½ day introductions to open source modeling software or topics in software development, FAIR4RS or software tools. **Breakout** sessions in geodynamics, computation, and/or software may be a special interest group providing opportunities for discussion and feedback or scientific session providing opportunities to explore emerging topics or to engage in a focus in depth look at current trends, bottlenecks, or other specialty topics.

Please see the **[Call for Sessions](https://geodynamics.org/events/details/349/sessions)** tab on our event website for more information on submitting your proposal.  
**DEADLINE: Friday March 14, 2025.**

More information about this event can be found on our [website](https://geodynamics.org/events/details/349). Support is available for early career participants.

* * *

 **NEXT WEEK**

 

**2025 ASPECT Virtual User meeting.** Get to know other community members by joining the ASPECT user and developer community February 11-12 from 8A-1:30P PST to learn about the latest feature additions, discuss interesting science applications, and participate in discussions. [[more info](https://geodynamics.org/events/details/364)] [[register](https://ucdavis.zoom.us/meeting/register/rep020H0QFGb2DtkRgr6pw)]

* * *

**2025 Interior of the Earth Gordon Research Conference** ([GRC](https://www.grc.org/interior-of-the-earth-conference/2025/)). GRC will be held on June 22-27 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The meeting theme is _Volatiles, Melt and Viscosity: Consequences for Mantle Evolution and Climate System Interactions_. Researchers at all career stages are encouraged to participate. You must [apply](https://www.grc.org/interior-of-the-earth-conference/2025/) to attend. **Deadline: May 25, 2025.**

### CIG Webinars

CIG Monthly Webinars are the second Thursday of the month at 12P/noon PT unless otherwise noted.

Join us for our next webinar in our series on _Visualization in Geodynamics_ on **February 13, 2025** featuring **Christodoulos Kyriakopoulos** , University of Memphis for his talk on _Enhancing Earthquake Scientific Literacy by Leveraging 3D Printing and Virtual Reality_. [[register](https://ucdavis.zoom.us/meeting/register/WkKe-3lLQF2LIiipDWbgVQ)]

See our full webinar schedule [here](https://geodynamics.org/outreach/webinars).

### Workshops and Meetings
**2025**

| **February 11-12 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;** | ASPECT Virtual User Meeting [[more info](https://geodynamics.org/events/details/364)] [[register](https://ucdavis.zoom.us/meeting/register/rep020H0QFGb2DtkRgr6pw)] |
| **June 1-7 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;** | PyLith Hackathon, Golden Colorado |
| **June 9-20** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | ASPECT Hackathon, Garden City, Utah |
| **August 4-7 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;** | CIG Community Workshop, Breckenridge, Colorado |
| _tbd&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;_ | Rayleigh Hackathon |

  
 _Registration for all events begins in late March._ &nbsp; 

See our [calendar](https://geodynamics.org/events) for details on all events and registration.

**Remember to join our [forum](https://community.geodynamics.org/) to receive announcements for these and other 2024-2025 events.**  
 &nbsp; 
* * *

The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF 2149126.