U004
Behind the Breakthrough: Lessons Learned from Experiments in Earth and Space Science
Session ID#: 249294
Session Description:
Experiments—whether in labs, the field, or conducted remotely via satellite or simulation—are central to discovery across Earth and space science. Yet behind each result lies a complex web of decisions, redesigns, setbacks, and human dynamics that often go unspoken. This session invites scientists from all disciplines to reflect on the experimental process: What makes an experiment successful? Where do things go wrong, and why? How do teams stay motivated through long, uncertain efforts? And how can we foster a culture of collaboration, iteration, and learning?We aim to create space for candid dialogue about the real challenges and successes of experimental work. We welcome cross-disciplinary contributions—from high-risk lab tests to remote field campaigns, long-duration missions to community-led research. Presentations should explore experimentation in full: project design, mentorship, overcoming challenges, teamwork, and adaptation. We especially encourage stories that blend technical insight with personal and institutional reflection—offering lessons for researchers at every stage.
Co-Sponsor(s):
Index Terms:
0394 Instruments and techniques [ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE]
3094 Instruments and techniques [MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS]
7294 Seismic instruments and networks [SEISMOLOGY]
8194 Instruments and techniques [TECTONOPHYSICS]
Primary Convener: Jesse Bonner, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States
Conveners: Pnina E Miller, Earthscope Consortium, Socorro, United States, Catherine Mary Snelson, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States and Heather A Ford, Yale University, New Haven, United States
Prioritizing Safety in Geophysical Experiments (1861066)
Jesse Bonner1, Katherine Martin2 and Seuri Taruru2, (1)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States, (2)Nevada National Security Site, Las Vegas, United States
Collaborative Virtual Experiments to Advance Research in Geophysical Monitoring Systems (1873212)
Kathleen Marian Hodgkinson1, Elizabeth Berg1, Ellen M Syracuse2, Joshua Carmichael3, Christopher J Young4, Ana C Aguiar5, Richard Alfaro-Diaz3, Justin Barno6, Kathy K Davenport1, Stephanie Eras1, Jose Falliner1, Stephen Heck1, Amanda Price6, Rebecca Rodd5, Ramesh Sarahi7, Brian Schrom7, Renee Tafoya1 and Stephanie Teich-McGoldrick1, (1)Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, United States, (2)Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States, (3)Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, United States, (4)Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, United States, (5)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, United States, (6)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States, (7)Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, United States
Acquisition of Geophysical Logs and Lessons Learned from the Rock Valley, Nevada Corehole (1896796)
Jacob Alexander Gochenour1, Gordon MacLeod2, Jesse Pine1, Nicholas Downs3 and Catherine Mary Snelson4, (1)Nevada National Security Sites, Las Vegas, United States, (2)Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, United States, (3)Nevada National Security Sites, Mercury, United States, (4)Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
Is Experiment Integration Becoming a Lost Art? (1922051)
Catherine Mary Snelson, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States, Ethan Alger, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, United States and Beth Dzenitis, North Wind Services, Livermore, United States
When Science Lands: Coordinating Safety and Science for the OSIRIS-REx SRC Geophysical Observation Campaign (1931209)
Chris Carr, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, United States, Elizabeth A. Silber, Sandia National Laboratories, Geophysical Detection Programs, Albuquerque, United States, Daniel C Bowman, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, United States and Siddharth Krishnamoorthy, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
Wildlife, Illness, Equipment Malfunction, Flooding, and Adaptive Collaboration during the DRIAR Broadband Seismic Experiment in Uganda (1932933)
Albert Kabanda1, Suzan van der Lee2, Fred Tugume3, Joseph Nyago4, Lawrence Kabenge4, Geraldine Paula Babirye1, Yoweri Nseko5 and Ben Alonzo6, (1)Northwestern University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Evanston, IL, United States, (2)Northwestern University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Evanston, United States, (3)Geological Survey Department, Entebbe, Uganda, (4)Republic of Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Department of Seismology and Geophysics, Entebbe, Uganda, (5)Northwestern University, Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Evanston, IL, United States, (6)Northwestern University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Evanston, United States
The Nodal NEST: Imaging the Laurentia-Appalachian suture of northwestern Massachusetts at depth using a high-density nodal seismic transect (1960057)
James Robert Bourke1, Paul Karabinos2, Laura Elaine Webb3, Maureen D Long4, Heather Sheridan5, Clara Gulick1 and Chrishera Smith6, (1)Yale University, New Haven, United States, (2)Williams College, 18 Hoxsey St. Department of Geosciences, Williamstown, United States, (3)University of Vermont, Department of Geography and Geosciences, Burlington, VT, United States, (4)Yale University, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, New Haven, CT, United States, (5)Williams College, Williamstown, United States, (6)Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, United States
Pushing the boundaries of onshore seismic imaging of magmatic systems at Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone (Invited) (1968319)
Brandon Schmandt1, Eric Kiser2, Jamie M Farrell3, Steven M Hansen4, Alan Levander5, Sin-Mei Wu6, Chenglong Duan5, Fan-Chi Lin3 and Ross Maguire7, (1)Rice University, Houston, United States, (2)University of Arizona, Geosciences, Tucson, United States, (3)University of Utah, Salt Lake City, United States, (4)Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia, (5)Rice University, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Houston, United States, (6)University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Earth Sciences, Honolulu, United States, (7)University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change, Urbana, United States
Tunnel Vision – Keeping an Open Mind Underground (1997565)
Hunter Anne Knox1, Paul Schwering1, Joseph Morris2, Jeffrey A Burghardt3, Christopher E Strickland3 and Al Churby4, (1)Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, United States, (2)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States, (3)Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States, (4)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, United States
