Tuesday, December 15, 2009

iPhone update from AGU

My first AGU meeting. Lot's of CO2 sequestration talks yesterday; fault permeability, basin-scale storage capacity, steel tubulars corrosian rates, CO2 accounting strategies.

AGU is quite different from SEG. Abstracts are only a paragraph or two, rather than the 4-page exanded SEG format. Talks are similar length/style, but session chairmen give a nice intro that SEG could use. Another good idea at AGU is in open areas near meeting rooms, these are populated with large round tables with 8-10 chairs. On each floor of Moscone West were maybe 50-60 such tables. Great discussion pods. Also, a series of long tables with power strips for laptop hookup.

The exhibition floor is smaller than SEG and only opens on Tuesday (curious). But the shocker is the poster area: Easily larger than SEG exhibit floor, a vast warehouse of poster stands including large theme signs. Seismology, tectonophysics, deep earth physics, etc. Clearly the real scientific exchange here is at the poster. Compare this to SEG which puts the poster area in strange places that seem designed to deter all but the hardiest. At SEG 2009, the posters sat in a cavernous concrete space away from exhibit hall and presentation rooms. Downright gloomy, if not actually depressing.

Anyway, AGU got the poster thing right and SEG could learn a lesson or two from them.