Colloquium Series at Weston Observatory

As part of our Education, Public Outreach, and Citizen Science activities, Weston Observatory hosts public colloquium lectures (usually on Wednesday nights) on a wide variety of earth science and related topics. Click here for more about Weston Observatory.

Weston Observatory is committed to doing what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19, and avoiding gathering in large groups seems to be an obvious way to do our part. We are postponing our colloquium series and other public Observatory events until we all feel comfortable that COVID-19 issues have been completely resolved. We will continue to assess the situation as it evolves. See below for examples of previous events.

In the meantime, you can continue to follow our activities and participate in our community discussions on earthquakes and related matters at these links:

Twitter.com/Weston_Quakes

Facebook.com/westonobservatory

And you can click on the links below to see a few examples of our recordings of recent earthquakes:

M3.1 Earthquake in Glens Falls, NY recorded at 3 Observatories: Weston Observatory (Earthquakes), Westport Observatory (Westport, CT Astronomical Society), Blue Hill Observatory (Weather)

Blue Hill Weather Observatory has been watching the weather since 1885, and Weston Observatory has been watching the Earth quake since 1931. We are now joining forces…

"PKP" wave from magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Indonesia recorded from Florida to Maine by "East Coast Shake Network" of Raspberry Shake seismographs

A seismogram is an amazing thing…

Deep-Sea Corals: An Archive of Ocean Change

POSTPONED

April 22, 2020 (7:00-9:00 PM)

To be presented by:

Professor Xingchen (Tony) Wang, Ph.D.

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

Light refreshments will be served.

Seating is limited and reservations are required.

Please email marilyn.bibeau@bc.edu to reserve a seat.

Previous Events

Reflections on 20 Years of Teaching "Geoscience and Public Policy":

A Science Core Course for Non-Science Majors

February 19, 2020

Presented by:

Alan Kafka, Ph.D., Director of Weston Observatory

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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The Ocean's Role in Global Climate Change

December 4, 2019

Presented by:

Professor Hilary Palevsky, Ph.D.

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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The Influence of Climate Change on the Greenland Ice Sheet

November 6, 2019

Presented by:

Professor Mark Behn, Ph.D.

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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The James W. Skehan, S.J., Annual Geological Colloquium Presents:

The Geological History of Cape Cod

October 2, 2019

Presented by:

Dr. Ken Galli, Ph.D.

Lab Manager & Lecturer

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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The James W. Skehan, S.J., Annual Geological Colloquium Presents:

James W. Skehan, S.J. Annual Geological Field Trip

A Geologist's View of Cape Cod

October 5, 2019

Presented by:

Dr. Ken Galli

Lab Manager & Lecturer

Earth & Environmental Sciences Boston College

Trip starts (8:00 AM) and ends (5:00 PM) at Weston Observatory parking lot.

381 Concord Road

Weston, MA 02493-1340

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Professor John Ebel will discuss his new book:

New England Earthquakes: The Surprising History of Seismic Activity in the Northeast

Followed by book signing. (Books are $20 each.)

June 12, 2019

Presented by:

Professor John Ebel, Ph.D.

Weston Observatory Senior Research Scientist

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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"Cellular Seismology" as a Tool for Exploring Natural and Human-Induced Patterns of Seismicity:

From Oklahoma, to Armenia, and Onward to the Pacific Northwest

May 15, 2019

Presented by:

Natasha Toghramadjian

BS, Geological Sciences, Boston College (2017)

U.S. Fulbright Research Scholar, National Institute of Geological Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia (2017-2018)

Graduate Student, Ph.D. Program, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

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Garbage Numbers: Accounting for Solid Waste in the United States and Pathways to Sustainability

April 10, 2019

Presented by:

Jonathan Krones, Ph.D.

Core Fellow/Visiting Assistant Professor, Boston College

Visiting Scholar, MIT Olivetti Research Group

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New England Earthquakes: The Surprising History of Seismic Activity in the Northeast

March 20, 2019

Presented by:

Professor John Ebel, Ph.D.

Weston Observatory Senior Research Scientist

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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Global Plate Motions Including Earthquake Cycle Effects and Implications for the Earth’s Seismic Potential

February 27, 2019

Presented by:

Shannon Graham, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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A New Method to Find Size, Depth, and Fault Orientation of Small Earthquakes for Seismic Hazard Analysis

January 30, 2019

Presented by:

Nawa Dahal

Ph.D. Candidate Physics

Boston College

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Why Are the Appalachian Mountains So High?

December 5, 2018

Presented by:

Dr. John Cipar

Weston Observatory Visiting Scholar

Boston College,

Earth & Environmental Sciences

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The James W. Skehan, S.J., Annual Geological Colloquium Presents:

THE BIG ISLAND: HAWAII and the Recent Eruptive Phase of Kilauea

November 14, 2018

Presented by:

Dr. Ken Galli

Lab Manager/Lecturer,

Boston College,

Earth & Environmental Sciences

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AS1s, EQ1s, Raspberry Shakes, and More:

Teaching Inquiry-Based STEM Through Seismology

October 24, 2018

Presented by:

Alan Kafka, Ph.D., Director of Weston Observatory

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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Earthquake Records in Lake Sediments:

Examples from Switzerland and New England

May 30, 2018

Presented by:

Katrin Monecke, Ph.D.

Department of Geosciences

Wellesley College

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The Mystery of Earthquakes in the Eastern United States:

A Conversation About Ambiguity in Science and Public Policy

April 25, 2018

Presented by:

Alan Kafka, Ph.D., Director of Weston Observatory

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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Long-Lived Aftershock Sequences Following Strong Earthquakes:

New Ideas About the Earthquake History of New England

February 21, 2018

Presented by:

Professor John Ebel

Weston Observatory Senior Research Scientist

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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Fracking, Injection Wells, and Earthquakes, Oh My!

Natural and Induced Seismicity in the Central and Eastern United States

December 13, 2017

Presented by:

Hannah Chambless, Graduate Student &

Alan Kafka, Ph.D., Director of Weston Observatory

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

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Mount St. Helens: Then and Now

October 25, 2017

Presented by:

Sheila Alfsen, MAT, GIT

Instructor of Geology,

Portland State University, Chemeketa Community College,

Linn Benton Community College

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