Joint MSc programme in applied geophysics: a new concept in geophysics education

Alan G. Green* and Hansruedi Maurer (ETH Zurich), Evert Slob and Kees Wapenaar (TU Delft), and Christoph Clauser and Ralf Littke (RWTH Aachen) introduce a new joint MSc programme in applied geophysics run by three of Europe’s leading education institutions specializing in earth sciences. Readers of First Break are well aware of humanity’s dependence on the Earth’s resources. The principal sources of energy and the vast majority of raw materials required for the construction, manufacturing, and chemical industries are found in the outer layers of our planet. In many areas, vital water supplies are stored in the shallow underground and it is in the upper few tens of metres where household and industrial wastes are commonly buried. Knowledge of the shallow underground is important for the planning of major buildings and civil engineering projects and for predicting the consequences of natural catastrophes.