July 8, 2002

Boise State Awarded $7 Million Software Package

A $7 million software package that translates data into 3-D images of the Earth’s subsurface was recently awarded to Boise State University by Landmark Graphics Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton Co.

The software will support research at the university’s Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface (CGISS). It also will be available for use by Boise State students enrolled in a geosciences teaching lab.

“We’re excited to have this software at Boise State. It is very applicable to the research we’re conducting here, and it will also enhance instruction in both our undergraduate and graduate geophysics and geology programs,” said Lee Liberty, a CGISS geophysicist who was awarded the software grant.

One example of how CGISS scientists will use the new software is as part of ongoing research efforts to develop models to help predict permeability, the ease with which water flows through the Earth’s subsurface. The research has many applications, including helping scientists decide how to deal with contaminated sites by predicting where and how fast the contaminants are likely to spread underground.

“Contaminants don’t flow in two dimensions, they flow in three dimensions,” said Liberty. “For the first time, with the aid of this software, we’ll be able to see a 3-D picture of the subsurface.”

CGISS focuses on geophysical studies of the first 500 meters of the Earth’s crust. The research center generates more than $1 million each year in competitive external research funds and involves undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. students in its research efforts.

Landmark Graphics Corp. is the leading supplier of software and services for the upstream oil and gas industry. Its parent company, Halliburton, is the world’s largest provider of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries.

Contact:
Lee Liberty
CGISS
426-1166