Field Trip

Geoscientists without Borders® Houston Historic Cemetery Restoration Project

Sponsored By the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience and Energy (IMAGE)

Sunday, 25 August
8:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m.

George R. Brown Convention Center

African American communities are in an immediate need of ancestry recognition of unidentified burial sites in cemeteries across the Houston area. GWB’s “Dignity in Depth” project is assisting in the refurbishment of three historic African American cemeteries. This work is providing substantial benefit to families and communities by building respectful relationships among community groups, institutions, and geoscientists working toward cemetery restoration.

The project will use near surface geophysical methods such as metal detectors, EMP, magnetics, GPR, GPS and EM techniques to aid in the identification of unmarked burial locations.

Field trip participants will get an opportunity to attend a 2-hour introduction to this project at the University of Houston, describing the goal and approach of the project, how to connect to the community, and logistics for the field work. The attendees will be transported to the first cemetery to see what impact of work looks like for the local community. Later, the participants will arrive at the second cemetery to carry out measurements and data acquisition. Attendees will later return to University of Houston to visualize the data acquired and understand from previous engagements how the data is processed to aid in the visualization and identification of unmarked burial sites.

Co-Leaders

Guest Speakers

Field Trip Leader(s)

Robert R. Stewart, University of Houston
IMAGE attendees interested in learning about near-surface geophysical method applications, historic cemeteries, and the search for unmarked burials as well as hands-on involvement in a GWB humanitarian project in real time via field work and data analysis.
To gain an understanding of the applied geosciences in humanitarian context (finding and commemorating unmarked burials in historic cemeteries) and working with the implementing university and community organization(s)
Fee:
$250
20
N/A
Ground transportation, boxed lunch, refreshments (beverages and water), and introduction to project and field work.
Important notes regarding field trips:
  • Before purchasing non-refundable airline tickets, confirm that the trip will take place as trips may be canceled if undersubscribed.
  • Field trips are limited in size and are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and must be accompanied by full payment.
  • If you do not plan on attending the convention, a U.S. $35 enrollment fee will be added to the field trip fee. This fee may be applied toward registration if you decide to attend the convention at a later date.
  • A wait list is automatically created if a field trip sells out. The IMAGE registration team will notify you if space becomes available.
  • Registrations will continue to be processed for field trips that are not cancelled up until they are sold out or closed.
  • Prior to the field trip you will receive an itinerary with details of meeting points, transportation with the trip phone numbers and email addresses of hotels and trip leaders, etc.
  • Proper clothing and supplies are needed for the outdoors (hat, windbreaker, sturdy footwear and backpack).
  • Depending on location, temperatures can range from 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit with or without rain. Participants are advised to check local weather forecasts for the latest updates.
  • Insect repellant and sun protection (sunscreen and hats) are recommended.
  • IMAGE, the sponsoring organizations, field trip leaders, and their employers do not maintain insurance covering illness or injury for individuals.