The Michigan Technological University Student Chapter of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) continued its strong year of achievement at the 63rd Annual AIPG National Conference in Duluth, Minnesota, with chapter members coming together to learn, network, and represent Michigan Tech’s geoscience community.
Among those attending was AIPG MTU Student Chapter President Sarah Woodworth, who presented her poster, Spatial Prioritization for Infrasound Monitoring in Indonesia. Her research grew out of a long-term class project for Dr. Trepal’s Advanced GIS course, and explored where additional infrasound monitoring infrastructure could have the greatest potential benefit in Indonesia.
Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other nation and already has extensive seismic monitoring around many of them. Woodworth took a closer look at the role of infrasound monitoring in detecting and characterizing volcanic activity, examining whether existing stations were being used for early detection, where they were located, and whether Indonesia could benefit from additional monitoring infrastructure.
Using open-access global datasets, Woodworth developed a GIS-based weighted overlay analysis incorporating five thematic layers: volcanic hazard density, population exposure, existing monitoring coverage, terrain accessibility, and provincial socioeconomic capacity. These layers were combined to create an Infrasound Monitoring Benefit Index for Indonesia, identifying regions that could be prioritized for additional monitoring and providing a final map of the results.
After presenting her poster to conference attendees and fellow students, Woodworth was named runner-up in the undergraduate poster competition.
“Presenting my poster was an amazing experience for me to feel confident in my work and the challenging questions that came with it,” Woodworth reflected.
For the Michigan Tech AIPG team, the conference was also an opportunity to connect with geoscience professionals and students from across the country. These conversations provided valuable opportunities to exchange ideas, learn more about careers in the field, and build professional relationships that can extend well beyond the conference.
Woodworth emphasized, “Events like this are how young geologists like myself can build diverse and expansive networks in a space that aims to push the next generation of scientists to make their mark in the industry and academia spaces in the coming years.”
The conference was another highlight in a successful year for the Michigan Tech AIPG Student Chapter, which received the 2026 AIPG Excellence Award in May. Together, these accomplishments reflect the chapter’s continued commitment to professional development, student research, and connecting Michigan Tech students with the broader geoscience community!