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Upcoming PCPG events

    • October 31, 2024
    • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    • Webinar
    • 232
    Register

    Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Methods for Locating Clandestine Graves and Other Buried Objects of Interest


    Presenter

    Tom Jordan, Ph.D., P.G.

    Supervising Geologist

    KEY Environmental, Inc.

    PCPG will circulate a PDH certificate documenting registrant’s participation time, not to exceed 60 minutes, within 72 hours of the conclusion of the webinar.

    Level: Introductory to Intermediate

    Who should attend:  Engineers, hydrologists, geologists,  law enforcement officers and anyone who enjoys forensic investigation themed media

    Webinar Overview: This webinar builds upon a previous introduction to forensic geophysics webinar presented to friends and members of the PCPG in October 2022.  The previous webinar introduced our on-going clandestine grave research project at Youngstown State University (YSU).  This webinar introduces the attendees to data collection and process methods including how to approach collecting and processing ground penetrating radar (GPR) data for forensic and other types of near surface investigations. A more thorough hands-on experience collecting and processing GPR data using various devices for forensic and other types of near surface investigations will be offered in 2025 as an in-person PCPG short course. 

    This Halloween webinar will provide background information on the YSU clandestine grave research project including some grisly details on our human proxies and how gases released during decomposition can be used to locate and determine the target’s stage of decomposition.  We will also discuss the different GPR devices we use for our research, our data collection methods, and our GPR data processing work flow.  The methods and approach discussed during this webinar can be applied to forensic, archeological, environmental, and other types of near surface investigations.

    Locating clandestine graves through the use of geophysics and cadaver dogs is expensive (~$100,000 per case) and problematic with reported success rate of approximately 30%. The outcomes from the YSU clandestine grave research project will be used to optimize the approach and methodologies based on inputs such as elapsed time since burial and responses due to seasonality in an effort to improve success rates and reduce government agency costs. This webinar will include a discussion of new technologies with applications beyond forensic investigations such as stepped frequency continuous wave (SFCW) GPR and an example from our high sensitivity potassium vapor gradiometer as well as our electromagnetic induction (EMI) device.  This talk will also provide an overview of our recent award winning criminal investigation work with various law enforcement agencies in support of their efforts to solve current and cold case murders. Background information including some rather grisly details involving research completed by others along with interesting details on our clandestine grave research facility that is located in rural northeastern Ohio will also be discussed.

    About our presenter:  Dr. Tom Jordan is part-time teaching and graduate school research faculty at Youngstown State University and a Supervising Geologist / Geophysicist with Key Environmental, Inc. located in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. He has a B.A. in geology from Alfred University, an MS in geology from SUNY at Fredonia, and a Ph.D. in geology / geophysics from the University at Buffalo.  Dr. Jordan, his co-principal investigator Dr. Jeffrey Dick, and the Physics, Astronomy, Geology, and Environmental Sciences (PAGES) department at YSU were recently awarded the FBI Directors Community Leadership award for providing their forensic geophysics expertise to various law enforcement entities including the FBI’s Evidence Response Team.

    Dr. Jordan is a licensed PG in 10 states by ASBOG examination or reciprocity and has many years of professional experience working on geophysical projects for clients in the environmental, engineering, and resource exploration sectors.  He has served as an expert witness for various matters and has withstood cross examinations by some of the best legal minds money can buy.  Dr. Jordan is also a past member of the Board of Directors of the PCPG.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for a local community water authority and In his spare time enjoys researching and presenting talks on obscure and very interesting local historical characters, is active in various fraternal and community organizations, and is constantly testing and developing new approaches for teaching dry topics.

    Please read:  After registering on our site you'll receive a PCPG confirmation email indicating Action Required in the subject line. Your registration is not complete until you click through the unique link in that email directing you to the GoToWebinar web site, enter your name, email address, consent to terms and conditions, and click the Register button.  Check your spam filter if you do not see the PCPG 'Action Required' email within 60 seconds of registering, here; ask IT to release the Email; if you use Gmail, our system workflow emails are received into some other Gmail folder.  Please white-list all @pcpg.org emails.

    • November 14, 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Webinar
    • 265

    Save the date.  Registration will open mid-late September.

    The Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Braganҫa and Morais Massifs of northern Portugal: Examining islands of rock to understand how mountains are built

    Presenter

    Ryan Kerrigan, PhD

    Department Chair and Associate Professor of Energy & Earth Resources

    University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown


    PCPG will circulate a PDH certificate documenting registrant’s participation time, not to exceed 60 minutes, within 72 hours of the conclusion of the webinar.

    Level: 

    Webinar Overview: 

    Who should attend: 

    About our presenter:



    Please read:  After registering on our site you'll receive a PCPG confirmation email indicating Action Required in the subject line. Your registration is not complete until you click through the unique link in that email directing you to the GoToWebinar web site, enter your name, email address, consent to terms and conditions, and click the Register button.  Check your spam filter if you do not see the PCPG 'Action Required' email within 60 seconds of registering, here; or ask IT to release the Email.  If you use Gmail, our system workflow emails are received into some other Gmail folder.  Please check all Gmail folders and white-list @pcpg.org emails.

    • February 27, 2025
    • 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
    • Best Western Central Hotel & Conference Center 800 East Park Drive Harrisburg, PA
    • 119

    Save the date

    The Best Western Central Hotel & Conference Center

    Ballroom A/B/C

    800 East Park Drive
    Harrisburg, PA  17111


    8:30 Registration Opens

    9:30-4:30 Program

    4:30-6:00 Continental Drifters Networking Event



    Be sure to visit our Associate member tables during the day.















    • December 31, 2025
    • December 31, 2029

    Barbara J. Dunst, P.G., C.P.G. Memorial Fund

    Donate


    Dear PCPG Community,

    Barb passed away unexpectedly at Akron General Hospital on August 29, 2022.

    PCPG extends its deepest condolences to her husband Brian, their four children, her professional colleagues at Musser Engineering, Inc., where she was employed as Senior Regional Director, and all in the geologic community who had the privilege and honor to know and work with Barb throughout her career.

    With her husband’s support and guidance, PCPG plans to establish a memorial initiative honoring Barb’s boundless energy and passion both for PCPG, and geology.

    A champion of PCPG’s mission, Barb was currently serving as Communications Committee co-chair and past president. She spent nearly a decade sharing her passion through service to PCPG. While winding down her term this year, she continued to be a dedicated participant preparing for PCPG’s November strategic planning session and recently delivered the Economic Geology-Mining component of the PCPG PG Review Course webinar series. Barb served two 3-year terms as an elected board member (2013-2018), five years as Membership Services chair (2014-2018), President Elect (2019), and two 1-year terms PCPG President (2020, 2021).

    Barb will be dearly missed by the PCPG community and will be remembered in many ways, but perhaps most notably by our members as a friendly, well-respected Professional Geologist who was a continuous source of wonderful ideas – ideas that greatly strengthened and advanced our organization.

    Donate



    • January 01, 2026
    • See order form
    Register
    To order a replacement certificate for a previously attended PCPG event, please complete the order form and remit payment.

    Replacement will occur only if attendee initialed the sign-in/sign-out sheet.

    During busy periods, certificate replacement may take 7-10 days.

    Questions? Contact Rose Jeffries by phoning (717) 730-9745.





 

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