Geosciences
Christiane Stidham
Lecturer
Office: ESS 338 Phone: (631) 632-8059
E-mail Address: christiane.stidham "at" stonybrook.edu
B.S., University of North Carolina, 1993
Ph.D., University of California, 1999
Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, 1999-2002
Lecturer at Stony Brook University, 2002 – present
Christiane’s research has focused around tectonic and structural modeling, and simulation of earthquake wave propagation: in other words, computer simulations of earthquakes, which require construction of computer Earth models. These research topics include:
- 3-D simulations of wave propagation and generation of strong ground motion in the San Francisco Bay region and in the Los Angeles Basin
- Development of L.A. basin density model based on oil industry measurements
- Construction of 3-D velocity model of Taiwan and offshore region
Construction of Earth models has been through ‘in-house’ 3D-generation programs in C, and through academic/oil industry program Gocad. Computer simulations were conducted on supercomputing facilities at Lawrence Livermore Lab, and on parallel computing clusters constructed at Caltech. Publications on the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles basin projects include:
Stidham, C., Three-dimensional crustal structure influences on wave propagation and generation of strong ground motion in the greater San Francisco Bay region, 1999. Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley.
Stidham, C., M. Antolik, D. Dreger, S. Larsen and B. Romanowicz, Three-Dimensional Structural Influences of the Strong Motion Wavefield of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1999. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 89, 1184-1202.
Komatitsch, D., Q. Liu, J. Tromp, P. Suess, C. Stidham and J. Shaw, Simulations of ground motion in the Los Angeles basin based upon the spectral element method, 2004. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 94, 187-206.
In teaching (since 2002), Christiane’s interests have evolved to include natural hazards (especially earthquakes of course), planetary geology and environmental geology. She now spends most of her working hours in an effort to jolt a few hundred non-science major freshman into thinking about the Earth for a change, and to stop texting each other.
News & Announcements
Geosciences Department Newsletter
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Professor Martin Schoonen named Chairman of the Environmental Sciences Department at BNL
Professors John Parise and Artem Oganov pursue Materials Genome Initiative
Professor Deanne Rogers finds evidence for past groundwater on Mars
Professor Robert Liebermann accepts Edward A. Flinn Award
Professor Scott McLennan selected for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Team
Professor Timothy Glotch receives NSF Career Award
Geosciences PhD Francis McCubbin receives Presidential Early Career Award
Professor Scott McLennan on NASA team that finds new evidence for water at Mars crater
Geoscience Researchers Develop Numerical Model to Better Forecast Forces Behind Earthquakes
Geoscience Professor Don Weidner selected to receive Inge Lehman Medal
Geoscience researchers find that natural minerals disinfect drinking water
Professor Dan Davis publishes 4th edition of "Turn Left at Orion"
Stony Brook PhD and Faculty Advisor Show that the Moon Isn't as Dry as Previously Thought
The Department welcomes its new faculty member, Deanne Rogers
Jerome Varriale, Geosciences major, Named URECA Researcher of the Month
