The EPO Standing Committee met virtually on October 24 and 31, 2018. The attendees for part or all of the meeting included: John Louie (Chair), Maite Agopian, Maggie Benoit, Lora Bleacher, Wendy Bohon, Tammy Bravo, Donna Charlevoix, Mladen Dordevic, Perle Dorr, Michael Hubenthal, Alex Nikulin, Zhigang Peng, Eric Riggs, John Taber, and Mike Thorne.
The meeting began with a review of the minutes and action items from the previous meeting, followed by a presentation and discussion on EPO program highlights over the past six months and the staff priorities for the next 6 months. This was followed by a presentation and extended discussion of a number of aspects of NSF SAGE II implementation and planning, including a discussion with Maggie Beniot, NSF SAGE Program Manager. This was followed by an update on the status and plans for the Mars InSight project, and then an update on the activities of the EarthScope National Office. This concluded the first day discussions.
The second day began with a presentation on ShakeAlert and IRIS’s role in the initiative. The next section of the meeting focused on UNAVCO Education and Community Engagement activities and opportunities for collaborations and synergies, as well at the development of the collaboration plan between IRIS EPO and UNAVCO ECE. EPO program evaluation was discussed next, along with a discussion of potential new NSF SAGE II metrics for the program. Then there was a short executive session, followed by a review of the budget. The meeting concluded with vote on the selection of a new committee chair, and highlighting of items to be brought forward to the IRIS Board.