Resume
Research
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Roberto Velarde
Geophysics: Physics of the earth.
Summary
Roberto has been a designer in the architectural and engineering disciplines for over fifteen years. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor in Architecture degrees from Texas Tech University in 1991 and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering degree in 2004 from the University of Texas at El Paso. He started his geoscience PhD studies in the fall of 2005 with an emphasis in geophysics, specifically, radionuclide transport. His objective is to broaden his knowledge, fulfill his scientific interests, and apply his education and experience to serve the global community as a scientist.
Research Interests
Even though geophysics entails studying the earth as a whole, that is, below, on, and above the earth's surface, Roberto is focusing on radionuclide bearing dust transported from the earth's surface via atmospheric processes. Currently, Roberto is conducting uranium radionuclide transport studies in Peña Blanca (50km north of Chihuahua City), Chihuahua, Mexico.The aridity of the local environment promotes dust resuspension by high winds. Although active operations ceased in 1983, the Peña Blanca mining district in the Sierra Peña Blanca is one of Mexico’s most important uranium ore reserves. The study site contains piles of high-grade ore, left loose on the surface, and separated by the specific deposits from which they were derived (Margaritas, Nopal I, and Puerto I). Similar locations do not exist in the United States, since uranium sites in the USA have been reclaimed. The Peña Blanca site may serve as an analog for the Yucca Mountain project. The goal is to better understand the origin and nature of PM episodes and airborne radionuclides in their respective regions and subsequent transport and deposition patterns. The research encompasses PM monitoring, collection, characterization and analysis of samples from specific site locations. Radiological transport and fallout is of particular interest to government agencies overseeing nuclear type facilities.
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