Exploring this phenomenon was Mr. Koya Suto, Director of Terra
Australis Geophysica and past president of the Australian Society of
Exploration Geophysicists at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on
18 January 2016. In Bangkok to attend the 7th International Conference in
Applied Geophysics, Mr. Koya Suto delivered a talk at AIT and
interacted with students of
Geotechnical and Earth Resources Engineering.
Speaking on the topic “Hitchhikers Guide to Geophysics,” Mr. Koya Suto
stated that the central focus of the subject is to view and watch
invisible parts of the earth ranging from 6500 kilometers deep to what
is happening a few inches below the ground. Crustal geophysics and
plate tectonics helps understand earthquakes and volcanoes, while
exploration geophysics seeks to look at earth’s resources. Similarly,
small scale exploration often falls within the realm of visible human
activity, and it helps ascertain whether the earth is firm enough to
hold human-made structures.
Explaining to students the rationale behind the study of Geophysics,
Mr. Koya Suto said that exploring the unknown has always fascinated
humanity. Moreover, geophysics is also profitable in terms of
exploration, and it can contribute towards community development, as
well as helping save our environment. Presenting a wide range of modern
data acquisition techniques, Mr.Suto said that data acquisition,
analysis and processing, presentation of data, and its interpretation
are aspects that aspiring students can look upto for enhancing their
career in Engineering or Exploration Geophysics.
Mr.Suto, who completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s from Mining
College, Akita University, Japan, was a rare person of Japanese origin
who became the President of the Australian Society of Exploration
Geophysicists. Earlier, Dr. Pham Huy Giao of Geotechnical and Earth
Resources (GTE) field of study welcomed Mr. Suto and introduced him to
AIT.
