About Me
For many years, I played and taught music in the Bay Area, California. At some point, I discovered physics and decided to turn to studying our natural world. My research focuses on source processes from seismic phenomena including glacial icequakes and repeating earthquake sequences on the San Andreas Fault, namely by implementing unsupervised machine-learning methods to large seismic datasets. I also apply machine-learning techniques to help understand near-field source processes of moderate-to-large earthquakes using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), that is, fiber optic cables. My work has a diverse range of applications, from earthquake early warning to understanding glacial behavior as a response to warming temperatures.
Dr. Theresa Sawi (and Prince)
Research
My research interests include:
- Source processes of glacial and terrestrial earthquakes
- Earthquake early warning
- Machine learning and cloud computing for seismology
- Unsupervised Feature Extraction for Spectrograms: SpecUFEx
Publications
Here are some of my recent publications:
- Sawi, T., Waldhauser, F., Holtzman, B., Groebner N. (2023) Detecting repeating earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault with unsupervised machine-learning of spectrograms. The Seismic Record; 3 (4): 376–384. Link
- Sawi, T., Holtzman, B., Walter, F., & Paisley, J. (2022) An unsupervised machine-learning approach to understanding seismicity at an alpine glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 127, e2022JF006909. Link
- Carr B., Lev E., Sawi, T., Bennett K., Edwards C., Soule A., Vargas S., Marliyani G., Clarke A., (2021) Mapping and classification of volcanic deposits using multi-sensor Unoccupied Aerial Systems. Remote Sensing of Environment 264, 112581. Link
- Sawi, T., and M. Manga (2018) Revisiting short-term earthquake triggered volcanism. Bulletin of Volcanology. 80. Link
See full publication list here: Google Scholar
Conference Presentations
- Sawi, T., Waldhauser, F., Holtzman, B., Groebner, N. (2023). Detecting Repeating Earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault with Unsupervised Machine-Learning of Spectrograms. Workshop on Earthquake Physics and Applications of Machine Learning to Tectonic Faulting, 18-22 Sep. Rome, Italy.
- Sawi, T., Waldhauser, F., Holtzman, B., Groebner, N. (2023). A Semi-Supervised Machine-Learning Approach to Detecting Repeating Earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. SSA Annual Meeting, Puerto Rico.
- Sawi, T., Waldhauser, F., Holtzman, B., Beauce, E., Wang, K., Groebner, N. (2022). A Semi-Supervised Machine-Learning Approach to Detecting Repeating Earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. AGU Fall Meeting, Chicago.
- Wang, K., Waldhauser, F., Sawi, T., Beauce, E., Schaff, D.P., Groebner, N., Tolstoy, M., Wilcock, W.S., Tan, Y.J. (2022). Mining a large earthquake catalog at Axial Seamount with unsupervised spectral feature extraction method. AGU Fall Meeting, Chicago.
- Saltiel, S., McCarthy, C., Holtzman, B., Sawi, T., Savage, H. (2021). Characterization of seismicity over a range of subglacial slip conditions: laboratory investigation of ice stick-slip acoustic emissions. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (pp. S55B-0132).
- Birnbaum, J., Carchedi, C., Lee, M., Sawi, T., Russell, J. (2021). Browser-based Visualization of Seismic Records to Build Seismogram Literacy. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (pp. ED15A-0521).
- Holtzman, B., Groebner, N., Sawi, T., Xing, T., Pec, M., Ghaffari, H., Mok, U., Skarbek, R., Paisley, J., Mittal, T., Waldhauser, F., Beauce, E., Barth, A. (2021). Unsupervised spectral feature extraction applied to acoustic emissions during brittle creep of basalt under dry and wet conditions. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (pp. H12E-04).
- Sawi, T., DeShon, H., Ogwari, P., Quinones, L. (2017). Imaging fault structure using cross-correlation and relative earthquake location from the IRIS Wavefields community dataset in Oklahoma. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (pp. S23C-0833).
Upcoming Events
- Photonic Seismology: Lighting the Way Forward (Presenter)
Seismological Society of America.
7-10 October 2024 in Vancouver, Canada.
More Info
Media
Check out media coverage related to my work:
April 2024, Fox News, New Jersey Earthquake: Read more
December 2020, Fox 5 New York, East Coast Earthquakes *featuring Lucy Jones!*Read more
January 2019, EOS, Can earthquakes trigger volcanic eruptions? Read more
January 2019, National Geographic, Can earthquakes trigger volcanic eruptions? Read more
Outreach
- SCOPED Workshop 2024
Workshop leader: Unsupervised Machine-Learning for Seismology on the Cloud
May 2024 in Seattle, WA, and remote.
Cloud Computing Notebook: SpecUFEx & Amatrice 2016 Tutorial More Info - Seismological Society of America (SSA) 2024 Meeting
Workshop leader: Unsupervised Machine-Learning for Seismology on the Cloud
May 2024 in Anchorage, AK.
More Info - Seismology Student Workshop Spring 2019, 2021 & 2023
Workshop organizer
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY
More Info: Sound Lab - Girls' Science Day Fall 2021 & 2022
Workshop leader: The Music of Earthquakes
Columbia Univeristy, New York City, NY
More Info - LDEO Open House Fall 2018 & 2019
Exhibit presenter: Sonifying Earthquakes with the Seismic Sound Lab
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY
More Info: Sound Lab More Info: LDEO Open House
Contact Me
Email: tsawi*at*usgs.gov
Github: https://github.com/tsawi