Gwirtz and Amatya lead Proposals Awarded Funding

Kyle Gwirtz (61A/UMBC) is PI on the proposal “Geomagnetic data assimilation with Kalman smoothing: fitting core dynamics to geomagnetic secular variation,” which was selected for funding by NASA’s Earth surface and interior program. His team members include Co-Investigators Weijia Kuang and Terence Sabaka, both with NASA GSFC. The grant’s period of performance is March 2025 – March 2028.

Dr. Gwirtz provided a short description of their research goals: “The main magnetic field of the Earth is generated and sustained by motion in the planet’s electrically-conducting fluid outer core. Variations in the field can provide unique insight into the Earth’s deep interior and its connections to the rest of the planet’s systems. In this project, we will use a Kalman smoother to assimilate observations of the geomagnetic field, into numerical models of the outer core. The result will be a new understanding of the dynamics of the Earth’s deep interior and its associated magnetic field.”

Pukar Amatya (617/UMBC) is PI on the proposal “A globally applicable change detection-based deep learning framework for mapping disaster-induced landslides using Planet data", which was selected for funding by NASA ROSES A.48 Commercial Satellite Data Earth Science Research and Applications. His Co-Investigators include GESTAR II colleague Thomas Stanley (617/UMBC) along with Jordan Alexis Caraballo-Vega and Mark Carroll, both with NASA GSFC.  This grant will be funded from September 2025 – October 2027.

According to Dr. Amatya, “The project, which will use only commercial data, will utilize change detection and deep learning to develop a system capable of mapping new event-induced landslides using Planet imagery.”