Daven Quinn
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Earth & Environmental Science
The rocks of Earth's crust record how the planet changed over time. Rock layers sorted by age, known as stratigraphy, and geologic maps that place rocks in space together give a framework for interpreting measurements of Earth's past environment.
- Fields
Earth & Environmental Science
Computer Science
- Topics
Macrostrat
StraboSpot
stratigraphy
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Aug 2027
What they work on
- Build data pipelines that move geologic maps, stratigraphic columns and cross-sections from the StraboSpot field app into Macrostrat's multiscale crustal model, keeping supporting records such as photos and measurements.
- Integrate the Macrostrat and StraboSpot software teams and tools so that data from individual researchers feeds four-dimensional models of the upper crust.
- Link Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments (SGP) samples to Macrostrat rock units and columns, giving geochemical proxy records such as temperature and water chemistry an age framework.
- Create web applications for viewing and entering stratigraphic columns and new API endpoints, and engage the SGP community in contributing columns.
More about the research
These records, however, are scattered across many separate publications and datasets. That scatter makes it hard to build a picture of the upper crust in three spatial dimensions plus time. Both projects connect Macrostrat, a software platform that combines crustal stratigraphy and mapping into one multiscale model, with other geoscience data systems.
Why it matters
Geologists, students and enthusiasts would gain open, harmonized access to maps, rock columns and geochemical records that are now scattered. Better four-dimensional models of the upper crust could improve modeling of geological processes. Placing geochemical records in precise geologic time could sharpen comparisons of past ocean, climate and atmospheric conditions.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Collaborative Research: Elements: Linking geochemical proxy records to crustal stratigraphic context via community-interactive cyberinfrastructure
NSF · Sep 2023 – Aug 2027
Collaborative Research: GEO OSE Track 2: Building a multiscale community-led ecosystem for crustal geology through the integration of Macrostrat and StraboSpot
NSF · Dec 2023 – Nov 2026
Closest labs
Shanan Peters
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Earth & Environmental Science
Compile and standardize the location, age, rock type and thickness of rocks across northern Eurasia and add them to Macrostrat, an open database of Earth's crust.
Christine Regalla
Northern Arizona University, AZ·Earth & Environmental Science
Extend the StraboSpot geologic data system to support group-level workflows, so multiple researchers can collect, store and interpret shared field and laboratory data collaboratively rather than individually.
Kerstin Lehnert
Columbia University, NY·Earth & Environmental Science
Modernize EarthChem, an open geochemistry data repository, by re-engineering its systems for scale and building better human- and machine-readable tools for data discovery, visualization and analysis.
The school
University of Wisconsin-Madison: 91 labs on PI Pages, $1.9B a year on research, 854 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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