September 2012 Intro and Advanced PEST Courses
Courses in model calibration, model uncertainty analysis, and the application of the program PEST are presented by the author of PEST, Dr. John Doherty, throughout the world. Multi-day courses have a strong practical aspect, where participants are guided through exercises designed to illustrate important facets of model calibration, experimental design, and predictive analysis. At these courses, participants are also encouraged to bring their own models to investigate the use of PEST. One-day workshops are occasionally presented that serve to introduce attendees to the theory and application of inverse modeling.
Introductory and Advanced PEST Courses: Bethesda, Maryland, September 25-28, 2012
This will be the fifth "Double Header" PEST course, comprising a two-day "Introduction to PEST" course and a subsequent two-day "Advanced Analysis using PEST" course.
The introductory course will be most suitable to modelers who have little to no experience with inverse methods. This course will comprise a balance of about 60:40 lectures and hands-on-exercises, with the aim of providing theoretical background on inverse methods based on least-squares, and practical experience in their implementation in conjunction with a range of environmental models. This course will include many examples from the groundwater modeling context, together with other environmental modeling applications.
In the advanced course the emphasis will turn to highly parameterized inversion in calibration of ground and surface water models, and in exploration of the uncertainty associated with the parameters and predictions associated with these models. Topics covered in detail will include the use of pilot points as a parameterization device; advanced regularization techniques; the "SVD-assist" technique for efficient inversion of highly parameterized models; linear and nonlinear analysis of uncertainty - including the recently-developed and highly efficient null-space Monte Carlo methodology that is unique to PEST; and methods for optimizing future data acquisition to reduce uncertainty. This course will comprise a balance of about 90% lectures and 10% hands-on exercises. However, there will be ample room for discussion.
Furthermore, participants in either course will be provided with a CD containing 12 hands-on exercises which they can take away with them to study at their leisure.
A detailed course outline is available for download.
Instruction on this course will be provided by:
- John Doherty, developer of PEST and internationally-recognized expert in inverse modeling techniques and uncertainty analysis (Principally Instructing for the Advanced Course)
- Matt Tonkin, former PhD student of John Doherty’s and author with John on the seminal papers describing PESTs implementation of subspace techniques (Principally Instructing for the Introductory Course)
- Jim Rumbaugh, developer of Groundwater Vistas, the leading graphical user interface for implementing PEST’s most powerful inverse methods (Introductory Course Only)
Attendees can register for the "Introductory" course, or the "Advanced" course, or register for both courses - including 4-days of PEST - for a 10% discount on the individual course prices, if registered by August 1, 2012
Course Fee Structure (Prices unchanged from 2011)
Introductory Course: (Principal Instructor – Matt Tonkin, SSP&A)
- $750 private industry/federal employee
- $675 state employee
- $575 full time student
Advanced Course: (Principal Instructor – John Doherty, author of PEST)
- $850 private industry/federal employee
- $775 state employee
- $675 full time student
Introductory and Advanced Course Double Header
- $1450 private industry/federal employee
- $1300 state employee
- $1100 full time student
Course Location
The course will be held at the Bethesda offices of S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc. The office is within easy walking distance of either the Bethesda or Medical Center stations on the Metro Red Line. The course will commence Tuesday, September 25th at 9:00 am and will be completed by Friday, September 28th at 5:00 pm.
Hotels
There are many Bethesda hotels conveniently located within walking distance of our offices. Six of these hotels are listed below. Course participants are strongly encouraged to make reservations at the hotel of their choice at the time of course registration.
Doubletree Bethesda
8130 Wisconsin Avenue
301-652-2000
http://www.doubletreebethesda.com
American Inn
8130 Wisconsin Avenue
301-656-9300
http://www.american-inn.com
Bethesda Court Hotel
7740 Wisconsin Avenue
301-656-2100
http://www.bethesdacourtwashdc.com
Hyatt
One Bethesda Metro Center
301-657-1234
http://www.bethesda.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
Residence Inn
7335 Wisconsin Avenue
301-718-0200
http://www.residenceinnbethesdahotel.com
Hilton Garden Inn
7301 Waverly Street
301-654-8111
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=WASBTGI
Further Information
For any further information on either or both courses, please contact: Dr. Matthew J. Tonkin This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Our cancellation policy can be found here.
Please note: If you are registering for someone other than yourself, please use the "Add Special Instructions to Merchant" feature within PayPal. This feature will allow you to submit the name, email and phone number of the party who will be attending the course.
Registration
Introductory Course: (Principal Instructor - Matt Tonkin, SSP&A)
Advanced Course: (Principal Instructor - John Doherty, Author of PEST)
Discounted Introductory and Advanced Course Double Header