PRINCIPAL | SR. GEOPHYSICIST

Before co-founding Terēan Bill was founder and President of Optim Earth.  He managed the release of several software products and related services that are now global brands in geotechnics, including SeisOpt and ReMi® software. As President, Bill envisioned and completed several applications of proprietary technology for both public and private benefit including large-scale seismic risk assessment for increasing public safety and applying new subsurface imaging techniques that significantly enhanced geothermal energy development.  Bill eventually organized and directed the successful acquisition of Optim Earth by Orix Capital Partners, a business unit of Orix Corporation (NYSE:IX).

Bill is inherently curious about the physical world and has used that passion to fuel his career. While studying for his MSc. in Geophysics at the University of Nevada, Reno, Bill was offered a faculty position as Research Associate at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.  He rose to managing scientist being responsible for on-site operations at the NRDC Nuclear Weapons Test Ban Verification Project, working at secure testing and research sites in the US and the Soviet Union.  Afterward, Bill was recruited as Director of the Global Seismic Network at the Scripps Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, expanding the seismic network to the South Atlantic and Middle East regions.  Immediately prior to becoming a founder, Bill became Director of Geophysics and Senior Geophysicist for William Lettis & Associates, growing the Bay Area firm to include distinctive seismic data processing services and expanding international business.

Bill enjoys ongoing research and development interests in collaboration with the University of Nevada System serving on the University of Nevada, Reno, College of Science Advisory Board and Strategic Planning Committee and collaborating on projects with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, engineering department.  He relishes innovation, having patents both currently pending and awarded, and continues to publish his pursuits in several peer reviewed journals.  Bill is honored to have been elected Alumni of the Year for the College of Science at the  University of Nevada, Reno. 

CHIEF GEOPHYSICIST

John N. Louie is a Professor of Geophysics, Emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has over forty years of university teaching and research experience in geophysics and seismology. He has published with students on innovations in seismic imaging of earthquake faults in California, Nevada, and New Zealand. Over the last 25 years, Prof. Louie has developed a faster and more efficient site-assessment survey technique for earthquake-hazard evaluation, Refraction Microtremor (ReMi® software). Research on this technology continues, measuring thousands of sites all over the world; and on using geological and geotechnical measurements to develop geothermal energy resources, predict earthquake shaking from 3D wave physics, and improve communities' resilience to disasters. In 2023, Prof. Louie co-founded Terēan to bring his developments more rapidly to the benefit of communities everywhere.

LEAD GEOPHYSICIST | OPERATIONS MANAGER

As a student at the University of Nevada, Reno, Alison Starr developed a strong foundation in ReMi® acquisition and processing on projects ranging from geothermal exploration to basin-wide fault mapping. After graduating with a BS in Geophysics, she continued working with Prof. John N. Louie at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory before continuing her education at the University of Utah. After graduating with an MS in Geophysics, with an emphasis on Structural Engineering (research involved structural health monitoring on the arches in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks), she accepted a position with Chevron. She worked on exploration projects globally and locally (Permian Basin) where she grew her seismic imaging/modeling skills. After 5 years in Houston, she was ready to move back home. She joined Terēan in early 2023 and has thoroughly enjoyed working with John once again. She appreciates that Terēan was founded to help make the world a safer place by improving existing technologies and making subsurface imagining more accessible to everyone.

DATA SCIENTIST

After receiving his BS in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) in 2018, Dusty Barnes continued at UNR for his MS, collaborating with Prof. Louie and Bill Honjas to improve plot generation methods and apply machine learning to geophysics. After graduate school, Dusty worked in industry on a variety of projects including developing bespoke AI customer workflows, advancing infrastructure for training and deploying models, as well as integrating hardware (sensors, cameras, etc) with software systems. Dusty is also a veteran of the NV Army National Guard, serving from 2016-2024. In 2023, Dusty co-founded Terēan, leveraging his technical expertise to bring geophysical innovations to the community.

SEISMOLOGIST | GEOPHYSICIST

Aasha Pancha holds BS and MS degrees in Geophysics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and a PhD in Geophysics from the University of Nevada, Reno, Seismological Laboratory. Her PhD work contributed to improving seismic hazard models for the U.S.A. National Seismic Hazard Map and her career has spanned academic research to  the engineering industry.

Aasha’s research has been instrumental in the development of the refraction microtremor method for engineering and seismic applications; from imaging very shallow subsurface material structures, to characterizing basin geometries. Aasha worked for Optim SDS Inc from 2007 to 2014, building a strong foundation in ReMi™ software and played a significant role in the hazard mapping of Las Vegas using refraction microtremor technology.

Her focus is the characterization of near-surface materials for earthquake shaking assessment and engineering application, as well as the imaging of buried faults under urban areas. This work contributes toward the reduction of earthquake losses in high-risk urban areas and demonstrates how using geophysical methods minimizes geotechnical risks by enhancing the ability to obtain a more thorough geological understanding of subsurface conditions. 

GEOPHYSICIST | TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Andrew Rosenberg-Main earned his BS in Geophysics from the University of Nevada, Reno. During his undergraduate studies, Andrew conducted fieldwork and data acquisition for geothermal projects in Central Nevada with the Nevada Seismological Lab and performed electrical and EM surveys for geophysical exploration with Zonge International. After graduating, Andrew worked for Optim, building a strong foundation in ReMi® and seismic refraction acquisition and processing. He currently works for the Nevada Seismological Lab acquiring seismic data, and he joined Terēan in Summer 2024.

SOLUTIONS ENGINEER

Dylan Scofield obtained his BS in Engineering with a focus on Sustainable Design from James Madison University, where engineers are cultivated to drive positive change through innovation to benefit both industry and society. With a passion for sales and a proven track record of collaborating with inventors to shepherd patented products to market, Dylan brings a unique blend of technical knowledge and business acumen to his role. He joined Terēan in 2024 with the goal of expanding the company’s global reach and advancing its mission to save customers time and money while making the world a safer place.

ADMINISTRATOR

Local to the Reno/Tahoe area, Martha Bredemeier has a background in non-profit work and most recently served with the State of Nevada Housing Division handling grant management, budgeting, and strategic planning. During her career, Martha has always been passionate about increasing the availability of safe and secure housing for all. In 2023, Martha came on as the administrator at Terēan, where she is responsible for budget management and report preparation, in addition to communications and operational coordination.  Deeply committed to supporting the Terēan team, Martha is excited to be part of efforts to improve building safety and hazard mitigation.