John Aragon - Projects

Resume [PDF] Email: jaragon@aya.yale.edu LinkedIn: @ja536

Project Manager -- Seismic Experiment for Imaging Structure beneath Connecticut (SEISConn) 2016-18

SEISConn is a bold geophysical based experiment led by Yale Professor Maureen Long, aimed at identifying deformation in the Earth's mantle due to past episodes of mountain building and continental rifting. As project manager, it is my job to permit sites, design seismic observatories, deploy equipment into the field, and analyze data. We currently have 15 broadband seismometers positioned in a linear array across northern Connecticut. [Visit the SEISConn website]

Scientists using series of seismographs to study what’s under ConnecticutNEW HAVEN >> Fifteen seismographs placed in forests, farms and backyards across northern Connecticut picked up the vibrations of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea on Jan. 22.

What lies beneath Connecticut? Yale’s SEISConn project will find outDeep inside Great Mountain Forest, in the northwest corner of the state, Yale geophysicist Maureen Long kneels down in a grassy clearing to see how her seismology station fared over the long winter.

#SEISConn on Instagram

Experiment Map

Field Manager -- Mid-Atlantic Geophysical Integrative Collaboration (MAGIC) 2015-16

MAGIC is an ongoing project, which explores how processes within the deep Earth are connected to, and reflected by, their topographic and geologic counterparts on the Earth's surface. The collection of broadband seismic data was led by Yale professor Maureen Long, and required the development of 28 seismic observatories across the eastern states of Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. As field manager I helped to acquire and develop physical sites, maintain equipment across the multi-state array, manage the archival and quality control of a massive data set, train technical workers, and troubleshoot problems like there was no tomorrow. It was a rewarding experience that resulted in what is currently the highest resolution seismic transect of the Mid-Atlantic Appalachians.

A map of MAGIC seismic observatories installed across the eastern US!

#MAGICseismo on Instagram

Co-Founder--John David Equipment 2005-09

Before the financial crisis of 2008, my company delivered engineering and heavy equipment products for commercial grading projects across southern California. As Co-Founder, I was responsible for preparing commercial construction contracts, reading plans, making grading calculations, designing heavy equipment, and managing compliance with the strict emissions and insurance regulations of California. Owning a successful small business in my early 20s was a tremendous learning experience, as I was regularly faced with complex problems in need of novel solutions. The skills and determination I picked up as and entrepreneur were invaluable to me when I began my pursuit of a college education, which I began at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, CA and completed at Yale University.

2,500 gallon commercial water truck bearing the John David Equipment logo, working with Basin Engineering, on the site of LAUSD Robert F. Kennedy High School, Los Angeles, a $575 Million construction project.

Co-founder David Applegarth and John David Equipment employees prepare acres of parking lot for asphalt capping during the construction of this Irvine Spectrum office park, Orange County, CA.