For the second consecutive year, Cal State San Bernardino’s Department of Geological Sciences has received a $2.76 million in-kind donation of MOVE software from PE Limited, an international petroleum engineering and structural geology company. 

The MOVE suite is the preeminent software used by industry and academia globally for structural analysis and modeling at local and regional scales. The software contains modules for two- and three-dimensional kinematic modeling, geomechanical modeling, sediment modeling, fracture modeling, and fault and stress analysis.

Since receiving the initial donation in 2023, the department has integrated the MOVE software into academic research, coursework, and multiple student-led research projects, significantly enhancing students' preparation in the field of structural geology.

“The MOVE software suite provides our geological sciences students with industry-standard experience with modeling processes as part of their research, field training and coursework,” said Claire Todd, professor and chair of the geological sciences department, housed in CSUSB’s College of Natural Sciences. 

Todd added that the software, which includes 10 licenses for all modules of the software, provides a foundational piece of the department’s new Structural Geology and Tectonics Lab established in 2022 by associate professor Tandis Bidgoli and assistant professor Susana Henriquez, who requested the donation.

The professors and their students have been using the software to build geological models. across field research areas in California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and internationally, and will continue expanding its use. The software has also been used for teaching demonstrations, tutorials, and exercises in Structural Geology, and the Department of Geological Sciences will continue to expand its use in future courses such as Advanced Field Geology, Advanced Structural Geology, and Graduate Geologic Mapping.