by Grace Hwang, SCEC Education Program Assistant, USC

Larger imageSCEC Education Programs Assistant Erin Schuster explains the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale to a young Sally Rider and her mother.

On March 8, 2009, the Southern California Earthquake Center participated in the Sally Ride Science Festival at Caltech. SCEC has been hosting activities and workshops for Sally Ride since 2003. Festivals are held throughout the year across the nation and are dedicated to supporting girls' and boys' interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). SCEC hosted five earthquake activities at the Street Fair and two afternoon Discovery Workshops. Both activities played an integral part in distributing earthquake science and preparedness information to students, parents, and educators.

SCEC Education Program Assistants Christina Gotuaco, Warren Yamashita, Erin Schuster, and Grace Hwang as well as volunteer Trevor Strong from the University of California, Irvine facilitated hands-on activities about earthquake preparedness, the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, focal mechanisms, plate tectonics, and fault types.

Later in the afternoon, SCEC staff hosted a workshop titled "Shake, Rattle, and Roll: The Science of Earthquakes." Participants engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from "Pin Your House on California," to making human P and S waves, to participating in a scavenger hunt for items found in an earthquake supplies kit.

Visitors at the SCEC booth and workshop participants left the day with a wealth of knowledge about earthquakes, where they occur, what happens during an earthquake, and what they can do to prepare themselves. Ariana, a participant in one of the workshops, said the workshop was "interesting" and that she learned that she "should always be prepared, don't be scared, and have a plan!" Additionally, each workshop participant was given a copy of the Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country publication in hopes of encouraging them to speak with their parents about earthquake preparedness.

Larger imageA young boy puts together the plate tectonics puzzle, learning where plate boundaries lie.

Larger imageFrom left to right – Erin Schuster, Warren Yamashita, Christina Gotuaco, Grace Hwang, and Trevor Strong from SCEC (not pictured: Bob de Groot).

Larger imageParticipants placed their name on a map of California during the activity "Pin Your House on California," which later transformed to show regions with potential earthquake shaking.