SCEC Award Number 10096 View PDF
Proposal Category Individual Proposal (Data Gathering and Products)
Proposal Title SCEC Portable Broadband Instrument Center
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Jamison Steidl University of California, Santa Barbara
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities D, A4, B4 SCEC Groups Seismology
Report Due Date 02/28/2011 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
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Intellectual Merit The ability for SCEC to respond rapidly to a major southern California earthquake with the deployment of seismographs in the near-source region was a catalyst for the creation of the PBIC and is a critical asset of SCEC earthquake research community. This has been highlighted recently by the successful deployment of PBIC equipment in the 2010 El Mayor–Cucapah earthquake as well as the 2008 shakeout experiments along the southern San Andreas. Other PBIC successful RAMP deployments occurred in conjunction with the 2004 Parkfield and 2003 San Simeon earthquakes, as well as the four major earthquake sequences in the previous decade (1992 M6.1 Joshua Tree and M7.3 Landers, 1994 M6.7 Northridge, and 1999 M7.1 Hector Mine). The ability to conduct individual PI driven research experiments in between these major earthquake sequences using PBIC equipment is another very important asset. One of the main goals of the PBIC is to facilitate research in the earthquake community by providing readily accessible seismic monitoring stations for deployment in the southern California region.
Broader Impacts The educational impact of the PBIC is demonstrated by the number of undergraduate and graduate student participants in field deployments, and in the routine maintenance and operations of the PBIC. Most experiments use undergraduate and graduate students in the deployment and maintenance of the stations, many at UCSB, but also at other institutions within California. Giving the students hands-on experience in how the data is collected is an important part of the education of future geophysicists, especially in a time when data is so readily available via the Internet without any knowledge of what is involved in the data collection process. In addition, the number of women and minority students previously and currently involved in the PBIC program is significant. Outreach to K-12 students has always been an important part of the PBIC program, with the “make your own earthquake” demonstration being a hit year after year with all K-12 age groups.
Exemplary Figure N/A