The same geological forces that form the spectacular beaches and headlands of the Pacific Northwest also threaten our lives and infrastructure with earthquakes and tsunamis. This project, known as the Cascadia EarthScope, Earthquake, and Tsunami Education Program (CEETEP), helps to mitigate the effects of these potential disasters through collaboration building and professional development for K-12 teachers, park and museum interpreters, and emergency management outreach professionals in communities along the Oregon and Washington coast.
The March 11, 2011 great earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan has heightened public concern about similar geologic hazards in our own country. As part of a nationwide effort, the NSF EarthScope Program has been deploying hundreds of seismic, GPS, and other geophysical instruments to measure movement of the Earth's crust and detect earthquakes along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. These instruments provide detail for ongoing research showing that coastal regions are storing energy that will be released in the next great Cascadia earthquake, with the resulting tsunami arriving onshore in 30 minutes or less. NSF and other organizations have compiled a list of Earth Science Literacy Principles that the educated public should know and appreciate (www.earthscienceliteracy.org). CEETEP, by drawing on EarthScope observations and results, especially helps to convey three of these concepts to students and the public: "Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet;" "Earth is continuously changing;" and "Natural hazards pose risks to humans."
Tens of thousands of Oregon and Washington residents live within severe earthquake-shaking and tsunami-inundation zones, and millions of tourists visit state and federal parks in these same areas each year. Teachers in the K-12 school systems convey some basics about geological hazards to their students, and park rangers and museum educators likewise engage visitors at their sites. Both of these groups also at times work with emergency managers. CEETEP is strengthening these efforts by providing community-based workshops that bring together all of these professionals to review the basic science of earthquakes and tsunamis, learn about EarthScope and other research efforts that monitor the dynamic Earth in the region, and develop ways to collectively engage students and the general public on the mitigation of coastal geologic hazards.
The CEETEP effort involves geoscience educators from Oregon State University, Central Washington University, and the University of Portland. From 2013 to 2015, approximately eight workshops are being conducted in coastal communities of Oregon and Washington. Participating K-12 teachers and park interpreters are learning about ongoing research on Cascadia plate tectonics, earthquakes and tsunamis, and about how EarthScope is advancing frontiers of knowledge about geologic hazards in the region. Emergency management outreach leaders are also training the participants on emergency preparedness actions. Master teachers offer pedagogical guidance and ideas about assessment and interaction, while experienced interpreters discuss how to reach a variety of audiences in settings outside the classroom. This exchange of pedagogies among educators facilitates their collaboration and helps them communicate common messages about the science and mitigation of Cascadia geohazards. In follow-up share-a-thons, the teachers and interpreters showcase how they have crafted their new knowledge into Earth science and emergency preparedness learning experiences for K-12 students and visitors to parks and museums. This EarthScope educational program is critical to promoting a culture of geohazard awareness so America can prepare for and mitigate the effects of the next great Cascadia earthquake and tsunami, as well as smaller earthquakes and tsunami from distant sources.
