A Study of Seismograph Setup in Schools to Educate and Awareness Programme for Students

Abstract

Satish Saha*, R Vijaya Raghavan, ANS Sarma, G Suresh, A Sateesh, PR Jitendar and D Srinagesh CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500007, India _____________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: In this article efforts have been made to describe how education and awareness programme on seismograph setup helps the school students to learn more about the occurrence of earthquakes and safety measures to be adopted during the earthquake. Soon after the Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001, a mission mode project in seismology was initiated by the Government of India with a view to create new scientific and technology (S&T) base and appropriate human resources for mitigating the adverse impact of earthquake hazard. Ministry of Earthquake Sciences (MoES), Government of India has sponsored this project to CSIRNational Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad to setup 80 broadband educational seismographs in secondary schools in the earthquake prone region of Western Maharashtra. A educational seismograph setup in secondary school campus creates interest among schools students to know more about a felt earthquake in the area or destructive teleseismic earthquakes. The schools teachers shall be trained on operation of seismograph, seismic data retrieval, analysis and locating the earthquakes. The trained teachers disseminate this knowledge to the school students year after year. It also aims at motivating scientists for spreading knowledge beyond the boundaries of their institutions to create awareness among the students.