Foreword to Special Issue on Education and Outreach

Abstract

“[A]s I started to understand the seismologist's words, it became attractive.... I will never forget that day.”— Letisia, age 12 There are many reasons to undertake education and outreach in seismology, but the above quote (see Burrato et al. ) illustrates one of the better ones. As it implies, seismology isn't just for graduate school anymore. Hundreds of high schools record seismic data on state-of-the-art seismometers, museum displays of seismic data attract millions of visitors, and Web-based earthquake maps pop up on thousands of browsers every day. These education and outreach activities result in tangible benefits, both to the general public and to the scientific community. For the public, the general level of scientific literacy and knowledge about earthquake hazards is elevated. For the scientific community, these activities increase the visibility of geophysical research among the public and provide a focal point for involvement by the next generation of students. These efforts may also help reduce earthquake risk overall. This issue highlights these recent education and outreach efforts in the U.S. and across the globe. A major theme is the development of “schoolyard” seismology efforts, but also discussed are descriptions of museum displays, new technical developments, innovative college classes, and two major seismology-oriented public outreach programs. We hope that this issue will provide a resource and inspiration for future action from a larger number of scientists. As the Earth scientists of today, it is our responsibility to share our passion with the potential Earth scientists of tomorrow, and to ignite a similar …