Annual Meeting - SCEC.org

Report | Communication, Education, and Outreach
SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach
Mark Benthien / Robert de Groot
CEO Director for SCEC / CEO Education Programs Manager
Introduction
The SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach (CEO) program has four long-term goals:
• Coordinate productive interactions among a diverse community of SCEC scientists and with partners in science,
engineering, risk management, government, business, and education;
• Increase earthquake knowledge and science literacy at all educational levels, including students and the general
public;
• Improve earthquake hazard and risk assessments; and
• Promote earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and planning for response and recovery.
These goals are pursued through activities organized within four CEO focus areas: Research Partnerships coordinated within
the SCEC Seismic Hazard & Risk Analysis focus group; Knowledge Transfer activities with practicing professionals,
government officials, scientists and engineers; Public Outreach activities and products for the general public, civic and
preparedness groups, and the news media; Education programs and resources for students, educators, and learners of all ages,
including the Experiential Learning and Career Advancement office which coordinates undergraduate and graduate
internships and support for early career scientists. Many activities span more than one CEO focus area.
Partnerships are key to achieving SCEC’s mission, research objectives, and outreach goals. These partners include other
science organizations (e.g. IRIS, EarthScope, and UNAVCO), engineering organizations (e.g. PEER and EERI), education
organizations (e.g. Los Angeles County Unified School District, California Department of Education, museums, and the
National Association of Geoscience Teachers), and public service / risk management organizations (e.g. California Emergency
Management Agency, the California Earthquake Authority, FEMA, and the American Red Cross).
Immediately following the 2009 SCEC Annual Meeting, a major review meeting was held of the SCEC CEO program. An
extensive evaluation document was prepared in summer 2009 by evaluation consultants, which an external review panel used
as the basis of its analysis. The review panel’s report was quite thorough and provided several excellent recommendations.
Overall, they concluded that “It is the strong consensus of the review committee that the SCEC CEO program has been an
overwhelming success both in terms of breadth and impact.” The SCEC Advisory Council commented that “the review
strongly indicates that SCEC has demonstrated success in meeting the Broader Impacts criterion of NSF reviews, has become a
leading force in education and outreach efforts related to earthquake science in Southern California, and has set a standard for
others to emulate in all of California or elsewhere.” The review was very important to the SCEC4 proposal process and was
supported with funding from the NSF.
The following are highlights of SCEC’s Public Outreach and Education activities in the last year.
Public Outreach Activities
Great (Southern & Statewide) California ShakeOut. A major focus of the CEO
program since 2008 has been organizing the Great California ShakeOut drills and
coordinating closely with ShakeOuts in other states and countries. The purpose of the
Shakeout is to motivate all Californians to practice how to protect ourselves during
earthquakes (“Drop, Cover, and Hold On”), and to get prepared at work, school, and
home.
Immediately following the 2008 ShakeOut (initially conceived as a “once-in-a-lifetime”
32 | Southern California Earthquake Center