Annual Meeting - SCEC.org

Report | SCEC CEO Director
SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach
Mark Benthien
CEO Director for SCEC
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 were identified through several workshops involving SCEC scientists and our partner
organizations, who were also involved in developing and fulfilling CEO short-term objectives
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.
A key aspect of SCEC’s success are the many partnerships that have been sustained to achieving
SCEC’s mission, research objectives, and outreach goals. These partners include: other science
organizations such as IRIS, EarthScope, and UNAVCO; engineering organizations such as PEER,
CUREE, and EERI; Education organizations such as Los Angeles County Unified School District,
Southern California County Offices of Education, USC Family of Schools, museums, and the
National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT); and Public Service / Risk Management
organizations such as California Office of Emergency Services, the California Earthquake
Authority, FEMA, and the American Red Cross.
The following are select Public Outreach and Education highlights of activities in the last year.
Public Outreach Activities
Great Southern California ShakeOut. The major focus of the
2007-2008 CEO program has been co-organizing this week of
special events featuring the largest earthquake drill in U.S.
history, developed to inspire Southern Californians to get ready
for big earthquakes, and to prevent disasters from becoming
catastrophes. At 10 a.m. on November 13, 2008, millions of
southern Californians will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” to
30 | Southern California Earthquake Center