THE BOSTON COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL SEISMOLOGY PROJECT: INVITING STUDENTS INTO THE WORLD OF SCIENCE RESEARCH

The Boston College Educational Seismology Project (BC-ESP) operates an educational seismic network consisting of AS1 seismographs located at five high schools, three middle schools, and four elementary schools. AS1 seismographs are also located at the Boston College campus and at Weston Observatory. This project uses seismology as a medium for inviting students into the world of science research by inquiry-based learning through investigation of earthquakes recorded by seismographs in K-12 classrooms. The AS1 seismograph is ideal for this purpose because it is affordable, records earthquakes quite well considering its low cost, and is relatively simple to install and operate. Seismographs provide direct information about seismic waves, plate tectonics, and the structure of the Earth's interior. Thus, having their own seismograph in the classroom gives students a way of collecting real-world data and making measurements that provide them with an understanding of the internal structure of the Earth and processes by which the Earth changes. Studying earthquakes also teaches students how the natural environment impacts our everyday lives. Thus, the BC-ESP offers numerous possibilities for introducing students to the nature of scientific inquiry and to a wide range of important scientific ideas. Based on these classroom seismographs, we provide curriculum resources and research experiences for students in K-12 schools. Examples of earthquakes recorded by the BC-ESP schools are: The magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Tonga (May 3, 2006), the magnitude 6.6 earthquake in the Gulf of California (January 4, 2006), and the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Pakistan (October 8, 2005). These and other seismograms recorded by the BC-ESP seismographs can be viewed on our web site: www2.bc.edu/~kafka/SeismoEd/BC_ESP_Home.html.