AN OVERVIEW OF USARRAY PUBLIC OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

USArray has engaged in a variety of activities to involve students in and inform the general public about EarthScope. Examples include the highly successful Transportable Array Student Siting Program that employed students and faculty from colleges and universities in the identification of sites for future Transportable Array stations in their region, and a range of informal education and media opportunities where information about EarthScope and its discoveries are shared with educators and the public.

More than 135 students from about 55 institutions received training and conducted site reconnaissance for nearly 1375 Transportable Array sites from the West Coast to the East Coast, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes and southern Canada. Students who participated in the Student Siting Program increased their professional skills and deepened their personal growth.

The remaining Transportable Array stations in eastern North America are being installed in a region from South Carolina northward to Maine and Quebec, Canada, and will be fully deployed in September 2013. Like the previous stations, these stations will operate for about two years before being decommissioned, and their presence on the East coast provides an opportunity to engage a significant proportion of the US population. Future plans entail deploying the array in Alaska where engineering and systems testing are being conducted. This challenging environment will offer new opportunities to connect with native populations.

Other USArray outreach products for the public and educational audiences include Ground Motion Visualizations; content sets for the Active Earth Monitor; articles in university, local and regional newspapers; and stories appearing in national and international print and broadcast media. The Transportable Array has also been featured in documentaries produced by some of the world’s most respected scientific and educational production companies.

The Transportable Array has had an impact on long-term seismic monitoring through its adopt-a-station program. There have been over 50 stations adopted to date, including stations that have enhanced existing networks, such as in Washington and Utah, and others that provide data for characterization of regional seismic hazard.