SHAKING IT UP

The study of earthquakes can help students build connections between theoretical analysis and real-world applications. However, units on earthquakes typically struggle to bridge that gap between theory and application. Traditional class activities focus on measuring earthquakes, such as triangulating epicenters by analyzing P and S wave arrival times (see sidebar, p. 38) or using wave amplitudes to calculate Richter magnitudes. STEM-based activities take another step by adding a community-minded perspective. Such lessons often involve shaking models of buildings to measure resonance or using the Mercalli Intensity Scale (see sidebar, p. 38) to quantify structural damage and human responses. Such lessons, though valuable, limit students to analysis without action, leaving them to wonder how their results might be applied. This article describes a lesson in which students act on their analyses by determining emergency response priorities in a theoretical earthquake disaster scenario. The students step into the shoes of engineers to analyze data from a variety of sources to make critical decisions for their community.