| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Here at the Academy Terra Non-Firma When Loren Behr became Director of the Academy's Division of Public Programs two years ago, it seemed a shame to him that the world's number one earthquake city didn't have the world's number one earthquake exhibit. It soon will.In late November, the Academy will launch its new, multimedia, permanent exhibit, earthquake!, employing an array of interactive tools to shed light (and sound, and motion) on the Earth's most famous and moving geologic "behavior." "It's a dramatic way to teach people about Earth science," says Jean DeMouthe, Academy geologist and science advisor on the project. "Earthquakes are human-time evidence of forces, such as continental drift, that otherwise move so slowly they only get described in abstract terms," she says. Such topics as plate tectonics, convection currents, seismic waves, liquefaction, and earthquake prediction are brought to life with fun-to-use, interactive exhibits. A wave machine, for example, demonstrates both the different kinds of waves generated by an earthquake and why they create such different effects on the Earth's surface. Earthquake! teaches more than geology, however. It also addresses the human dimensions of earthquakes, how different cultures have explained--and attempted to predict--them, and their place in contemporary California culture. Furthermore, earthquake! entices visitors to explore the practical consequences of different levels of preparedness. Hands-on "shake tables" give visitors a chance to construct different kinds of buildings and then test them with quakes of various magnitudes. Another exhibit, a CD-ROM developed by the high-tech media firm C-wave, creates a "virtual" house in which visitors can take--or not take--steps to get ready for a quake. Secure the walls of the house to the foundation with rebar and see what doesn't happen; leave them free-standing, see what does. Major earthquakes don't occur frequently enough to keep their inevitability in the hearts and minds of those of us living in seismically active areas. "After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake there was a great leap in preparedness consciousness in the Bay Area," says DeMouthe. "But after a while people start raiding their earthquake kits for the peanuts and flashlight batteries." "Earthquake! should be a convincing reminder," says exhibit project coordinator Peter Dunne, "but without hurting anybody. Though it might scare a few people." Earthquake! uses new exhibits and information technologies to present layers of content appropriate to visitors of varying age, interest, and scientific sophistication. "Even if someone spends only a few minutes in the hall, they'll pick up some basic geologic principles underlying earthquakes," says DeMouthe. But if they want to go deeper, there are resources--such as computer terminals bookmarked to various earthquake-related World Wide Web sites--that provide background information as well as up-to-the-moment news about seismic research and the many earthquakes, big and small, occurring around the world every day. These days, it is not enough for an exhibit to be interesting, relevant, and informative. It also has to be fun. So, exhibit designer Carolee Young put an Robject theater" at the center of Earthquake! Here, visitors will come as close as safety permits to experiencing a real quake. Opening with a re-creation of the famous 1989 World Series game that was interrupted by the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake, the show uses film, live theater, surround sound, and a "floating floor" to make its most moving points. "This isn't a textbook lesson," says Dunne. "A lot of people don't believe things till they feel them. Well, this should do the trick."
Gordy Slack is an Associate Editor of California Wild. |
Fall 1997
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