Danielle Sumy
2022-02-11 09:27:31
Canada is currently developing an earthquake early warning system (EEW) for
parts of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. A collaborative team of
geophysicists and education researchers are investigating specific aspects
of communicating with and educating the public about various concepts
integral in the EEW alerts.
We are looking for two MSc students to join the geoscience department at
the University of Calgary, under advising with Dr. Glenn Dolphin with
funding from Natural Resources Canada. The planned degree of study will
begin in Fall 2022, with an estimated completion date of Spring 2024.
As an MSc student, you will have the opportunity to join an international
community of researchers from the University of Calgary, the United States
Geological Survey, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology,
and James Madison University. Students will be a part of this exceptional
team to help understand the root causes of misconceptions around EEW. The
research products will be widely used in Canada and will likely inform EEW
systems around the world.
*Qualifications: *A Bachelor’s degree in geophysics, seismology, science
education, or related field, and/or a combination of experience.
*Advisor:* Dr. Glenn Dolphin, Tamaratt Teaching Professor
https://ucalgary.ca/tamaratt-teaching-professorship/home in Geoscience,
University of Calgary
*Research Description:* The EEW system in the United States and the system
to be implemented in Canada rely on the quick detection of an earthquake,
its location, and magnitude to determine where alerts should be sent.
Alerts are sent to communities based on their seismic intensity. The terms
seismic magnitude and seismic intensity are often conflated with the public
and are propagated through books, news media, and social media. Our
research will use a three-pronged approach to examine magnitude v.
intensity: linguistic, historical, and socio-cultural approaches.
1. The linguistic approach will discern the metaphors used around the
concepts of earthquake magnitude and intensity to determine how language
may impact understanding and which metaphors might be most effective in
community education and communication.
2. The historical approach will track the historical development of two
concepts, magnitude and intensity, with the goal of producing a historical
case study that could be used in a range of education settings.
3. The socio-cultural will explore how the Canadian public is informed
about earthquake magnitude and intensity and measure its efficacy. It will
also compare education around these concepts in other regions that are very
seismically active.
*Want to Apply or Have Questions?* Please reach out with a letter of
interest and CV to Dr. Glenn Dolphin (glenn.dolphin<at>ucalgary.ca).
The University of Calgary https://www.ucalgary.ca/ has just been named as
one of Canada’s top 5 research universities
https://www.ucalgary.ca/news/ucalgary-named-top-5-research-university-first-time.
Situated east of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the city of Calgary
https://www.visitcalgary.com/ boasts year-round outdoor adventure
and is ranked
5th of the world’s most livable cities
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-edges-out-vancouver-and-toronto-to-rank-as-worlds-fifth-most-liveable-city-the-economist
.
parts of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. A collaborative team of
geophysicists and education researchers are investigating specific aspects
of communicating with and educating the public about various concepts
integral in the EEW alerts.
We are looking for two MSc students to join the geoscience department at
the University of Calgary, under advising with Dr. Glenn Dolphin with
funding from Natural Resources Canada. The planned degree of study will
begin in Fall 2022, with an estimated completion date of Spring 2024.
As an MSc student, you will have the opportunity to join an international
community of researchers from the University of Calgary, the United States
Geological Survey, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology,
and James Madison University. Students will be a part of this exceptional
team to help understand the root causes of misconceptions around EEW. The
research products will be widely used in Canada and will likely inform EEW
systems around the world.
*Qualifications: *A Bachelor’s degree in geophysics, seismology, science
education, or related field, and/or a combination of experience.
*Advisor:* Dr. Glenn Dolphin, Tamaratt Teaching Professor
https://ucalgary.ca/tamaratt-teaching-professorship/home in Geoscience,
University of Calgary
*Research Description:* The EEW system in the United States and the system
to be implemented in Canada rely on the quick detection of an earthquake,
its location, and magnitude to determine where alerts should be sent.
Alerts are sent to communities based on their seismic intensity. The terms
seismic magnitude and seismic intensity are often conflated with the public
and are propagated through books, news media, and social media. Our
research will use a three-pronged approach to examine magnitude v.
intensity: linguistic, historical, and socio-cultural approaches.
1. The linguistic approach will discern the metaphors used around the
concepts of earthquake magnitude and intensity to determine how language
may impact understanding and which metaphors might be most effective in
community education and communication.
2. The historical approach will track the historical development of two
concepts, magnitude and intensity, with the goal of producing a historical
case study that could be used in a range of education settings.
3. The socio-cultural will explore how the Canadian public is informed
about earthquake magnitude and intensity and measure its efficacy. It will
also compare education around these concepts in other regions that are very
seismically active.
*Want to Apply or Have Questions?* Please reach out with a letter of
interest and CV to Dr. Glenn Dolphin (glenn.dolphin<at>ucalgary.ca).
The University of Calgary https://www.ucalgary.ca/ has just been named as
one of Canada’s top 5 research universities
https://www.ucalgary.ca/news/ucalgary-named-top-5-research-university-first-time.
Situated east of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the city of Calgary
https://www.visitcalgary.com/ boasts year-round outdoor adventure
and is ranked
5th of the world’s most livable cities
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-edges-out-vancouver-and-toronto-to-rank-as-worlds-fifth-most-liveable-city-the-economist
.
