UNIVERSITY OF UTAH NEWS ADVISORY

The news release below from the Utah Science Center deals with a free public discussion about Utah’s earthquake hazard this Thursday evening March 2. University of Utah scientists Bob Smith, Walter Arabasz and Steve Bartlett are among the speakers.

Lee Siegel, science news specialist
University of Utah Public Relations
(801) 581-8993

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Science in Society
A Utah Science Center Public Dialogue Series

Contact: Lisa Davis James: 801/230-9399

Earthquake!!
Experts, Community to Discuss Earthquakes at FREE Event

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 27, 2006-The Utah Science Center’s “Science in Society” free public dialogue series will present “The Shaky Wasatch,” Thursday March 2, 2006 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the auditorium of the main downtown Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 East 400 South.

Scientists, emergency services personnel and audience members will discuss earthquakes and how they might affect us here in Utah, and beyond. The dialogue, which is free and open to the public, will be audience-driven and will include topics like:

— The science of large earthquakes in Utah

— When and how big will they be?

— Can we predict or forecast earthquakes?

— Are we ready for a big one?

.”The Shaky Wasatch” is made possible by support from TerraTek, Inc., and Reaveley Engineers and Associates, Inc.

Featured guests and area of expertise include:

Bob Smith, University of Utah Dept. of Geology and Geophysics — Seismologist and organizer

Ralph Archuleta, University of California, Santa Barbara/Southern California Earthquake Center — Engineering seismology

Steve Bartlett, University of Utah Dept. of Civil Engineering — Engineering Utah’s roads, buildings, bridges, dams, etc. for earthquakes.

Walter Arabasz, University of Utah Seismograph Stations — Monitoring seismic ground motions

Bob Carey, State of Utah Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security — Mitigation and emergency response for Utah earthquakes

Bill Lund, Utah Geological Survey — Paleoearthquakes

About:

— The “Science in Society” public dialogue series is sponsored bi-monthly by the Utah Science Center (www.utahsciencecenter.org). “Science in Society” brings timely and sometimes controversial topics to the public in an understandable and informative manner. The dialogues are presented in an interactive, non-lecture style with public dialogue as the major objective. “Science in Society” is co-sponsored by The Salt Lake City Public Library, KCPW and The Leonardo.

The Utah Science Center, along with Global Artways (www.globalartways.org), Salt Lake City’s arts education program, and the Center for Documentary Arts (www.cdautah.org) are founding partners in The Leonardo, an art, culture and science center with a multidisciplinary approach. Scheduled to open in spring 2008, the mission of The Leonardo is to create opportunities for visitors to become participants by exploring “new ways of seeing” their world, themselves and each other.