WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en-US 00:00:01.278 --> 00:00:04.838 So can we all give our panelists a virtual applause? 00:00:04.840 --> 00:00:08.879 [clapping] You can unmute your mics, applaud them. 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:13.840 Put a gif in the chat box. Thank you so much, Jennifer. 00:00:13.840 --> 00:00:17.120 I loved your talk so much, particularly that you make Protective Action Decision 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:21.680 Model actually understandable through graphics, which is always a challenge 00:00:21.680 --> 00:00:25.040 with that particular model. So I think Lindell owes you 00:00:25.040 --> 00:00:29.200 a big thank you for that one. This panel was super exciting for me 00:00:29.200 --> 00:00:32.240 because, having worked in Puerto Rico during the earthquakes, it has been 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:36.800 really important to reflect on the wider science communication ecosystem 00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:41.360 for myself and how it works on an individual level with comments 00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:44.640 from Leila, which I thought were so important, to macro levels 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.240 with Elizabeth and Lorna and Pablo, and then Jennifer being able to 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.519 really capture so much of this dynamic going on. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:57.120 So we are pushing close to noon, but I do want to leave us open 00:00:57.120 --> 00:01:00.159 for some questions for the panelists. 00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:04.639 If everybody feels like they can stay a little bit longer? 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:05.519 Great. 00:01:05.520 --> 00:01:10.000 The first one comes from Kate Scharer. Kate asked a question for Lorna, 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.200 but I think this is applicable to most of the people on the phone call, 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:17.600 which is the challenge of a conversation often feeling like it’s one-sided, 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:20.960 particularly with media on news and radio. There’s a limited 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:24.160 back-and-forth to determine if your info was received correctly. 00:01:24.160 --> 00:01:27.999 So not being able to get a lot of feedback, necessarily, from the media. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:30.160 Do you have any suggestions from this from the panel? 00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:34.400 Is there a way to go back and forth to refine the message with those groups 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.560 before it goes out to the public? Thank you very much 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:38.638 for that question, Kate. 00:01:38.679 --> 00:01:40.400 - Thank you, Katherine, for the question. 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:46.159 I got time to organize my idea, so I made some notes. 00:01:46.160 --> 00:01:52.559 One of the first things that I would like to say is – and it’s not probably 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:58.320 in order of logistics, but one of the most important things that I found out 00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:04.080 just recently, trying to find and identify others that can give you 00:02:04.080 --> 00:02:08.880 the chance to talk about this phenomenon, this event, 00:02:08.880 --> 00:02:12.559 but in a very different perspective. 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:16.320 For example, I am working on a proposal right now in which 00:02:16.320 --> 00:02:25.279 I submitted to – or, I will submit to the local endowment for the humanities, 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:31.520 which is – imagine, a geologist submitting a project to a humanities 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:40.720 endowment. But the topic is about how the seismic sequence is altered 00:02:40.720 --> 00:02:46.000 or affected the cultural heritage in the island. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:51.919 Historical buildings, museums, collections. 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:58.240 And the good thing about being one of the few geologists in Río Piedras 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:03.760 is that everybody wants to hear what you have to say because, 00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:06.000 you know, you are one of those rock stars. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.040 You know, it’s not very often that you get to be a rock star. 00:03:09.040 --> 00:03:12.480 But I get to be a rock star every now and then when we talk about 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:16.080 geologists in Río Piedras. And one of the things that – 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:22.560 for example, I can put as an example, when talking about retrofit. 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:28.720 And everybody knows this picture that – this photograph that Jennifer had in her 00:03:28.720 --> 00:03:34.400 presentation, and I don’t recall if any – somebody else had it about this 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:41.120 Catholic church that was destroyed. Just talking about this example and 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:45.760 the problem that bricks are, and then you get to talk about 00:03:45.760 --> 00:03:52.160 the cultural heritage, but also the physics of why this is a problem 00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:56.080 and how you can fix it. So you have different audiences 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:03.279 talking about this merge of two fields, and it makes it more interesting. 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:09.200 Of course, we get very excited about the science, but, you know, people are 00:04:09.200 --> 00:04:14.240 diverse, and interests are diverse too. So just keep that in mind. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:23.120 The other – the other point is that going to TV shows and radio is 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:31.119 very difficult because it – yes, it is a one-sided communication. 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:36.160 TV is the worst because it’s very brief. You don’t have much time. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.600 You are interviewed. They have the questions. 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:43.280 But that’s why you have to think and plan. 00:04:43.280 --> 00:04:50.720 I know this takes a lot of time, but I spend hours reading people’s 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:55.920 comments on the newspaper. Every time there was news about 00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:00.000 the sequence, I didn’t read anything. I went down to the comments. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:05.760 And, even when there was a lot of nonsense, that’s what you want to know. 00:05:05.760 --> 00:05:10.720 You want to know those ideas – the misconceptions. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:17.760 And that is your matrix in order to build your presentation – your answers. 00:05:17.760 --> 00:05:21.279 Go back to that, and you will see there is repetition. 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:26.079 And also invest time in small groups. 00:05:26.080 --> 00:05:30.799 I know this is – and it’s true. We cannot do this alone. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:37.280 But I have experienced how beneficial it is for me as a science 00:05:37.280 --> 00:05:43.280 communicator to stop and listen to people and listen to their stories. 00:05:43.280 --> 00:05:47.279 Let me give you just one example, and I will finish with this. 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:51.040 I went to Utuado for a workshop with a community, and there was this 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:55.120 guy that said, I remember my grandfather telling me that there 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:59.599 was this earthquake in Utuado – the 1918. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:05.039 And it – the fault – the plates cracked. And he described – and he told me, 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:10.000 I can tell you where the fault goes, or maybe it was just a crack result 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:15.040 of the activity. And he says, it’s over – you know, it’s – the buildings are 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:18.480 here and here are over that crack – over that fault. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:23.119 I was, like, if I have a [inaudible] and just scan the thing. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:27.200 And even – maybe for science, it’s not something that would 00:06:27.200 --> 00:06:32.160 advance too much, but let’s say that we got a representation of that. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:36.640 We got some region material. Put it in Utuado. 00:06:36.640 --> 00:06:40.799 Everybody will read it. What you want is for people to read, 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:48.439 and that it’s culturally and locally significant. And that’s what you want. 00:06:49.404 --> 00:06:53.919 - Yeah. I just want to jump in and second – and second that entirely. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:56.960 Particularly the idea of going to the comment sections. 00:06:56.960 --> 00:07:01.440 Whether it’s the newspaper, posts that you have put up about the – 00:07:01.440 --> 00:07:05.040 about whatever the event happens to be, posts by other people 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.280 about the event. Go through the comments. 00:07:07.280 --> 00:07:10.480 More than likely, people have the same sort of questions, right? 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.840 - You’ll see the same – the same, you know, three or four major 00:07:13.840 --> 00:07:17.520 misconceptions or the same three or four questions that people 00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:20.080 just continually have. And they’re not – 00:07:20.080 --> 00:07:22.160 like, they’re putting these things in the comments because they’re 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.800 not getting answers elsewhere. [laughs] 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.880 They’re probably listening to all kinds of people, right? 00:07:26.880 --> 00:07:29.760 But they haven’t heard the thing that they’re looking for. 00:07:29.760 --> 00:07:32.320 Or they haven’t heard the thing that really makes it click for them, 00:07:32.320 --> 00:07:35.840 that this is what’s going on, that brings all that information together. 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:38.160 And it does take a lot – it does take a lot of time. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:40.960 I’m not going to – I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t. 00:07:40.960 --> 00:07:46.719 But it is such – like, that’s really, to me, the way to continue that conversation. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.600 And I think particularly if you know that there are going to be multiple 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:53.280 appearances – right, so after whatever your appearance is, or whatever 00:07:53.280 --> 00:07:56.880 your post is, go through and check. See what people didn’t quite get. 00:07:56.880 --> 00:08:00.160 See what things that they still have. And then, the next time you are posting, 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:03.120 or the next time you are doing something, say, like, okay, 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:06.240 so last time, this seemed to be – this didn’t seem to get through 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:10.319 all the way, so here’s the explanation for this now. 00:08:10.320 --> 00:08:15.759 That really – like, that’s how you keep that conversation. 00:08:15.760 --> 00:08:18.640 And I would say that you can also do that with other people, right? 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:21.280 So, if – you know, if you don’t know when your next appearance is, 00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:23.840 but someone you know who does science communication, you know 00:08:23.840 --> 00:08:26.720 that they have something, you know, tomorrow, next week, whatever, 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.040 you might just shoot them an email and say, like, 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:33.840 hey, I didn’t get to this yesterday. You might want to mention it 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:36.759 while you’re – in the rest of your talk. 00:08:37.716 --> 00:08:42.320 - If I may, I would like to add something to what Leila and Lorna have shared. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:47.040 This is – this is directed to our professional and academic colleagues, 00:08:47.040 --> 00:08:54.800 mainly. And take this from my context of a science education researcher that 00:08:54.800 --> 00:08:58.960 has had conversations with people in the education side and 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:02.560 the natural sciences side. There is a lot – we have 00:09:02.560 --> 00:09:06.799 a lot of opportunities to reconfigure our scholarship. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:11.920 And what Lorna mentioned, what is important to a local community, 00:09:11.920 --> 00:09:17.439 that’s part of the local knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:19.760 indigenous knowledge – however you want to call it, 00:09:19.760 --> 00:09:25.440 that’s important for the people. And we, as scholars and as researchers, 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:32.559 can actually bring that information to academia, to the professional level. 00:09:32.560 --> 00:09:36.560 And, if we have the proper training, or if we are really interested, 00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:42.240 we can turn that into social media, newspaper articles, book essays, 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.920 radio appearances. I mean, that’s a full aspect 00:09:45.920 --> 00:09:49.200 of scholarship that we need – in my opinion, we should be 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.560 considering as well. We already have the content knowledge, 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:56.240 and that’s really important. It is a matter of [inaudible] ourselves 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:00.480 to those issues that are impacting our communities and finding help – 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:03.680 finding the people that could help you reconfigure your scholarship 00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:07.490 and bringing those problems to the mainstream. 00:10:11.107 --> 00:10:15.039 - I have a comment, if I may. [laughs] 00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:19.520 Yeah. I think that it’s also important, the fact that there’s a missing link 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:23.279 in this conversation, and it’s emergency management. 00:10:23.280 --> 00:10:26.160 And, if we think about the professionalization of emergency 00:10:26.160 --> 00:10:30.719 management, we’re really talking about interagency coordination. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:34.960 And the fact of bringing in all – bringing us all together and also 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:39.440 connecting with communities. You know, one of the things that we 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.920 see very often is that we have a friend, or we read this, or we go there. 00:10:43.920 --> 00:10:47.919 But we are not really doing social science. 00:10:47.920 --> 00:10:52.400 We are doing – basing our science on anecdotes. [laughs] 00:10:52.400 --> 00:10:57.600 So we really have to be a bit more critical about how we do that and 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.760 about how we support emergency managers so that they can fulfill their 00:11:01.760 --> 00:11:07.599 role throughout the disaster cycle and that we are not being so reactive. 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:12.799 So those are my two things – two cents in terms of listening. 00:11:12.800 --> 00:11:17.680 There’s someone who needs support, to be able to listen when there’s 00:11:17.680 --> 00:11:21.760 nothing going on so that he can be more effective, or she can be 00:11:21.760 --> 00:11:27.840 more effective, when an emergency or a disaster happens. 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.320 - That was great, Jennifer. We have a lot of raised hands 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.040 at the moment, and we’ve only gotten to the first question. 00:11:33.040 --> 00:11:36.137 So [laughs] we have, like, four more to go. 00:11:36.138 --> 00:11:43.119 So could we possibly go on to the next question, and then braid in the rest of it? 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:47.119 Because we do want to get done before 1:00 if possible. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:51.920 So the question is from Andy Michael. So Andy Michael asks, what can 00:11:51.920 --> 00:11:56.480 the USGS do to better support local scientists and communicators in 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:00.560 future sequences around the country? How do we connect with local scientists 00:12:00.560 --> 00:12:03.279 who are communicating during these sequences? 00:12:03.280 --> 00:12:07.680 Is it enough to work with the ANSS and the regional seismic networks, such as 00:12:07.680 --> 00:12:13.040 the – such as Red Sísmica, and are there other ways we should reach out? 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:16.640 And I want to start first with Liz because I think – I think, Elizabeth, you have 00:12:16.640 --> 00:12:20.800 a lot of really critical and important thoughts on this particular question. 00:12:20.800 --> 00:12:25.680 - Yeah. I think one thing is to start with the ANSS network. 00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:29.600 Because, especially with an earthquake, the regional network, we are going to 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:33.920 be somewhat possessive of it. It’s kind of natural. It’s our backyard. 00:12:33.920 --> 00:12:36.880 It’s our network. It’s our data. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:42.000 So I think you start with the network, and then you branch out from there. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.519 If you look at what happened in the Puerto Rico seismic sequence, 00:12:45.520 --> 00:12:47.360 what happened, you start – we started with the network. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.880 I mean, I think I was on the phone with Paul as I was 00:12:50.880 --> 00:12:53.982 walking into the network after the 6.4. 00:12:55.600 --> 00:13:01.520 But that – it started there, but then we brought in our geology department. 00:13:01.520 --> 00:13:04.640 The connections with the Strong Motion Program and civil engineering – 00:13:04.640 --> 00:13:08.240 because we can’t forget the civil engineers in this, who also have 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:14.639 a very important role, especially in the remediation and prevention. 00:13:14.640 --> 00:13:18.400 So you start there, and then you kind of can branch out because the network’s 00:13:18.400 --> 00:13:21.440 already linked in with the groups. They’re linked in with emergency 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.719 management. They’re linked in with the local scientists. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:28.799 And then branch out from there. I think it’s a matter of finding that hub. 00:13:28.800 --> 00:13:32.800 But I think the one thing that’s important with, like, the ANSS is – 00:13:32.800 --> 00:13:35.280 maybe it’s something that people on this panel can help with – 00:13:35.280 --> 00:13:39.679 is people don’t understand what ANSS is. 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:43.280 I’ve started including a slide on this on, like, every single public talk I give. 00:13:43.280 --> 00:13:45.440 What is ANSS? So people understand. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:49.520 So, when you see an earthquake in Puerto Rico, that that work’s been done 00:13:49.520 --> 00:13:51.920 by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. Because they think that’s being done 00:13:51.920 --> 00:13:55.760 by the USGS. So one of the comments I always have to deal with is, why are 00:13:55.760 --> 00:14:02.160 we funding a local seismic network when the USGS can do the job for us? 00:14:02.160 --> 00:14:07.440 So I think that that is probably where we need more clarity that – make it – 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:13.360 understand that the regional network is the provider of information. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:17.360 And I don’t know how to best explain it, but it’s something to think about, how – 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:22.175 the approach explaining the ANSS to the public. 00:14:22.185 --> 00:14:23.600 - Thanks, Liz. That’s fantastic. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:26.115 Jennifer, you had your hand raised. 00:14:29.411 --> 00:14:32.000 - No. That was before. Let me unraise my hand. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.224 [laughter] 00:14:34.224 --> 00:14:39.839 - So, does anyone else want to – this is often a question that Andy and I and other 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:43.360 scientists have talked about is that, how can we, as the USGS, be more 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:49.440 supportive of you during response? How can this relationship work better? 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.200 I think it worked pretty well in Puerto Rico. 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:55.600 We had – you know, Lindsay Davis worked tirelessly on the USGS side. 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:57.760 So I just want to give absolutely a shout-out to Lindsay and her 00:14:57.760 --> 00:15:02.720 phenomenal work there for the USGS. But obviously, we can always improve. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:07.039 And Lindsay actually asked a question that was related to this, 00:15:07.040 --> 00:15:09.600 to strengthen this question. And, again, it might be a great question 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:18.000 for Liz, around – given the incredible demands on everyone’s time, how can 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:24.000 we do this and not distract you from what you’re trying to do or make 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:28.800 you give us more resources than we – you know, that you just don’t have 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:32.720 during that time. And, Pablo and Lorna, I think you guys can also speak 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:36.880 to this as well. How can you work with a federal agency? 00:15:36.880 --> 00:15:40.280 How can we support you without distracting too much from what you’re – 00:15:40.280 --> 00:15:45.286 what you’re doing and taking away the precious resources you have? 00:15:45.319 --> 00:15:50.000 - Well, if I may, I work for a federal agency, and I am definitely really 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:55.200 well aware of those – of the – of the – let’s say of the lack of time that 00:15:55.200 --> 00:16:01.122 we have to do something else besides the work that we do regularly. 00:16:01.263 --> 00:16:05.760 I have an idea. I think that – and I have an observation. 00:16:05.760 --> 00:16:12.079 In my opinion, we have many experts in Puerto Rico in many different fields. 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:15.040 But the communication is not coming to us directly. 00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:19.440 I mean, let’s be honest. I participated in these activities in the 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:23.680 southwest because a group of friends called me, and we decided to go. 00:16:23.680 --> 00:16:27.840 But I never received a single call or a single communication from 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:32.800 any of the authorities in the island. So what about helping us, if the USGS 00:16:32.800 --> 00:16:38.480 can help us, do a survey of those of us that are in the island or in the diaspora 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:42.000 that are willing to do this work, that have the expertise, or to categorize 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:46.240 the expertise that we have, and from there, we can start. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:51.040 I put in the chat that, for example, Ciencia Puerto Rico – and, disclaimer, 00:16:51.040 --> 00:16:53.760 I’m part of Ciencia Puerto Rico – but I think it’s a great organization 00:16:53.760 --> 00:17:00.640 with a well-established networking process in Puerto Rico, in the diaspora, 00:17:00.640 --> 00:17:03.200 elsewhere – internationally – not just in the U.S. 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:08.240 I mean, we can go to organizations like those, to NGOs that have that 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.240 ability and that have the capacity to help us. So I agree with Liz. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.600 I mean, we need to have a central point of contact. That’s perfect. 00:17:15.600 --> 00:17:21.680 But, I mean, the only experts are not in one institution or in one agency. 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.960 We have experts everywhere in Puerto Rico and in the diaspora 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:26.880 that we are more than willing to help. 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.080 But we need to get those communications as well. 00:17:30.080 --> 00:17:34.107 That’s my only – that’s my comment at this point. 00:17:37.958 --> 00:17:41.919 - I’m going to jump in here really quickly just to say thank you. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.320 I do have to leave, unfortunately. And I know there might be some others 00:17:44.320 --> 00:17:46.960 on the call that have to leave as well. But thank you, again, all, 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:49.520 for coming and joining on this. And I hope that many of you are able 00:17:49.520 --> 00:17:51.440 to stay and many of the audience are able to stay and continue this 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:53.840 discussion and learn from each other. Because I think this is a very 00:17:53.840 --> 00:17:56.880 beneficial conversation to have. And I look forward to seeing the 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:59.200 recording and – about what you guys continue to talk about. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:04.519 So thank you, again, for coming. And please stay and continue to talk. 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:08.380 - Thanks, Tamara, for setting this up. Really appreciate all your work … 00:18:08.380 --> 00:18:10.240 - Thank you. - … and the seminar chairs. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:13.680 Thank you so much. - Thanks for [inaudible] mentor – 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.013 in monitor – moderating – there we go. All right, bye. 00:18:17.013 --> 00:18:22.639 - [laughs] Bye. I mean, I’m happy to stay and continue moderating 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.480 if you guys want me to. Or I can just, you know, go, 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:31.600 if I’m being annoying to everybody. [laughs] 00:18:31.600 --> 00:18:33.840 And, Pablo, I think you have such an interesting perspective, right, 00:18:33.840 --> 00:18:37.280 because you are obviously working for a federal agency, but you were responding 00:18:37.280 --> 00:18:41.040 on a – very much a local level as well. And so understanding that tension 00:18:41.040 --> 00:18:45.120 between that federal service as well as doing something that is in your 00:18:45.120 --> 00:18:49.120 backyard that you have to respond to and that your family and friends are 00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:54.079 being impacted – and your community. And so I think you just have such a 00:18:54.080 --> 00:18:59.039 unique perspective in all of this, as everyone does on this phone call. 00:18:59.041 --> 00:19:04.161 So I’ve got Liz and Lorna raising your hands. 00:19:05.120 --> 00:19:14.160 Did you want to comment, Lorna? - Okay. Yeah, I wanted to summarize 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:20.560 and react to several of the ideas and suggestions and – one of the things 00:19:20.560 --> 00:19:28.480 that I think that several of my peers will clearly understand is that the 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:35.439 practicing of geology in Puerto Rico have lost so much through the years. 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:42.239 That we have lost many positions of geologists in the government. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:49.120 The seismic network is what it is because it’s part of the UPR system. 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:56.639 And I think that, if it’s a very specific strength, that it wouldn’t 00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:02.319 work otherwise. And I’m so thankful they are with the UPR system. 00:20:02.320 --> 00:20:08.960 Even with all the shortcomings that that could mean, too, but if it had been 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:15.199 another agency apart from the UPR system, this could be another story. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:22.159 Now, about Jennifer’s comment – which, let me tell you something. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:28.559 One of the things that I like about this dynamic that we just had is that we are 00:20:28.560 --> 00:20:35.360 sitting at the table – two different fields. We are talking about emergency 00:20:35.360 --> 00:20:40.079 management and sociology and sciences. 00:20:40.080 --> 00:20:46.800 And that doesn’t happen very often. And with all the respect that I have 00:20:46.800 --> 00:20:53.920 for Jennifer’s work, even when our experiences and our efforts in support 00:20:53.920 --> 00:21:01.360 during the emergency are absolutely based on what we lived, if we wouldn’t 00:21:01.360 --> 00:21:06.159 do it, there would be no geologists doing this on the island. 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:10.399 We are the geologists. It’s like when I started looking at 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.640 this book that I wrote. There was – completely an accident. 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:18.400 I took – I gave a class. My students have no clue 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:23.600 about the 1918 earthquake. They had no idea of the history. 00:21:23.600 --> 00:21:31.040 And it took me a year to realize that I can write a history of this earthquake. 00:21:31.040 --> 00:21:35.279 And I was hesitant because I’m not a historian. 00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:40.960 And, after much thought, I said, if I don’t do it, probably 10, 20 years 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.080 is going to pass, and nobody’s going to write this book. 00:21:44.080 --> 00:21:51.600 So sometimes you have to, you know, take and do what you think 00:21:51.600 --> 00:21:57.760 is a contribution. But we definitely have – we have to 00:21:57.760 --> 00:22:04.079 improve the emergency management. And this is something that, 00:22:04.080 --> 00:22:12.799 if you ask me, in this context, what could be our – your support, 00:22:12.800 --> 00:22:16.000 it’s just keep this communication growing. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:19.600 Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep engaging. 00:22:19.600 --> 00:22:25.599 Let’s see – you know, I was thinking, when I was listening to all these talks, 00:22:25.600 --> 00:22:31.519 what about we start thinking about what we learned, what we need to fix, 00:22:31.520 --> 00:22:36.560 and just conceptualize a project that involves everybody in this – 00:22:36.560 --> 00:22:44.000 you know, here. And how we can really take the best of the talents and capacity 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:49.840 of the people in order to work for the improvement of the – of the island. 00:22:49.840 --> 00:22:56.880 You know, and I can – I can relate with what Jennifer said about the 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:03.120 need in order to improve the emergency management in the island. 00:23:03.120 --> 00:23:09.360 You know, we have an experience that we can learn from this. 00:23:09.360 --> 00:23:15.440 So where we go from here is what I would like to, you know, 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:18.119 keep on discussing. 00:23:19.075 --> 00:23:24.079 - I think it’s a really important point. Jennifer, you put yourself off mute. 00:23:24.080 --> 00:23:25.360 Did you have something you wanted to say? 00:23:25.360 --> 00:23:29.600 - Yes. Yeah, I was just – wanted to follow up a little bit on what Lorna 00:23:29.600 --> 00:23:34.560 was saying and highlight, you know, also what we were – what I was arguing 00:23:34.560 --> 00:23:40.079 or pretty much trying to move forward with our discussion. 00:23:40.080 --> 00:23:44.799 And it’s that, you know, in many ways, we’ve been very focused on events 00:23:44.801 --> 00:23:51.068 and not on how we respond to disasters, to emergencies, overall. 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:56.639 And we have to understand that context in which that takes place. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:01.036 Because so far, what we’ve been doing is very much focused on events … 00:24:01.080 --> 00:24:03.680 - Exactly. - … not just locally, 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:08.400 but as researchers in general. And, you know, we’re really 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:14.640 challenging the core of the field of disaster research when we talk about 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:22.479 pretty much these processes that extend beyond what we define as events. 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:28.559 But it’s a must because it’s really what climate change is forcing us to do. 00:24:28.560 --> 00:24:31.840 We’re really talking about the stability of our systems and the 00:24:31.840 --> 00:24:36.319 capacity of our system of absorb increasing demands, 00:24:36.320 --> 00:24:42.198 and we’re really not, you know, focused on events, per se. 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:47.120 - That is such an important point around these concurrent disasters 00:24:47.120 --> 00:24:50.720 that are going on. And, as you say, we’re intermixing these cycles. 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:55.200 And then disaster researchers, you know we like these clean, you know, event – 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:59.680 you know, recover, response, early – you know, early recovery, 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:03.120 mitigation cycle, and then preparedness, and then back. 00:25:03.120 --> 00:25:07.040 You know, we like that nice, little circle, right, Jennifer? 00:25:07.040 --> 00:25:10.400 And, unfortunately, in Puerto Rico, it’s just not [laughs] – it’s just 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:14.400 challenging that theoretical framework so much that I think, you know, 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:16.800 we need to look at a different theoretical framework that can 00:25:16.800 --> 00:25:19.440 incorporate all of that. So thank you so much. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.480 Liz, you’ve got your hand raised and unmuted. 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:25.040 - Yep. Yeah. I guess I wanted to hop in. And this kind of goes back to what 00:25:25.040 --> 00:25:28.479 Pablo was saying as well as Lorna and Jennifer. 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:32.800 I think, yes, we do need to have that centralized, but one thing we don’t have 00:25:32.800 --> 00:25:35.680 here on the island – and maybe I should be – we should include 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:38.240 the Virgin Islands as well. Because they are our neighbors. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.440 And the Dominican Republic. Is what we really should be having 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:44.560 on the local level is having, like, some kind of database, 00:25:44.560 --> 00:25:49.920 either at UPR or somewhere here that we say, okay, if we have – 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:53.279 need someone that’s a landslide expert, here’s somebody to call. 00:25:53.280 --> 00:25:57.040 And so we have that database, and they have that all as colleagues, 00:25:57.040 --> 00:26:00.719 and then we can all support each other much more easily. 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:04.319 And, to my knowledge, that currently does not exist. 00:26:04.320 --> 00:26:07.520 And I think, from the theme from this, I think it does need to exist, 00:26:07.520 --> 00:26:10.480 especially after – with what’s happening in Soufriere. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.760 Thankfully, I know I could call Lizzette, who is our department head 00:26:13.760 --> 00:26:17.199 and volcanologist, to explain what’s going on. 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:22.639 But I think we need to have that database ready for future events. 00:26:23.411 --> 00:26:25.840 And I think the other issue is with our emergency management. 00:26:25.840 --> 00:26:28.879 Because it’s very political. Every election cycle, 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:33.600 we have new people in office. And so we have to start training them 00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:37.600 with basic, what are earthquakes, what are tsunamis, why should 00:26:37.600 --> 00:26:40.400 we care about this. And people will remember 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:43.920 the event from this 6.4, but then they say the largest, 00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:48.879 but it wasn’t the largest. We had a 6.4 in 2014. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:51.520 Nobody cared about it because it didn’t impact people. 00:26:51.520 --> 00:26:56.239 So it’s the largest impactful event since 1918. 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:00.720 And I think that’s our issue is that we have events that, if it doesn’t impact us 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:04.080 directly, people will forget about them, even a few years later. 00:27:04.080 --> 00:27:08.560 And so I think that’s something we have to keep in mind of not only the public, 00:27:08.560 --> 00:27:13.568 but our government, especially given current budget issues. [laughs] 00:27:13.568 --> 00:27:15.279 - Absolutely. 00:27:15.280 --> 00:27:18.310 Leila, you have your hand raised. Did you want to unmute? 00:27:18.342 --> 00:27:22.479 - Yeah. Yeah. So two things. 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:26.000 So number one, I love this idea of having – of having kind of a database, 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:29.920 right, of people you can contact. And I think it would be phenomenal 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:34.880 to have a – sort of a – as a separate, but potentially attached, sort of a thing 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:39.760 to have lists of people and groups who do science communication, right, 00:27:39.760 --> 00:27:43.520 but that are not official government entities – that sort of thing, right? 00:27:43.520 --> 00:27:47.760 And so not just so that they can be contacted to then start farming out 00:27:47.760 --> 00:27:52.640 information, but so that there is that contact between groups and so that 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:56.640 the information that’s going out to the public is not, you know, 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:00.320 completely uniform, but at least we’re all on the same page about 00:28:00.320 --> 00:28:04.000 what it is that we’re doing and that that includes people who are doing this 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:10.480 in a more casual sort of way, right, whether that is geology students at the 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.760 undergrad or graduate level who are talking to their friends and family, 00:28:13.760 --> 00:28:18.080 whether that is entities like the Geology Project, who are talking to 00:28:18.080 --> 00:28:21.280 their friends and family, and then the larger public also 00:28:21.280 --> 00:28:25.440 within our – within our following. I personally don’t think we need to 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:29.920 be part of anything super official because that’s not who we are, right? 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:35.119 But I think it is important to have that – to also have that separate sort of list 00:28:35.120 --> 00:28:38.800 of people to go to to know that this is kind of the informal way 00:28:38.800 --> 00:28:42.239 of continuing to get information out there. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:46.159 And then, kind of tied in with that, and tied in with what Lorna was saying, 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:49.760 we have had a lot of conversations in the last year or so about 00:28:49.760 --> 00:28:53.440 this aggregate effort. So thinking particularly about the 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:57.600 GSA session last fall, a lot of us who were – who were talking about science 00:28:57.600 --> 00:29:00.960 communication and science education were talking about this aggregate effort 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:04.800 and the fact that we can’t do it by ourselves, that, especially outside 00:29:04.800 --> 00:29:09.120 of that – like, that crisis moment, right, where you go back to – 00:29:09.120 --> 00:29:12.640 you can’t always be all-hands-on-deck. There’s just no way to do that – 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:15.600 not sustainably. And so we’ve so many conversations 00:29:15.600 --> 00:29:21.440 about this aggregate effort, and I would love to see that formalized in some way, 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:26.960 right – some discussion or some meeting or something about what it is 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.600 that we all – that we sort of learned out of these things, right? 00:29:29.600 --> 00:29:33.840 Because there are some very common themes that I keep seeing in our work, 00:29:33.840 --> 00:29:36.160 in the work that other people have done, the other things that people 00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:40.320 have realized. And we’re all talking about them, and we’re all sort of 00:29:40.320 --> 00:29:43.360 aware of them, but we’re not sharing that information with one another, 00:29:43.360 --> 00:29:45.840 necessarily, and having real conversations about it. 00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:48.320 Like, okay, here is what absolutely worked. 00:29:48.320 --> 00:29:52.079 And here is something we can try next time. 00:29:52.080 --> 00:29:57.365 So I would love to see us formalize that aggregate effort. 00:29:57.384 --> 00:30:01.679 - I think that’s a really important point, Leila. Thank you so, so much. 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:04.240 We’re going to have one more question. It’s from Gavin Hayes. 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:08.000 But, before we do, I just also wanted to acknowledge Christa von Hillebrandt- 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:12.079 Andrade, who is making some fantastic comments in the chat. 00:30:12.080 --> 00:30:14.240 For those of you who don’t know Christa, and I don’t know how 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:18.479 you cannot, because she is such a powerhouse in this field, 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:21.520 Christa is the tsunami program manager for the Caribbean. 00:30:21.520 --> 00:30:26.720 And I just do want to say a large part of the communication effort came from 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:31.280 Christa, as well, during this response. And we owe Christa an absolute debt 00:30:31.280 --> 00:30:35.840 of gratitude for her work in – her constant work in Puerto Rico 00:30:35.840 --> 00:30:39.200 and in the islands in these topics. So, thank you so much, Christa. 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.440 So I’m going to give Gavin Hayes the last comment. 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:47.359 It is for Liz, but I think it’s something that maybe all of us could address, 00:30:47.360 --> 00:30:50.799 particularly Pablo for, you know, working for an agency as well. 00:30:50.800 --> 00:30:56.400 And that’s, Elizabeth, or Liz, did you have – did Red Sísmica 00:30:56.400 --> 00:31:00.615 have an employee specifically devoted to social media outreach? 00:31:00.650 --> 00:31:04.559 - I can tell you that answer right now, is no. And we still don’t. 00:31:04.560 --> 00:31:07.200 We don’t have the budget. To put things in perspective, 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:11.440 for 3 million people on the island, we have three education outreach 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:14.960 people, one of which is based on the NTHMP project, 00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:18.080 which is for tsunami hazard mitigation. 00:31:18.080 --> 00:31:22.560 And that’s two people, not only to do in-person talks, to do – make all 00:31:22.560 --> 00:31:25.920 the social media posts, make all the videos. They also make content. 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:29.440 They’re making a earthquake and tsunami curriculum 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:32.719 for the island right now. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:37.679 So that and some students. So, when it comes to social media, 00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:42.799 I’ll do it. Gisela will do it. Our technical – our IT people will do it. 00:31:42.800 --> 00:31:48.719 Basically whoever is around at that time to do it will do it. 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:53.520 And it’s something that we know is an issue, but it’s not something 00:31:53.520 --> 00:31:59.000 we can address without a budget for it, unfortunately. [laughs] 00:32:00.096 --> 00:32:06.240 - And that’s a critical point, right, is the resources and people able to do this. 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:10.080 Pablo, did you have any thoughts on this particular issue around 00:32:10.080 --> 00:32:14.000 social media and resourcing? - My only thought is related to 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:16.800 my previous comment, and this is going to be quick. 00:32:16.800 --> 00:32:20.800 I actually propose that we keep meeting somehow. 00:32:20.800 --> 00:32:24.319 That we – yes, seriously, in the near future. 00:32:24.320 --> 00:32:28.720 And I just put down a name in Spanish that I just figured it could be something 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:34.320 that we can work with and improve it. It’s to develop a coalition of specialists 00:32:34.320 --> 00:32:37.760 in geoscience and emergency management or something like that. 00:32:37.760 --> 00:32:42.640 I think that that is incredibly needed. And it would make the life 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:47.840 of journalists, politicians, and the general public – I mean, especially, 00:32:47.840 --> 00:32:54.639 a lot easier, hopefully, if we know who is doing what and where that person is. 00:32:54.640 --> 00:33:00.320 As a federal government employee, I do have some leeway, and I do have 00:33:00.320 --> 00:33:03.760 a great support from my agency in terms of outreach, but that is 00:33:03.760 --> 00:33:09.359 related to my position. I’m a – I’m a specialist in education. 00:33:09.360 --> 00:33:12.559 My colleagues that are not doing education or outreach, 00:33:12.560 --> 00:33:18.960 or even research, I am doing some. They may not have the time to commit 00:33:18.960 --> 00:33:24.720 to this as a – as an employee, but probably as a – at a personal level. 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:29.440 And that’s how I was involved in the projects in the southwest part of the 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:33.280 island, at the personal level, essentially, with some support from the agency. 00:33:33.280 --> 00:33:38.560 So, having that database, like Liz says, or if the USGS can help us 00:33:38.560 --> 00:33:42.240 doing a survey of specialists in the island, I think that that 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.535 would be a great beginning, in my opinion. 00:33:45.536 --> 00:33:49.760 - Thank you. And Andy Michael put a challenge for us in the chat, 00:33:49.760 --> 00:33:53.200 which is to – he said that he would love to see this group publish a paper 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.519 in SRL about this experience and the need for combined efforts. 00:33:57.521 --> 00:34:02.764 So whoever wants to be first author, it’s on the table for you to take. [laughs] 00:34:02.801 --> 00:34:03.920 It’s not going to be me. - Well, I was going to say, 00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:07.200 maybe the BSSA. Because there is the special issue 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:11.759 on August 1st – or, August 15th that … - Yes. 00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:16.400 So that’s a challenge for whoever wants to step up and write a paper 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:21.520 about – Andy says, go for it. Does that mean Andy also wants to 00:34:21.520 --> 00:34:27.161 do it, too, is that – [laughs] Andy, are you also putting yourself on there? 00:34:27.197 --> 00:34:32.880 - You have a task, Sara. - [laughs] It is 12:30. 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:36.560 We’re now two hours into our seminar. And usually we do – we do wrap it up 00:34:36.560 --> 00:34:41.360 way before this, but I have enjoyed so much listening to all of your 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:46.000 incredible insights and the work that you have done on behalf of the 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:50.880 people of Puerto Rico. Exceptional, exceptional work, everybody. 00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:56.005 So I think I’m going to end it here unless anyone has any objections. 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:03.999 No? All right. Hey, thank you, everyone. And one last clap for a marathon effort 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:06.480 from our panelists and the Q-and-A. [clapping] 00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:09.494 Thank you so much for being here today, all of our – 00:35:09.494 --> 00:35:13.357 all of our guests and visitors. Thanks, everybody. 00:35:13.357 --> 00:35:16.560 - I just wanted to come on and say thank you. I learned so much at the 00:35:16.560 --> 00:35:21.359 GSA session. I quizzed a bunch of you last week at SSA and learned more. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:26.160 And really just appreciate having this extended time just to focus on this topic. 00:35:26.160 --> 00:35:28.320 Just really appreciate the effort you put into it. 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:33.200 And, I mean, until very recently, had over 30 or 40 people still listening. 00:35:33.200 --> 00:35:37.906 So this was – I mean, people really stuck with it. It was great. 00:35:37.946 --> 00:35:41.398 - Thanks for having us. [laughs] - Thank you. Thanks for having us.