Combining 3D printing and virtual reality goggles in outreach and communication events

Christodoulos Kyriakopoulos, & David D. Oglesby

Published August 15, 2018, SCEC Contribution #8829, 2018 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #316

Earthquake scientists face a significant challenge in explaining their work to non-experts and the general public. For most non-experts the physical processes behind the generation of earthquakes remain something mysterious and difficult to visualize. Here we present a number of outreach and educational activities performed using a collection of 3D printed physical displays specifically generated to better elucidate the complexity of earthquake faults. The centerpiece of our collection is a 5-foot-long 3D printed model of the most major California faults based on UCERF3 (Field et al., 2013). The activities include the 2017 Great California ShakeOut drill, a variety of departmental visits and lab tours, and a field hearing of the house of representatives discussing the reauthorization of NEHRP. Finally, we are also working towards the extension of our outreach and educational activities to include the use of Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, adding a new technological dimension to our work.

Citation
Kyriakopoulos, C., & Oglesby, D. D. (2018, 08). Combining 3D printing and virtual reality goggles in outreach and communication events . Poster Presentation at 2018 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Communication, Education, and Outreach (CEO)