A school seismometer network and community science program
SchoolShake is run by seismologists at the University of Victoria and the Geological Survey of Canada, in partnership with the Hakai Institute. The project is funded by the University of Victoria, the Hakai Institute, the Geological Survey of Canada, and other external donors. SchoolShake involves no cost for participating Schools.
Each participating school will receive a miniaturized Raspberry Shake (RS) seismometer and a display.
Displays of the live seismometer feeds and related educational tools and outreach are used to engage schoolchildren in geoscience. During the Pilot Project in 2022-2023, only the Raspberry Shake and links to view the live waveforms and events are provided. Displays and tailored education and outreach materials will be provided when the program officially begins.
Real-time waveforms from all Raspberry Shakes in the network and nearby national seismic stations, together with epicenters of local earthquakes as they are detected and located, are illustrated on a simple web interface available to the Schools and the general public.
The Raspberry Shake will stream data securely and in real-time to our SchoolShake server, which runs a modern, observatory grade earthquake processing and analysis software.
Students
Students will see first-hand how their SchoolShake instruments detect and locate earthquakes, discover the forces that shape our mountains and learn how to prepare for an earthquake or tsunami.
Researchers
Seismologists will use the improved earthquake detection threshold to characterize poorly-understood crustal faults thought to underlie Vancouver Island.
Society
Researchers will also gain vital records of ground shaking in the event of any sizeable local earthquake. SchoolShake will contribute towards improving seismic hazard assessments.
Meet the team
Ed Nissen
Ed is a Professor and Canada Research Chair at UVic, who studies earthquakes using satellite and drone imagery while drinking copious quantities of tea.
Andrew Schaeffer
Andrew is a Research Scientist in Seismology at Geological Survey of Canada and Adjunct Professor at UVic.
Camille Brillon
Camille is a Physical Scientist in Seismology at the Geological Survey of Canada and a Research Associate at UVic.
Students
Élyse Gaudreau
Élyse is a PhD candidate at UVic who studies earthquakes that occur on young and inconspicuous fault zones. She helps to manage the SchoolShake website.
Cathryn Hale
Cathryn recently completed their undergraduate degree at UVic which included two co-op work terms in seismology. They also help with the website.
SchoolShake 