Seismometer Deployment in Bay of Plenty Schools

March 2021 saw the deployment of seismometers in Bay of Plenty Schools. Four RaspberryShake seismometers have been installed in Rotorua Primary School, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu, Mokoia Intermediate School, and Matatā Public School.

The deployment involved hands-on activities with the school children to capture their interest in Earth science, engineering, and community resilience. A team from Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, University of Canterbury, and GNS Science collaborated on the deployment and education outreach events held on 16 & 17 March 2021.

During the sessions, geophysicist El Mestel encouraged students: “Science is about looking at the world and asking questions”.

One student from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu asked: “Matua he hononga I te ru nui I Turanga nui a Kiwa ki te ru nui I Rangitahuahua?” Is there a connection between the (5 March 2021) earthquakes in Gisborne and Kermadec Islands?

The aims of the outreach are to increase knowledge about earthquakes, tsunami and protective behaviour, to encourage interest in the role of science in understanding the environment, to show pathways to future education and careers, and to capture the curiosity of students, staff, and community.

The deployment in the four schools is part of a nation-wide Seismometers in Schools Initiative using citizen-science seismometers.

This engagement is supported by ECLIPSE, QuakeCoRE, and the Resilience to Natures Challenges (RNC) National Science Challenge.