By Dennis Walikainen, Michigan Tech Senior Editor
HOUGHTON -- Last week's destruction in Haiti resulted from a huge earthquake near a susceptible population. The increased number of residents living in hazardous places around the world is the motivation behind a unique graduate program at Michigan Technological University.
"We try to reduce vulnerability," says Bill Rose, professor of petrology and director of Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International Program (PCMI) in Natural Hazards Mitigation. "We can tell people what may happen, and we can help save lives; we increase awareness and the ability for people to save themselves."
The three-year master’s degree program includes a two-year field experience abroad. There, communication is key.
Rose stresses the importance of talking to people in local schools and government agencies before natural disasters occur. In addition to earthquakes, student volunteers in the program address volcanoes, floods, landslides and droughts.
They can help by aiding in "community-level natural hazard education," according to John Lyons, currently a PhD candidate at Michigan Tech who participated in the PCMI program in Guatemala. Although better known for its volcanic hazards, Guatemala is home to numerous earthquakes, says Lyons.
"They had no education or planning," Lyons recalls. "So we went through the basics with the teachers first, teaching them how earthquakes occur and what to do in the event of an earthquake. Then we taught their students about earthquakes and ran the schools’ first earthquake drills." Read the rest of this article on the Michigan Tech News ...
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