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Toward Developing Local, Impactful Earthquake Science Projects With Community Engagement

Description: 

The Community-driven Inclusive Excellence and Leadership Opportunities in the Geosciences (CIELO-G) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, is now in its third year of developing local research projects and promoting community engagement and partnerships in the geosciences. Based at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), CIELO-G is designed to transform geoscience by creating sustainable connections between academia and the diverse communities of the Paso del Norte region. The program supports graduate students and postdoctoral researchers addressing climate science and Earth system challenges, while partnering with local educators, nonprofit organizations, and community members to foster inclusive geoscience learning. CIELO-G is structured around the Collective Impact model, which emphasizes cross-sector collaboration, shared measurement, and continuous communication. Each year, CIELO-G forms interdisciplinary cohorts composed of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, high school and community college educators, faculty mentors, and local partners. These teams collaboratively design and implement both research and outreach projects that reflect community needs, scientific relevance, and a commitment to geoscience engagement. Projects span a range of activities, including field-based geoscience research, curriculum development, neighborhood-based science events, and climate resilience initiatives. We highlight two seismology related projects: 1) a local seismic network of Raspberry Shake seismometers in local classrooms, homes, and community centers across El Paso to educate the public on earthquake science and collect valuable seismic data to enhance local seismic monitoring; and 2) a Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) project to create high-resolution shallow subsurface images in the El Paso, TX region to study the East Franklin’s Mountain fault, as this is a major hazard, and also to understand ground water recharge. Finally, we have leveraged and promoted the Great ShakeOut, with a participation of over 83,000 local residents, mainly school children.

Session: Seismology for All: Expanding STEM Education Through Accessible Tools and Global Collaboration - I

Type: Oral

Date: 4/15/2026

Presentation Time: 05:00 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Aaron A. Velasco

Student Presenter: No

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