Lunchtime Enlightenment with Dr. Lucile M. Jones

This is Matt Carey.  Tuesday last week I had the opportunity to sit in on a lunchtime talk titled "Earth Science in Public Policy: What Society Needs from Scientists".  The talk was given by Dr. "Lucy" Jones, an earthquake specialist, recently retired USGS employee, and serving now as consultant to the mayor of Los Angeles through the formation of the Seismic Safety Commission.  The focus of her talk was on pointing out breakdowns in communication between the general public and science community and the much needed steps for bridging these gaps.  As an expert in earthquakes, she pointed out, her knowledge and research was needed not just within her own community, but for assisting in the future safety of communities living within earthquake prone areas.  This is where the need for effective communication comes in.  She talked about proper ways for sharing information minus the common data and jargon heavy style often spoken within scientific circles.  This was followed by the showing of a humorous video that outlined do's and dont's during tsunami events.  Essentially, don't hang around shore and watch the wave; move to high ground immediately.  This discussion brought a lot of my own personal experiences to mind such as accidentally slipping up and talking (rather, lecturing) dense science in public around a crowd of 100% not interested friends.  The things I study with water quality are important to society and her examples of learning how to relate what I know to others are things I will be putting into action.