K-12 Education
PEER teams with the NEES@Berkeley Laboratory to run a K-12 outreach program aimed at fostering enthusiasm in the science of earthquakes and earthquake engineering. Through various programs, PEER has reached out to elementary and high school students to expose them to earthquakes in a hands-on, interactive, and exciting environment. Utilizing many mediums and methods helps to activate their interest in this field of science while developing their curiosity and encouraging creativity.
PEER has access to shaking tables and earthquake simulators at laboratories associated with many of our core institutions/universities, including the NEES@Berkeley Laboratory at UC Berkeley. This gives students participating in PEER K-12 programs the unique opportunity to design their own structures from simple materials like Lego or k'Nex then have them tested on an earthquake simulator to see how they perform. Interactive programs like these make science tangible and exciting for K-12 students.
Interested in starting your own earthquake engineering program for youth?
Our Full Lesson Set is available with curriculum and a material list for making your own shake tables:
Download Full Lesson Set (.ZIP file - 105 MB)
- Earthquake Engineering 4th Grade Teacher Workshop
- 2013-2014 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2012-2013 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2011-2012 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2010-2011 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2009-2010 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2008-2009 K-12 Outreach Program at UC Berkeley
- 2001 Learning with LEGO at UC Irvine
- Follow-up Activities, Worksheets and Project Ideas For Teachers