California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)

UCSD is one of the four UC campuses that participate in the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS_2009). This program exposes talented and motivated high-school students to mathematics and science to encourage them to continue their education in science and engineering. In summer 2009, Benson Shing, PI of the NEESR project and Andreas Stavridis, the graduate research assistant, together with graduate research assistant Gabriele Guerrini and seismologist Kevin Robinson of San Diego State University, offered a four-week course titled “Earthquakes in Action” to twenty two of these students. This course exposed the students to the geophysical aspects of earthquake ground shaking and the fundamentals of earthquake engineering, including earthquake resistance design and analysis. The course emphasized the relation and important role of mathematics and physics to earthquake engineering. The program consisted of lectures, computer exercises, hands-on laboratory experiments, videos, field trips, and final projects. The engineering aspect covered the basic concepts of differential calculus, vibration analysis, characteristics of earthquake ground motions, base isolation, and earthquake resistance structural systems. Laboratory experiments included the testing of model frames using bench-top shake tables. One of the final projects focused on the performance and seismic strengthening of unreinforced masonry structures. The goal of this course is to have students understand the importance and challenge of earthquake engineering and how basic science and mathematics can be used to solve real-life problems.