Selling earthquake engineering to young people

Last year's Indian Ocean tsunami was a tragic reminder of the destructive power of earthquakes and of the continuing need for scientists, engineers and technologists to help protect society from their effects. This paper reports on the development of a UK-designed challenge project aimed at raising awareness among young people worldwide of the global importance of earthquake engineering skills. Since the project's launch in 2000, over 1400 school and university students have taken part—including hundreds in Japan and Taiwan—and take-up continues to rise. The project is a valuable promotional tool for the engineering profession and serves as a model for any engineers planning extra-curricular projects for local schools and colleges.