Speaker: Madeleine Lucas, PhD Student, Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington

Topic: The Cascadia Culture & geoScience Exchange Program: Building Community Resilience through K-12 Earth Science Education  

The Cascadia Culture & geoScience Exchange (CCASE) Program aims to increase resilience to Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis in coastal Washington and Oregon communities, particularly among indigenous groups. With fewer than 1% of Earth Science degrees awarded to Native Americans, CCASE seeks to engage tribal youth in STEM by connecting Earth Science to their cultural values and community needs. By integrating indigenous culture and language into our curriculum and providing mentorship to high school students through our internship program, CCASE aims to support tribal school students in building strong science identities and to inspire Native American youth to pursue Earth Science careers. Our mission is to develop long-lasting and impactful education partnerships with schools affected by Cascadia earthquake and tsunami hazards towards collectively increasing community resilience to these hazards.