On this episode we're joined by Leland O'Driscoll, Director of the Oregon Hazards Lab, or OHAZ. He discusses his work with the OHAZ Lab and how OHAZ monitors natural hazards across Oregon, from earthquakes to wildfires, and explains how early warning tools like ShakeAlert and other monitoring technologies support community preparedness strategies. O'Driscoll also highlights OHAZ's partnerships with communities and UO, the role of student workers in OHAZ's mission, and what the future holds for hazard monitoring and disaster readiness.

Topics

• What happens in the Oregon Hazards Lab? [00:19]
• ShakeAlert and OHAZ [2:34]
• Inside earthquake early warning technology [3:08]
• Tracking wildfires across Oregon [4:45]
• The tech powering OHAZ's monitoring systems [6:35]
• Working with communities and student workers [10:22]
• What's next for OHAZ [15:35]
• Tips and Lessons for preparing for natural disasters [17:07]

Guest

• Leland O'Driscoll, Director of the Oregon Hazards Lab

Resources

• Oregon Hazards Lab (OHAZ), explore research and data on natural hazards across Oregon.
• Watch Duty wildfire maps and alerts, track wildfire activity and receive timely updates.
• Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, monitor earthquake activity across the Pacific Northwest.
• ShakeAlert, get early warnings to help you act before an earthquake strikes.
• AlertWest, receive emergency notifications and alerts for hazards in your area.

Quotes

• "Through the use of the speed of data transfer and then how slow earthquakes move, we can use that offset in time to capture an earthquake activity immediately and accurately measure its size, and then produce a warning saying, 'Hey, an earthquake has happened. We've calculated and we've verified it. An earthquake has happened and it's coming your way.'" [3:36]
• "But the key thing is really finding the combination of radio-use case, cellular networks, local-connected internet, and satellite, and kind of stitching that together with this resilient system." [10:10]
• "We really value the role of our undergraduate students specifically. You know, we have the chance to give a lot of hands-on training. And between the work we do in the lab to prepare equipment, to do manufacturing and fabrication, to data crunching, to outreach and content generation." [11:21]
• "It's always worth noting; yes, we're exposed to risk. But that risk means there's this underlying Earth's structure and composition and biosphere that we love to be within. So kind of embracing that, the beauty and awe of the nature we live in, is really the key thing. We want that, and it's worth living in the risk of the environment that results." [18:12]

Listen to more episodes and explore the Oregon Podcast Network at news.uoregon.edu/podcasts