CAREER: Integrated Program of Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Mechanics and Physics of Earthquakes

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-----Abstract, Nadia LapustaStudies of earthquake source processes involve geophysics, mechanics, scientific computing, materials science, applied physics, engineering, applied mathematics, and other subjects. This project is designed to take advantage of this multidisciplinary nature to achieve two interconnected goals: (I) To prepare broadly educated researchers capable of collaborating across disciplines and communicating their results to a broader community, and (II) To advance our understanding of earthquake source processes through interdisciplinary approach to earthquake modeling that takes into account experimental studies, field observations, and analytical models of the underlying phenomena. The PI aims to (1) Develop, based on physical theories and laboratory experiments, constitutive laws for frictional processes relevant to earthquake phenomena; (2) Formulate realistic fault models based on those laws; (3) Simulate spontaneous fault behavior in the developed models, to identify factors and parameter ranges responsible for observed behavior of dynamic ruptures and aseismic slip; (4) Create a multidisciplinary learning environment through (a) development of a research-based course on dynamic fracture and frictional faulting that combines cutting-edge geophysical and engineering knowledge relevant to earthquake studies, and (b) involvement of graduate and undergraduate students from different disciplines in the proposed research; (5) Reach out to a broader community by visiting science classrooms in neighboring public schools that serve mostly underrepresented minorities and giving presentations about earthquake studies and scientific discovery to help high-school students learn more about what scientists do and motivate them to pursue careers in science and engineering. Improved constitutive laws and earthquake models introduced as a result of this project would provide physically and experimentally based alternatives for analyzing and interpreting seismic and geodetic data. The proposed studies will lead to better understanding of interseismic behavior, earthquake nucleation, and dynamic rupture propagation that is essential for proper seismic hazard planning.