Science and policy of natural hazards

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

This course examines the science of natural catastrophes such as earthquakes and hurricanes and explores the relationships between the science of and policy toward such hazards. It presents the causes and effects of these phenomena, discusses their predictability, and examines how this knowledge influences policy making. This course includes intensive practice in the writing and presentation of scientific research and summaries for policy makers.

Four categories of hazards were investigated in this class, as part of the following modules:

Module 1 (8 classes): Earthquakes
Module 2 (9 classes): Hurricanes
Module 3 (9 classes): Volcanoes
Module 4 (8 classes): Tornadoes and severe weather

The following aspects of each hazard category (when applicable) were addressed:

The term project has two primary purposes: to demonstrate that you have acquired some of the scientific skills needed to understand natural hazards and provide useful information to professionals charged with developing policies and handling emergencies related to natural hazards, and to demonstrate that you are skillful in communicating scientific information. To this end, students were asked to provide a comprehensive assessment of a particular hazard at a particular location.

Don't show me this again

This is one of over 2,200 courses on OCW. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free & open publication of material from thousands of MIT courses, covering the entire MIT curriculum.

No enrollment or registration. Freely browse and use OCW materials at your own pace. There's no signup, and no start or end dates.

Knowledge is your reward. Use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or to teach others. We don't offer credit or certification for using OCW.

Made for sharing. Download files for later. Send to friends and colleagues. Modify, remix, and reuse (just remember to cite OCW as the source.)

Learn more at Get Started with MIT OpenCourseWare