There aren’t many natural disasters that Oregonians consider an immediate threat – perhaps the occasional earthquake or flood.
A tsunami? Maybe not.
But Oregon State University professor Dan Cox might change that at tonight’s Science Pub, a Portland-based speech series that visits Eugene each month. The event will take place at the Luna jazz club, located at 30 E. Broadway in downtown Eugene.
Cox’s presentation, titled “Go Up Or Get Out? What Will We Do When the Tsunami Hits Oregon?,” will explore a possibility he says is more real than some people might think.
“It’s important to Oregon,” Cox said. “Even if you don’t live on the coast, it’s something you need to know about.”
Cox said there’s about a 14 percent chance of the Cascadia Subduction Zone – a massive fault between northern California and British Columbia – shifting and causing an earthquake in the next 50 years. That could leave about a half hour before a tsunami reached the Oregon coast, he said.
“Only recently we’ve realized the threat of a near-field tsunami that will come in about 30 minutes, and we have to think of new ways to get people out of harm’s way,” Cox said. “In some sense, we’re playing catch-up.”
The Science Pub began in Portland in August 2005, and came to Eugene last June. The program is jointly sponsored by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the University and the Science Factory. Sara Mason, an associate director of development in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the Science Pub has been well-received in Eugene and creates greater visibility for local scientific research.
And the event provides the unique opportunity of attending a scientific discussion while having a drink – a relaxed atmosphere that adds to the experience, said OMSI Coordinator of Adult Learning Programs Amanda Thomas.
“I think it really helps make the program. It allows people to learn in a neutral or very informal atmosphere,” she said. “It’s a place where they can have fun.”
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