Shake It Up: USU's Science Unwrapped Tackles Earthquakes Friday, April 10

You can see dark clouds forming in the distance and prepare for a storm. Hurricane forecasters can pinpoint disturbances over oceans, track their movements and predict where and when they might strike land. Not so with earthquakes, says Utah State University geophysicist Srisharan Shreedharan — at least not yet.

Shreedharan, assistant professor of geomechanics and geophysics in USU’s Department of Geosciences, and his students make tiny earthquakes or “labquakes” using his innovative “earthquake machines.” At USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program on Friday, April 10, he and master’s student Lindsey Broderick will share what they’re learning and how their efforts could improve earthquake forecasting broadly, and closer to home, along the Wasatch Fault Zone in Utah.

Shreedharan and Broderick will present “Earthquakes: Predicting the Unpredictable” at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center Emert Auditorium, Room ESLC 130, on the Logan campus.

All ages are invited to the free gathering, hosted by USU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

During the presentation, Shreedharan and Broderick will use the Wooclap audience engagement mobile application and invite the Science Unwrapped audience to join in answering quiz questions during the interactive talk. The Wooclap event code is “EARTHQUAKES,” and posters with a QR code participation link will be posted in the auditorium.

Hands-on learning activities led by USU student groups and community volunteers, along with refreshments, will follow the half-hour presentation. In addition, this spring’s series features research posters by USU graduate students.

“Our April 10 event is the final gathering of our Spring 2026 Celebrate Grad Student Research series,” says Brynja Kohler, Science Unwrapped chair, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. “We’re excited to have Dr. Shreedharan and his student Lindsey tell us about the research they’re conducting about earthquakes, which are a big concern here in the Intermountain West.”

Shreedharan and Broderick’s presentation will be video-recorded and posted on the Science Unwrapped website following the in-person event.

Science Unwrapped will take a summer break following the April 10 event and will return in September 2026 with the new series “InterPLAY of Art and Science.”

Directions and parking information are available on the program’s website. Parking for the event is free in the Aggie Parking Terrace at 700 E. 600 North, and in the Big Blue Parking Terrace at 850 E. 700 North. Motorists parking in these locations do not need to use the USU mobile parking application.

For more information, call 435-797-3517 or visit the Science Unwrapped website.