Kate Hutton facts for kids

Kate Hutton is a famous scientist known as the Earthquake Lady. She worked at the California Institute of Technology in California for 37 years. Her job was to watch and study earthquakes in Southern California. People also called her Dr. Kate or Earthquake Kate.

Early Life and Education

As Kate Hutton grew up, her family lived in many different states. They also spent six years living in Taiwan. She was very interested in all kinds of natural sciences. She decided to focus her studies on math and science. When she was a teenager, Kate was an amateur astronomer. This means she enjoyed studying stars and planets as a hobby.

Kate earned her first degree in astronomy from Pennsylvania State University in 1971. Later, she received two more degrees in astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park. She got her master's degree in 1973 and her Ph.D. in 1976.

Career in Seismology

After finishing her studies, Kate Hutton found it hard to find jobs in astronomy. So, she decided to change her career path. She felt that astronomy and seismology were quite similar. Astronomy looks at space, while seismology looks at Earth. She said, "Earth is a planet, after all, so it's sort of a matter of looking down rather than looking up."

In 1977, she started working at Caltech's seismology lab. She began as a data analyst. This means she helped organize and understand information. Over time, she became a senior seismologist. She was in charge of Caltech's program that measures earthquakes. She also did her own research.

Studying Earthquakes

Kate Hutton's research focused on several important areas in seismology. She studied how to measure the size of earthquakes. She also looked at seismotectonics. This is the study of how earthquakes relate to the movement of Earth's crust. She helped develop the Southern California Seismic Network. This is a system of sensors that detect earthquakes.

One big project Kate worked on was improving the "earthquake catalog." This is a huge list of over 400,000 earthquakes. These quakes have been recorded in Southern California since 1932. She helped make sure the information in this list was correct and consistent.

Kate also helped create programs to keep people safe from earthquakes. One important program was the statewide Earthquake Early Warning System. This system can give people a short notice before an earthquake hits. This early warning can help reduce injuries and damage. Kate Hutton retired from Caltech on January 30, 2015.

Sharing Knowledge with the Public

Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, Kate Hutton often appeared in the news. She would explain recent earthquakes to the public. Sometimes she worked with her colleague, Dr. Lucy Jones, from the United States Geological Survey. Kate was very good at explaining difficult science topics clearly. This made her highly valued at Caltech.

News organizations from around the world, like Japan, Korea, Sweden, and France, also asked for her explanations. People trusted her to give calm and clear information about earthquakes.

Hobbies and Interests

Kate Hutton enjoys amateur radio, also known as ham radio. She has been involved with events for ham radio enthusiasts. She also helps manage the Los Angeles Section of the American Radio Relay League. This group is a national association for amateur radio operators.

Kate Hutton also worked as a consulting seismologist for the 1990 movie Tremors. This was a monster movie starring Kevin Bacon. She also appeared in a documentary movie in 1981 called The Man Who Saw Tomorrow.