Kate Hutton facts for kids

Kate Hutton is a famous scientist known as the Earthquake Lady. People also called her Dr. Kate or Earthquake Kate. She was a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. For 37 years, she watched over earthquake activity in Southern California.

About Kate Hutton

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

Education and Studies

Kate Hutton earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), in astronomy from Pennsylvania State University in 1971. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. There, she received her Master of Science (M.S.) degree in astronomy in 1973. She then completed her Ph.D. in astronomy in 1976.

Her Work as a Scientist

After finishing her Ph.D., Kate Hutton found that there were not many jobs available in astronomy. So, she decided to change her career path. She felt that astronomy and seismology were similar fields. She explained that "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. Over time, she became a senior seismologist. In this role, she was in charge of running Caltech's program for measuring earthquakes. She also did her own research on earthquakes.

Earthquake Research and Safety

Kate Hutton's research in seismology included studying how to measure the strength of earthquakes. She also looked at seismotectonics, which is about how earthquakes relate to the Earth's structure. She helped develop the Southern California Seismic Network, which is a system that monitors earthquakes.

One important project she worked on was improving the "earthquake catalog." This is a huge list of over 400,000 earthquakes recorded in Southern California since 1932. She helped make this list more accurate and consistent.

Hutton also helped create programs to make people safer during earthquakes. One example is the statewide Earthquake Early Warning System. This system can give people a short warning before an earthquake hits. This early notice can help reduce injuries and damage.

Kate Hutton retired from her work at 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 appeared with her colleague, Dr. Lucy Jones, from the United States Geological Survey.

Kate Hutton was highly valued at Caltech because she could explain difficult science topics clearly. News organizations from around the world, including Japan, Korea, Sweden, and France, asked her to explain earthquakes. She was known for being calm and careful when talking about earthquake science.

Hobbies and Interests

Kate Hutton is a licensed amateur radio operator, also known as a ham radio operator. She has been involved with events like the Palm Springs Hamfest. She also helps manage traffic for the Los Angeles Section of the American Radio Relay League. This group is a national association for amateur radio enthusiasts.

Hutton was a science consultant for the 1990 movie Tremors, which starred Kevin Bacon. She also appeared in a 1981 documentary-movie called The Man Who Saw Tomorrow.