Lucy Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lucy Jones
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| Born |
Lucile M. Jones
1955 (age 69–70) Santa Monica, California
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| Nationality | American |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Seismology, Science communication |
| Institutions | US Geological Survey, Seismological Laboratory of Caltech |
Lucile M. Jones (born 1955) is an American seismologist. A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes. Lucy Jones is well-known for explaining earthquake science and safety to the public in California. Many people in Southern California see her as a very trusted expert on earthquakes. She is often asked to share information when earthquakes happen.
Currently, she works as a research associate at the Seismological Laboratory at Caltech. She is also the chief scientist and founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. Before this, she worked at the US Geological Survey (USGS) from 1985 to 2016. At USGS, she researched foreshocks (small earthquakes before a big one) and how to make communities stronger after natural disasters. She also helped create the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. Millions of people around the world take part in these yearly safety drills.
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Understanding Earthquakes: Lucy Jones's Scientific Work
Lucy Jones has written over 100 scientific papers about earthquakes. She is especially interested in how earthquakes work, foreshocks, and how to figure out earthquake risks. She also studies the seismotectonics of Southern California. This means looking at the geological structures that cause earthquakes.
She earned her first degree in Chinese language and literature from Brown University in 1976. Then, she got her Ph.D. in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. In 1979, she visited China to study the 1975 Haicheng earthquake. Chinese officials had seemingly predicted this earthquake by studying its foreshocks. Lucy Jones was one of the first American scientists to visit China after the two countries started working together again.
Helping with Public Safety and Policy
Lucy Jones has also held important roles in earthquake safety. She was a Science Advisor for Risk Reduction for the USGS. She also served as a Commissioner for the California Seismic Safety Commission (CSSC). This group advises the governor and lawmakers on earthquake safety. Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to this role. She also served on the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council.
In 2014, she worked closely with the City of Los Angeles. She was a Seismic Risk Advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti. After leaving the USGS in 2016, she started the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. She also wrote a book in 2018 called The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them). In her book, she looks at major natural disasters like volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. She explores how people have reacted to them to help us survive future crises.
She also spent time at the University of Oregon as the Wayne Morse Chair. There, she gave public talks about preparing for disasters and how scientists can share information better.
Sharing Science with Everyone: Public Outreach
Since 1986, Lucy Jones has given many interviews to the news media. She often explains earthquakes to the public after big events in Southern California. She sometimes worked with another seismologist, Kate Hutton. Tom Jordan, from the Southern California Earthquake Center, once said that Lucy Jones offers a "very calming voice and an authoritative voice" to the public during disasters.
Many people see Lucy Jones as a calm and reassuring voice. This is partly because of an event after the 1992 Joshua Tree earthquake. She answered questions from reporters while holding her sleeping child. In a 2011 interview, she said she didn't ask the press to be quiet for her son. She also mentioned that she felt a bit regretful about becoming a symbol that "women can have it all."
In 2014, Lucy Jones worked directly with Los Angeles City Hall. This helped lead to a plan in September 2015 to strengthen over 15,000 buildings. These buildings were mostly older ones that needed to be made safer against earthquakes.
Talking About Other Crises: COVID-19 and Climate Change
Because she is a respected expert on earthquakes, Lucy Jones has also been asked to comment on other crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic. She believes that during a crisis, people need "one clear message." This helps avoid overwhelming or confusing them. For the COVID-19 pandemic, she said the message was "Don't share your air." This meant wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance from others.
In 2022, Lucy Jones started an initiative called "Tempo: Music for Climate Action." This project brings together climate scientists, social scientists, and musicians. They work together to explore issues related to climate change.
Awards and Recognition
Lucy Jones has received several awards for her work. These include the Alquist Award from the California Earthquake Safety Foundation. She also received the Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievements in Science Communication from the USGS. In 2015, she earned the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. In 2018, she received the Seismological Society of America's Frank Press Public Service Award. In 2024, USA Today named her one of their Women of the Year.
Personal Life and Hobbies
When she was younger, Lucy Jones lived in Taiwan with her uncle, who was an American diplomat. She graduated from the Taipei American School in 1971. Her Chinese name is 章光月.
Lucy Jones is a fourth-generation resident of Southern California. She lives in Pasadena, California. She is married to another seismologist, Egill Hauksson, and they have two sons.
She is also a talented musician and composer. She plays a Renaissance stringed instrument called the viol. She is part of Los Angeles Baroque, a community orchestra. In 2019, Lucy Jones released a music video for a piece she composed called In Nomine Terra Calens. This translates to "In the Name of a Warming Earth." This music shows global temperature data from 1880 to 2017. It highlights how quickly temperatures have increased, which she describes as "terrifying." Los Angeles Baroque performed In Nomine Terra Calens at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in February 2019.
