A woman who changed how people prepare for, and respond to earthquakes
Women's History Month has been observed annually in the month of March since 1987, and it celebrates the contributions of women to history, culture, and society.
Dr. Lucy Jones is the person Californians have turned to for information on earthquakes for more than 30 years. As a world-renowned seismologist, she has brought comfort and counsel to a rattled public, but even she will tell you that she never imagined a career like this.
"Absolutely not. I mean, a research scientist recognition is having your paper cited in some other paper. And that's what I thought I was going to be," said Dr. Jones.
Growing up, she wanted to become an astrophysicist. However, when she was in college, she decided on being a geophysicist. It was then she realized she was breaking barriers.
Dr. Jones said, "I was always the only woman in my physics classes as an undergraduate. And when I got to MIT, there was one woman in seismology. If anything, it fueled me and again, my parents, especially my father, it was like, 'yeah, women don't do science. But you're my daughter. My daughter is going to do it.'"
She has shown that women belong in science. Through her decades of research and public advocacy for risk reduction, she's been able to change policy and create "the Great Shakeout", which is now a worldwide earthquake drill.
Her next mission is to use music to bring together scientists, artists, and people from around the world, in hopes of inspiring understanding and action on climate change.
"I want to be remembered as a scientist rather than just a communicator, but a scientist who cared about the science getting used," said Dr. Jones.
And it's her use of science that will help us in the future.