[Oklahoma Geological Survey] is acquiring about 100 of a version of Raspberry Pi computers that are called a Raspberry Shake and plans to distribute them to schools, libraries and museums as teaching tools.
A researcher involved in the program said a Raspberry Shake can monitor for and report earthquakes — a beneficial tool for the organization as it works to blanket the state with permanent seismic monitoring stations.
Jefferson Chang, the survey’s geophysical operations manager, and Molly Yunker, the survey’s education and outreach coordinator, said their hope is that young, budding scientists will get a chance to work with the devices and associated programming to learn more about seismicity, computer science and other applications.
About 10 of the devices have been distributed to be beta tested, and they are going to be a big hit if one educator’s feedback is any indication.
“It is a perfect fit,” said Kristi Carlucci, coordinator of community education at the Oklahoma City Community College Family and Community Education Center.
Carlucci, who has studied geology and earth sciences and has been teaching informal classes at science centers and museums around Oklahoma, also teaches science to gifted third- and fourth-graders from nearby John Glenn Elementary.
Carlucci said they were thrilled to discover the tiny computer and what they could do with it.
“Kids always are interested in science, and are asking questions. But they don’t always have the time, materials and tools they need to get everything out of it,” she said. “Now, they are hearing about earthquakes all the time from their parents, friends and on TV. The Raspberry Shake is an awesome way to get them directly involved.”
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Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!