PUBLIC TALK: Science Cafe

In the early morning of 6 April 2009, the town of L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy experienced a Magnitude 6.3 earthquake. In the aftermath of the event, 309 people were killed, 1,600 were injured and thousands were made homeless. Six days before the earthquake and after several days of tremors in the region, six scientists and a government official, all members of a major risks committee, met to discuss the possibility of a major earthquake happening. All seven officials were later convicted of manslaughter. The prosecutors said the officials gave falsely reassuring statements and inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory information before the quake. The defence maintained there was no accurate way to predict the earthquake. The press called it a miscommunication of science. Join the UWA Science Communication group for an evening of discussion and debate about the case. Our panel of experts will explore the following topics:

• Associate Professor Geoff Batt, School of Earth and Environment - Can the risk and severity of an earthquake be predicted? • Professor Nancy Longnecker, Science Communication Program - How do we communicate the risks and the science? • Assistant Professor Kate Offer, Law School - What are the legal implications of the case, and could the same thing happen in Australia? This is a FREE event. Food and drinks will be available for purchase on the evening.