[M-ZZ40] Geoscience Studies: historical, philosophical and STS studies

[MZZ40-06] Context dependency of earthquake research and education

*Mai Suzuki¹, Binil Aryal², Kazuki Koketsu¹ (1.Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 2.Central Department of Physics, Tribhuvan University)

Keywords:Context dependency, Knowledge transfer, Science, Technology and Society, Nepal

The fact that technology and scientific knowledge are intertwined with society has been analyzed by STS researchers, and for the successful transfer of technology and knowledge, the necessity to consider the context dependency of technology and knowledge has been revealed. Following this research interest, we will examine how geoscience, especially knowledge concerning earthquakes is related to society.

In 2016, the five-year project entitled "Integrated research on great earthquakes and disaster mitigation in Nepal Himalaya" started under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In this project, diverse technology and knowledge related to earthquakes have been transferred, and one of our goals is to establish a foundation of higher education of seismology in Nepal. For the sake of fruitful establishment, it is essential to take into account the context dependency of knowledge. As the first step toward construction of a higher education system of seismology and based on the literature and interview research in Nepal, we will describe the current situation and problem of research and education on earthquakes in Nepal and investigate how knowledge concerning earthquakes depends on context.