Simulating Disaster

For Environmental Studies Professor Hillary Jenkins, demonstrating a volcanic eruption on the University of Redlands lawn is simply part of the job. A component of the course Environmental Studies 323: Great Environmental Disasters, Jenkins was joined by 14 students and bystanders on the Orton Center lawn for an analog to real-world simulation.     

“This allows students to simulate how actual volcano hazard mapping works,” Jenkins said. “Paired with a GIS-based laboratory, students map the distribution of the ejecta - water, ping pong balls, and wiffle balls that represent lava, ash, and chunks of volcanic debris. This is exactly what is done using remote sensing data for real volcanoes.”  

In using an example of real-world events like the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Environmental Studies majors like Naomi Kolmer ’25, a Washington state native, develop a deeper understanding of the havoc created by environmental disasters.

“We learned about Mount St Helens today, which is close to where I live,” Naomi, said. “It was interesting to watch the demo and see how that might have interacted the same way back then. [Volcanos] can sometimes have landslides that break over the side and cause great devastation.”

Along with the simulation, the class reflected on other environmental disasters, which have become all too familiar.

“The class applies to real-world problems,” fellow Environmental Studies major Vivian Reukauf ’25 said. “We’ve been following the Line Fire and as the climate is changing, disasters are getting worse and worse. Everything's getting warmer, which is going to drastically affect how these disasters affect us.”

Having taken field trips to the San Bernardino National Forest, Naomi and Vivian found interest in “connecting the class to real-world problems” our planet is facing. Although the eruption was simulated, both students reflected on the value the class provided, in “preparing students for future disasters.”  

Click the link to learn more about the Environmental Studies program.