Popular science education base in NETDA added to provincial list

The Shijia Community Popular Science Hall in NETDA. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_78ba52d6e1ed]

The Shijia Community Popular Science Hall in Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area recently achieved recognition as a Jiangsu popular science education base for earthquake prevention and disaster alleviation.

Guided by the associations of senior scientists and technologists in Nantong and the development area, the community-based popular science hall is the first of its kind in NETDA.

The earthquake hut at the Shijia Community Popular Science Hall. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_78ba52d6e1ed]

Operational since 2019, the hall was constructed in eight months and features 630-square meters of indoor exhibition areas and 1,000-sq m designed for outdoor activities.

Shijia Community works to increase awareness about earthquake prevention and disaster reduction among local residents by giving lectures and arranging exhibitions. The earthquake hut, which simulates the experience of an earthquake, has been particularly well received.

Visitors learn how to survive an earthquake in the earthquake hut at the Shijia Community Popular Science Hall. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_78ba52d6e1ed]

In the hut, participants watch instructional videos on earthquake survival before a computer-initiated simulated earthquake prompts them to take appropriate measures to escape the disaster.

To further promote relevant knowledge, the community also organizes awareness activities on significant days, including National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Day on May 12 and the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on Oct 13.

In 2021, the efforts of Shijia Community won it recognition from municipal authorities, as evidenced by its inclusion alongside the nameplate of the Earthquake Monitoring Center.