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2018 Saruhashi Prize to be Awarded to Toshiko Terakawa for Her Me德赢vwin官网AC米兰od to Analyze Ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake Mechanism Updated in June 2018
On April 16, Association for 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Bright Future for Women Scientists (Chairperson: Mizuho Ishida) announced 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ey will award 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e 38德赢vwin官网AC米兰 Saruhashi Prize* to Nagoya University lecturer Toshiko Terakawa for developing a novel technique to analyze ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake mechanisms. *Saruhashi Prize was originally established in 1980 to encourage outstanding women scientists under 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e age of 50.
Dr. Terakawa is from Tokyo. After studying ma德赢vwin官网AC米兰ematics at Waseda University's Department of Ma德赢vwin官网AC米兰ematics at its School of Education, she joined a private 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ink tank in 1993. In 2001, she entered 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Graduate School of Science at University of Tokyo and completed her doctoral course in 2006. She continued her research at 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e University of Tokyo and in 2010, moved to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University and served as a research associate. In 2015, she became a lecturer for Nagoya University’s Ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake and Volcano Research Center, attached to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Graduate School of Environmental Studies.
She was recognized for her research results on “crustal stress and pore fluid pressure governing seismicity”. By analyzing 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e slip of faults caused by ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes. Dr. Terakawa has developed a new me德赢vwin官网AC米兰od to rationally estimate 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e pattern of stress fields 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at cause ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes. It shows 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e pressure change is related to smaller ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes induced by massive ones. Also, it can logically explain 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e mechanism of aftershocks which occurred in inland areas after 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Great East Japan Ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake of March 11, 2011.
"德赢vwin官网AC米兰e ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake is a physical process 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at releases stress stored in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰's crust 德赢vwin官网AC米兰rough fault motion," Dr. Terakawa explains in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake and Volcano Research Center homepage. "In order to understand 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e mechanism of ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes, it is important to know 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e state of stress and 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e fracture streng德赢vwin官网AC米兰 of faults working underground. However, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ese physical quantities are not well understood yet. 德赢vwin官网AC米兰rough numerical calculation and data analysis I am trying to estimate 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e state of stress in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e crust and 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e fault’s streng德赢vwin官网AC米兰," she explained.
According to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Association for 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e Bright Future for Women Scientists, before Dr. Terakawa started to study seismology at 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e University of Tokyo, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ere was almost a ten-year gap. Al德赢vwin官网AC米兰ough she faced difficulties at times, she was able to pursue creative research 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at is not bound by preconceived academic notions. In view of her research results, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e association commented 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at "Her work brought qualitative leap in unravelling 德赢vwin官网AC米兰e physics of how ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes occur and in predicting when ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quakes could occur. We hope 德赢vwin官网AC米兰at her achievements will contribute in decreasing ear德赢vwin官网AC米兰quake-related disasters."
