Lisa A Wald
Lisa has worked for the USGS since 1987, first as a Research Geophysicist and then as a Science Communicator and Web Content Manager for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, the Landslide Hazards Program, the Geomagnetism Program, and the Natural Hazards Mission Area. She is also a member of Natural Hazards Mission Science Communications Team.
Computer/Software Experience
- HTML, CSS, Adobe Creative Suite, Office 365, WordPress.
Relevant Experience in Science Communications and Graphic Design & Layout
- Created and coordinated an Education & Outreach Program for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Team office in Pasadena, CA with no budget; created USGS Public Lecture Series, created and lead Teacher Workshops to teach teachers how to teach classrooms about earthquakes with hands-on materials.
- Created classroom activities for K-6 to teach about various earthquake science.
- Forged a partnership with the KidSpace Museum in Pasadena, CA, and served as a scientific consultant for their new hands-on earthquake exhibit; worked with exhibit designers.
- Created and presented hands-on talks/presentations about earthquakes to K-6 classrooms and community organizations throughout the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.
- Coordinated several-year long project to completely redesign the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program website, which involved several 1000 webpages, and web developers spread in several offices throughout the US.
- Coordinated USGS “booths” at local, regional, and national meetings and answered questions.
- Author and co-author, and graphic design and layout of many USGS Fact Sheets, which are publications that communicate science to the general public; general 5000-10,000 copies printed at a time often with second printings.
- Created posters, flyers, and brochures for Pasadena and Golden USGS office events, internal and public.
- Science writer for USGS "Science for Everyone" articles.
Science Communications Articles for a Non-Technical Audience
- Science for Everyone articles - Earthquake Hazards Program
- Science for Everyone articles - Landslide Hazards Program
- Science for Everyone articles - Geomagnetism Program
Professional Experience
WEB CONTENT MANAGER/SCIENCE WRITER September 2014 to Present
U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program, Golden, ColoradoWeb Content Manager for Earthquake Hazards Program Website, Landslide Hazards Program Website, Geomagnetism Program Website, and Geologic Hazards Science Center Website, including Information Architecture, User Experience, Graphic Design and Layout. Write
Education and Certifications
M.S., Geophysics University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona July 1987
B.S., Geology Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas December 1984
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Seismological Society of America (SSA)
Association of Science Communicators (ASC)
Honors and Awards
2010 DOI Superior Service Award
2003 Shoemaker Award for Communication Product Excellence, Web Category – Earthquake Hazards Program Website Realtime Products
Science and Products
The southern California network bulletin January - December, 1990
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Preserving Historic Earthquake Records and Photos of the Instruments that Recorded Them
Collection of 3D Geometries of Global Subduction Zones
Debris-Flow Forecasts Before Wildfires
New Methods for Dating and Sequencing Ancient Earthquakes Along the Wasatch Fault Zone
A New Map of Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County, California
Near Realtime Maps of Possible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides
A Possible Cause of Earthquakes in the Continental Interior
Mountain Permafrost, Climate Change, and Rock Avalanches in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Slow-Motion Landslides
Landslides Can Cause More Landslides
The Past Holds the Key to the Future of Aftershock Forecasting
Untangling Faults at Depth – What Lies Beneath Panamint Valley, California?
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 13
The southern California network bulletin January - December, 1990
No abstract available.AuthorsLisa A. Wald, L. Katherine Hutton, Jim Mori, Douglas D. Given, Lucile M. JonesNon-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
Filter Total Items: 34
Preserving Historic Earthquake Records and Photos of the Instruments that Recorded Them
Release Date: FEBRUARY 4, 2019 A project to scan a small selection of the film chips of historical earthquake recordings to digital files was started in 1996. In addition to archiving historic data from the early years, the USGS has also worked to archive photos and descriptions of early seismometers.Collection of 3D Geometries of Global Subduction Zones
Release Date: NOVEMBER 12, 2018 A new picture of the geometry of subducting slabs around the world, the locations of the world’s largest earthquakes.Debris-Flow Forecasts Before Wildfires
Release Date: OCTOBER 15, 2018 USGS scientists have been pursuing a way to assess debris-flow hazards before a fire occurs.New Methods for Dating and Sequencing Ancient Earthquakes Along the Wasatch Fault Zone
Release Date: OCTOBER 12, 2018 Complex geologic sites, like those between the fault segments along the Wasatch fault zone in Utah, make the dating and ordering past earthquakes a difficult task. Two new methods were used to make this task easier and to get better results.A New Map of Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County, California
Release Date: JULY 16, 2018 A new more detailed and higher resolution map of the Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County, California, has been produced using aerial photography and hillshade imagery derived from LiDAR data.Near Realtime Maps of Possible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides
Release Date: JUNE 25, 2018 USGS scientists have been developing a system to quickly identify areas where landslides may have been triggered by a significant earthquake.A Possible Cause of Earthquakes in the Continental Interior
Release Date: JUNE 18, 2018 A new map of crustal stress across the U.S. shows that the plate interior stress is variable, with contributions from plate boundary stress, crustal collapse due to gravity, and more local and subtle changes to style, orientation, and earthquake rate.Mountain Permafrost, Climate Change, and Rock Avalanches in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Release Date: JUNE 18, 2018 We usually hear about landslides and avalanches that are caused by large amounts of rainfall, the shaking from earthquakes, or a volcanic eruption, but we may be hearing more about avalanches caused by the (seemingly innocuous) melting of ice in the coming years.Slow-Motion Landslides
Release Date: JUNE 11, 2018 Sluggishly-moving earthflows can help us learn what controls the starting and stopping of landslides.Landslides Can Cause More Landslides
Release Date: MAY 15, 2018 The deadliest individual landslides in the U.S. recently were in places where there had previously been a landslide. Why do landslides happen in the same place instead of on nearby slopes that appear to be just as likely, if not more likely, to slide?The Past Holds the Key to the Future of Aftershock Forecasting
Release Date: MAY 7, 2018 The outcomes of past aftershock sequences can be used to describe the range of possibilities for a current sequence.Untangling Faults at Depth – What Lies Beneath Panamint Valley, California?
Release Date: APRIL 30, 2018 The eastern edge of Panamint Valley,CA has two types of faults that can be seen in the near-surface geology. 150 geophones and a seismic source will help reveal the subsurface picture. - Multimedia
- Web Tools
- News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government