I.
Q. You are the first scientist among the Chins in a century! Looking back to where you're born, it's extraordinary! What is your field of expertise?
A. I was born at Bualpui (Ng) village and brought up at Vawmbuk village in the Lai Autonomous District, Mizoram. My expertise is in “Engineering Seismology,” the application of earthquake seismology, geology, and strong-motion seismology in assessing earthquake hazards. This is used for siting of projects; land-use planning; emergency management; and design & construction of engineering structures (buildings, lifelines, bridges, power-plants, nuclear power plants, etc). My reputation is for assessing hazards based on the largest potential earthquakes, known as “Maximum Credible Earthquake” (MCE) magnitudes for particular earthquake sources or faults. This is a traditional approach, also called (Deterministic) Seismic Hazard Analysis (DSHA) as opposed to Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). There is an ongoing international debate on these two approaches.
Q. Is the title “seismologist” given to you by the US government and what are the processes?
A. The US government did not give me the title. I became a seismologist because of my academic background and professional practice/specialty in earthquake seismology, like a medical graduate who legally practices in that field becomes a physician/doctor. I got my Ph. D. in Geophysics at St. Louis University in 1974. I passed the professional license examination for California Registered Geophysicist in 1980.
Q. As a Senior Scientific Officer at the Dept. of Transport at California , what sort of responsibilities are you in charge of?
A. I am now retired; I was Chief Seismologist for the Department of Transportation, State of California ; the department is also known as “Caltrans”. My main responsibilities were to provide earthquake hazard estimates for the design and construction of all bridges in the state (over 24,000 bridges), conceptualize and develop advanced methods for earthquake hazard mapping, represent the department in my field at various professional meetings, manage technical projects contracted to universities and consulting private companies, advise management on any earthquake matters, develop policies to improve earthquake safety of bridges, respond to damaging earthquakes, participate in developing earthquake design criteria, etc. As I was the first seismologist in the department, the scope of my work was suggested by me and approved by my superiors. In short, my responsibility was to provide earthquake hazard information to the department, which has over 20,000 employees, mostly engineers.
Q. What does your day-to-day routine looks like?
A. Like any other staff, I was in the office from 8 am to 5 pm , except for meetings and travels for official business. In my last few years before retirement, I worked or telecommuted from home except when I had to attend meetings and to travel for official business.
Q. Why do earthquakes happen and what should we do when earthquakes happen?
A. Most earthquakes are the result of forces acting in the earth, which also caused mountains such as the Himalayan mountains, Chin Hills , Mizo Hills, the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevadas of California. When blocks of the earth crust (also called plates) move against each other, earthquakes occur at the interacting zone. This is a simple description of a complex process. Earthquakes can also occur in regions far away from such zones as in Peninsula India or continental shield of Australia ; and thus a simple model must be modified to explain these cases. In other words, scientific understanding is limited by various conditions and it changes with new understandings and/or observations.
The second question is very important for life safety. What you do depends on where you are: you act to be safe. Inside a house, move away from objects that may fall, avoid electric & gas lines that may catch fire; and move beneath a safe cover like a strong table in order to be protected from falling objects. Outdoors, move away from buildings or structures that may collapse. While driving or in a vehicle, stop and move away from objects that may potentially fall upon you. It is a good idea to think and practice what to do individually and as a community (general public, schools, and offices) during earthquakes, as practiced in California and Japan . After the strong earthquake ground-shaking is over, help others to safety.
Q. It is said that Aizawl City of Mizoram is located in a hazardous zone from earthquakes! Is it true? How about the Chin Hills ?
A. From the examination of available earthquake data and limited studies of the region, the whole region ( Bangladesh , Northeast India , and Western Burma/Myanmar) is earthquake country. Some expect a large catastrophic earthquake to occur at anytime.
I have been asked by the Mizoram government to prepare the state earthquake hazard map. In this process, I am now reviewing available publications for the whole region to compile and characterize earthquake sources. I will use the same approach I used for creating earthquake hazard maps of California and Japan .
Q. Is there any soon coming earthquake in the near future in Chin Hills or Mizoram?
A. None can tell! Current science can not say when the next earthquake will be because of our limited understanding of detailed earthquake processes. I will add that knowing the times of, or of predicting earthquakes will not prevent damage of structures (buildings, bridges, lifelines, etc) when the inevitable happens. Therefore, avoiding high-hazard sites and/or having well-designed and constructed structures to withstand anticipated earthquake effects are the best approach to earthquake safety.
Q. What does the crustal structure of Chin Hills and Mizoram look like?
A. Not much is known! Conventional understanding is that mountains have roots and so the Chin and Mizoram hills may have a thicker crust; the average crustal depth is about 30 km. I am actively seeking this information and hope to find useful reports from recent active investigations for oil and gas in that region.
Q. What do you think that we should do to profit the most in these lands?
A. I think developing our agriculture products is one area that will be quite significant. Food is a strategic commodity without which no community can progress. I am not sure that we have any base or infrastructure to support any modern industry in these lands; yet our people have practiced agriculture from time immemorial. They should be informed of better methods to be more productive. The American state I live in is California and it is very famous for its agriculture products.
II.
Q. What is your dissertation for Ph. D. and the main thesis?
A. Title: “The descending slab beneath the Kurile-Kamchatka Arc and its influence on ray paths of body waves”, St. Louis University , St. Louis , Mo. , USA (1974).
Main purpose: To obtain accurate focal mechanisms (the nature of source displacement/movement) of earthquakes in that region. As the title indicates, there are two parts. The first part is to define a three-dimensional picture of a portion of the Pacific plate that subducted beneath the Kurile-Kamchatka Arc (between Alaska , USA and Hokkaido , Japan ) where earthquakes are abundant. This region has been intensively studied, especially by both Japanese and Soviet scientists, and by my adviser, the late William Stauder, SJ.
The second part is to quantify how this slab deflects the paths of seismic waves as they originate from earthquake sources to selected observation stations, as compared to paths with no slab. I defined the spatial geometry and thickness of the subduction zone from the earthquake focus distribution. I then characterized the zone with a higher seismic wave velocity than its surrounding media, based on previous research. Finally, I used an already tested computer program to generate the paths taken by seismic waves. Computers were much slower then, and it took a whole night for my university’s CDC-3300 to produce one set of results and then a major part of a day to plot the figures on a Calcomp plotter.
The information gained from the bending of seismic ray paths was used to obtain improved focal mechanisms of earthquakes and these mechanisms are interpreted in the light of the plate tectonics hypothesis.
Q. Is there a time when you're thinking of to give up your studies and why?
A. Yes, indeed I began to question the value and use of my advanced studies back at home (Mizoram) since I found the prospect of getting a job in India not hopeful. At that point, I was already qualified to earn an MA degree in Physics or Mathematics just by submitting the required fee. I thought that it was good enough to go home with a Master’s degree and not waste my time.
My wise adviser (the late William Stauder, SJ) kindly told me that he was really preparing me for a Ph.D. and that all my studies would be useful later in life. I obeyed his counsel and continued my work. I thank him for his understanding and concern for my life.
Q. How do you define “success” and “failure”?
A. Success is accomplishing your mission. You have to go through various steps to reach your goal. Along the way, you learn many things which can be useful in other areas of life. The important thing is that you strive to reach your goal and not give up. It takes time and effort to achieve something of value.
Failure is not accomplishing your mission. It happens when you give up before you reach the goal. Yet, it is said that failure is the pillar of success! Success and failure are closely related. If you persevere and do not give up, you will succeed. If you give up, you will certainly fail.
Many famous people have gone through great trials and problems. A great evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham, has been through so many challenges that you wonder if you are willing to go through the problems he faced in order to become like him. It was said that Thomas Edison, the American inventor of many useful products, went through great problems and failures.
If at first you don’t succeed, do not give up: try try again!
Q. What are some of the significant challenging projects you have achieved?
A. Developing a modern earthquake hazard map of California for the California Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans), which was assigned earlier to a team of five people who refused to work on it.
Defending that map against powerful individuals, groups and institutions who wanted to stop its use and publication.
Delivering a requested lecture on deterministic earthquake hazard analysis before international experts and a key-note speech in a seminar for selected European and US experts on the same subject, at the invitation of SwissNuclear in Switzerland .
Hosting and training a Japanese engineer a year for preparing a earthquake hazard map for Japan . After the Kobe earthquake that caused significant damage to bridges and buildings in Japan , they sent a bridge engineer for this project.
Reviewing earthquake criteria for missile stations in the USA , which obviously demanded a careful and thorough review.
Reviewing earthquake design criteria for a major bridge crossing the Ganges river in India ; the site is on very soft soil and major earthquakes are anticipated in the foothills of Himalayas , which is not far from the project.
Writing an LNG regulations paper for a professional publication. As a policy paper, it was reviewed and approved by several officials before submission for publication.
Q. You are so much active in Christian missions. What is your motivation?
A. Rather than considering a motivation, I call this a way of life as a world Christian. This is what my wife and I have believed; and we integrate missions into all our plans and activities. It is a joy to be involved, even if we have to go through problems and disappointments. We are convicted by our understanding of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment: to bring the Gospel to the unsaved as Christ commanded just before His ascent, especially to the unreached people groups, as a demonstration of our love to God and men. Among several roles in this missions task, ours is mobilizing others to go and/or support missions.
Q. What are your views on “the existence of God, inerrancy of Bible, miracles in Bible, etc”?
A. Actually, my faith in God can answer your question, which is more than “views”. On the existence of God, the inerrant nature of the Bible, and recorded miracles in the Bible, I think human logic and reasoning is inadequate or limited to clarify them. By faith, I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and the original writing is free from errors. God’s existence is recorded in the Bible and can be seen in the physical universe and, more importantly, in the hearts of men. God can overrule natural laws and perform miracles.
Q. From scientific points of view, do you believe that “universe” is a direct creation of God and why?
A. Science had always limitations. I believe this is true, especially in answering what I call the “ultimate” questions as is the case here. I believe that the universe is God’s direct creation because the Bible states that He created all things (Genesis 1; Heb 1:2, 11:3; Rev. 4:11). This answer is based on my faith in the authority of the Bible. Some suggest an “intelligent designer” created the universe, since they see the incredibly intricate orderliness in it and they attribute it to be the work of God.
III.
Q. What usually is your decision making process?
A. First, I carefully study the situation, get the facts, and try to understand different views. Then I make a decision that is defensible and which will serve its purpose.
Q. What are some of your favourite books and authors?
Purpose-Driven Life by R. Warren
Sensei: The life story of Irene Webster-Smith by R. Hitt
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, edited by R. Winter & S. Hawthorne
World View by M. Kearney
Let the Nations be Glad! by John Piper
Adventure in Africa by C. Partee
Back to Jerusalem by P. Hattaway, B. Yun, P. Yongze & E. Wang
Ethnic Realities and the Church by D. McGavran
Social Problems by J. Henslin
Multicultural Psychology by G. Hall & C. Barongan
Earthquake Damage & Earthquake Insurance by J. Freeman
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis: An anatomy of hazards by K. Steinbrugge
Report on the Great Earthquake of 12th June 1897 by R. Oldham
The California Earthquake of April 18, 1906 by A. Lawson (Chairman)
Natural Hazard Risk Assessment by W. Peetak & A. Atkisson
Darkest Hours by J. Nash
-----etc--------
Q. Looking back to your past, if you were a student today, what would you do and you wouldn't do?
A. I would pursue the study of subjects that are more related to society, such as sociology, economics, anthropology, human geography, and the like. If not that, I would study theology, philosophy, or life science. I probably would not study physical science subjects.
Q. As you know, a lot of us Chins fled from our God-given land because of oppressors. What do you think is the future of Chinland and Chin people look likes and what should we do?
A. I believe that Chinland will always belong to the Chin people. As far as its development, the people are responsible and must do whatever they can.
I also believe that better roads will pass through the land for many reasons. The most immediate reason is for transportation of gas. Another reason could be the desire to connect peoples and countries for trade and commerce. I don’t think the Chin people will be in permanent isolation; it will change. I think that is good for the Chin people and the region.
The Chin people can do many things which may not be easy at the start. People in Chin Hills and Mizoram need to learn to relate to and cooperate with their neighbors. They need to think in a new way of living in the world; the old system must be changed. This is a challenge and opportunity for Chin leaders.
Those who are outside of the country can contribute in many ways by working together as a team. For example, they can educate their people about how to live in a multicultural society, start community-development cooperative projects, provide all kinds of advice, provide financial support for community needs such as schools, library, health-care facilities, etc.
Q. What would be your message to a young Chin student abroad and inside the country?
A. Recognize the reality that the world is changing at a much faster rate than before and it is shrinking due to modern technology, globalization and cyberspace. Young people can take full advantage of the opportunity to compete in the global village and fulfill their dreams. It is important that you have high and wonderful dreams! Without dreams and visions, you can not go far. Education is the tool that will open the door to a better future. I strongly urge you to concentrate on your studies to get the most out of it, and not to waste valuable times in politics, entertainments, and the like. You have just one time to go through this journey and must invest your time wisely. Work hard and be thankful for the opportunity to study. Now is the time to focus on your academic matters.
At the same time, learn to make friends. For those abroad, learn other cultures to appreciate the world in which we live. Adopt good practices of other cultures without losing your identity. Try to find something new that you can appreciate. We are a very young and undeveloped people, and we have many things to learn from others. Because so many advanced countries have already done so much, ours is “learn to choose” what technology and practices will be good for us. Bring home those useful things that will improve Chinland.
# Thank you so much Pu Lian for answering my questions. Would you like to comment some more?
I am deeply touched by invitations from Chin friends to participate in community celebrations from time to time. I contributed a short article for the magazine commemorating the 50th anniversary of Chin published by North American Chins. I was invited to speak at the 60th Anniversary of Chin National Day in 2008 in Los Angeles .
My desire is to be able to visit the Chin homeland to interact with its people. Perhaps I can share my experience with young people at universities, colleges, or high schools. My motivation is to encourage them. I hope someone among your members can facilitate an appropriate connection to make my desire a reality.
( Interviews nak hi Jan. 22, 2009 ah ka tuah i, Jan. 28 ah CIM, Rungcin le Lai Forum ah zapi rel khawh dingin ka kuat)
