By Ande Jacobson

34 years ago at the time of this writing on 17 October at 5:04 p.m. (or as I thought of it, at 1740 L), I was in class in grad school at San Jose State University. I was an engineering student working on my master’s degree and was listening to a lecture in my digital data transmissions class. When the shaking started, one student in the back made a beeline for the door jamb while the rest of us dove under the tables. We were in the new wing of the engineering building in a sort of small, tiered lecture hall that seated 30-40 and had long tables with comfy rolling chairs along the tiers. The professor was still lecturing when he noticed us all under the tables and mentioned that he should probably get under a table or something. He was originally from Switzerland, but this was his first earthquake here, so he wasn’t quite as well-versed as the majority of the class in our earthquake protocols. Continue reading →