# Michele Cooke

Michele Cooke is an American geoscientist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Cooke is known for her research on earthquakes, as well as her activism in support of other deaf and hard-of-hearing scientists.

## Early Life

Michele Cooke was born partially deaf and thus initially struggled in school, with her reading and speaking skills behind. After a kindergarten teacher had noticed this issue and recommended testing, which eventually led to Cooke requiring hearing aids and speech therapy. Cooke attended public school up until middle school until her mother switched her to Stuart Country Day School, an all-girls Catholic school in Princeton, New Jersey for a more intimate school experience. Since graduate school, Michele Cooke has used FM (frequency modulated) systems, oral interpreters, CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) as well as ASL interpreters once her signing skills got better.

## Education

The Princeton University graduate Michele Cooke completed her Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Geological Engineering in 1989. After completing Stanford University her Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) she obtained in Civil Engineering in 1991. Through her studies at Stanford University Cooke finished her Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences dedicated to structural geology and geomechanics in 1996. She investigated fault mechanics alongside crustal deformation patterns as part of her doctoral research and this work became essential for creating her contributions to earthquake science and geomechanically modeling.

## Career
### Research

Cooke is a professor in the department of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; she has worked at UMass since 2004. She researches earthquakes, fracture mechanics, and fault growth. Cooke is often quoted in (and occasionally writes) articles about earthquakes and faults.
Michele Cooke was featured in a live science article called The Faults That Ruptured in Twin California Quakes Are Very, Very Weird, Geologists Say. Her contribution included a discussion about the unusual earthquakes in Southern California in July 2019.
Michele published an article on Massive Science: Here’s how earthquakes rocked Puerto Rico into another emergency. Her analysis was of the earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico in January 2020.
Michele Cooke's research delves into the mechanics of fault propagation and earthquake rupture through advanced numerical simulations. Cooke and her colleagues used these simulations in a study highlighted by Eos to see whether faults grow during the seismic (co-seismic) events and during the times of no refraction signals (inter-seismic). According to their findings, the angles at which faults propagate are different for both these two phases, implying that geological records could indeed bear testament to such distinct propagation patterns. Although this is an insight into fault growth dynamics, it may be useful for interpreting fault development in seismic hazard assessments.
A study cited by The Weather Channel used data from GPS stations placed throughout California's main fault lines to observe small or 'deep creep' ground movement, and Cooke and her team used that data to show how strain occurring in such fault lines moves away from growing tectonically active regions in the crust. This phenomenon involves the aseismic slip of fault segments that can pass shear stress to relieve tectonic stress without causing earthquakes that are noticeable. Such 'creeps' are important to detect and analyze as they may influence how and when seismic events happen. Cooke desires to improve the monitoring network and detection techniques, so that the behavior of faults may be better understood for the purposes of more accurate predictions of earthquake occurrences and hazard levels.

### Activism

Cooke is partially deaf and advocates for better accessibility for other deaf scientists. She prefers the term ‘partially deaf’ over ‘deaf’ or ‘hard of hearing’. This is due to her working with those in the hearing world, teaching hearing students, working with hearing colleagues as well as having a hearing family. After receiving from UMass, College of Natural Science Outstanding Researcher award, Laura Fattaruso filmed Michele's acceptance speech on deaf gain, which describes the benefits or values of being deaf or hard-of-hearing. Michele also published her acceptance speech so it is accessible for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Cooke also launched a blog as well as running an X account for deaf and hard-of-hearing academics.

## Honors and awards

* Outstanding Achievement Award, College of Natural Science, UMass Amherst
* 2020 Inclusive Geoscience Education and Research (IGER) Award, International Association for Geoscience Diversity