Our own GOO Kelly presented at GeoSciEdX

Our Geoscience Outreach Officer (GOO), Kelly, had the pleasure of co-hosting and presenting at the international geoscience education conference, GeoSciEdX, in August this year.

The three-day conference began with a field tour of the world-renowned Hallett Cove Conservation Park, where participants explored the spectacular geology on display. Teachers walked across rocks more than half a billion years old and touched ripple marks preserved from ancient oceans that no longer exist. They observed evidence of past climate change from a glacial event that occurred around 280 million years ago and measured the folding of rocks produced during ancient mountain-building processes driven by the movement of tectonic plates.

Day 2 was filled with workshops presented by primary, secondary and tertiary education professionals. Kelly presented a workshop focusing on the use of visuals to communicate the causes and impacts of climate change on ecosystems, attended by more than 50 teachers. That evening, she also presented a poster showcasing the progress made in increasing the

number of South Australian schools teaching Stage 1 and Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science.

Day 3 concluded with an exploration of big ideas in geoscience education. The focus was on increasing the visibility and awareness of geoscience within education, as it has historically been underrepresented among the sciences. More than 100 educators from multiple countries came together to share their experiences and develop ideas and actions for strengthening geoscience education and engaging future generations of young people.