As members of the Geoscience Society of New Zealand (GSNZ) we know how exciting (and useful) having an understanding of the Earth can be, so let's share it with the world! Our goal as the GeoEducation, Outreach and International Development (GeOID) Special Interest Group (SIG) is to share our knowledge and enthusiasm by making geoscience more interesting and accessible for people who are not geoscientists (...yet).
Whether you're making baking soda volcanoes with your kids or lobbying government for a more sustainable society--or anything in between--whether you know it or not, you're engaging in science communication, and we want to share and hear from you!
From pre-school to tertiary students, and community groups to government, GeOID is the place to connect with like-minded people to help promote and support a multi-faceted approach to outreach and education that engages with audiences at all levels of understanding, and incorporates a range of different cultural perspectives (academic, industry, indigenous, and community) across a range of geographical scales (local, national and international). We aim to celebrate our members efforts and successes, learn from their challenges, and connect people in ways that can lead to new ideas and initiatives.
In addition to online meetings, a semi-regular newsletter and our own GeOID-focused newsflashes, we organise "GEOTalks" (Geo-Education & Outreach Talks) as learning and engagement opportunities for members, and are always keen to explore new activities and initiatives.
Current projects we are working on are:
- Organising EarthFest - Festival of Earth Science in conjunction with GSNZ Annual Conferences.
- compiling a list of publicly available Geoscience Resources.
- developing a Geoscience Careers pamphlet for schools.
- developing an Aotearoa New Zealand-centric version of the Geoscience Society of London's excellent Geosciences for a Sustainable Future poster.
GeOID membership is free for GSNZ members, so join us today, or email the GeOID SIG Convenor, Jenny Stein at geoid@gsnz.org.nz for more information.
King’s Quarry located near Wainui, north Auckland, site of a University of Auckland 3rd year field mapping course.
