The geosciences are strongest when everyone is welcomed, included and engaged. And the field of petroleum geology is no exception. That’s why you’re invited to join in the celebration of Earth Science Week, Oct. 13-19, which focuses on the theme “Geoscience Is for Everyone.”
Earth Science Week 2019 is promoting diversity, equity and inclusion across the geosciences by urging people of all backgrounds, locations, ages and abilities to get involved in with the Earth sciences, whether as a geoscience professional, a hobbyist, or through civic engagement. As a professional geoscientist, you can participate in lots of ways, helping to illuminate the inclusive potential and the importance of the geosciences in the lives of all people
You could visit a classroom, lead a field trip, give a presentation at a science center or museum, lead a talk at a nearby university, or bring a young person to experience your workplace. No matter what you choose to do, the American Geosciences Institute, which organizes the weeklong celebration, offers resources, activities and opportunities to support you in this vital role.
See What’s New
The 22nd annual Earth Science Week is rolling out a host of new tools and resources for participants:
• Education GeoSource, a new offering from AGI’s Center for Geoscience and Society, now provides the widest collection of free Earth science curricula, activities, professional development, science education standards, virtual field trips, teaching ancillaries and more. The free geoscience education resources featured here, provided by a variety of sources, are available at the click of a mouse. Simply click “Resources” on the Earth Science Week homepage.
• Promoting accessibility for diverse audiences, the Earth Science Week website audiences, the Earth Science Week website now offers a page of “Strategies for Diversity Equity and Inclusion.” Strategies are designed to support inclusive activities, organized under headings given in the Next Generation Science Standards which have been adopted in many school systems. Each strategy is accompanied by an example of a related geoscience-focused learning experience. To address a range of learner needs and interests, approaches listed for one group are designed so they often work well with another.
• A collaboration between AGI, Lyda Hill Philanthropies and Nautilus magazine is providing new resources for this year’s Earth Science Week celebration. The coalition is advancing the vision of LHP’s IF/THEN Initiative to enhance resources and opportunities for women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math. Profiles of leading women scientists collected by Nautilus and the IF/THEN Ambassadors program are appearing in educational materials distributed to millions of teachers and students. Curriculum connections illustrate ways to use the profiles in instruction.
• The coalition effort builds on AGI’s new partnership with Nautilus. The science magazine recently launched the online Nautilus EARTH Channel in collaboration with AGI, continuing the geoscience-focused journalism mission of AGI’s longtime EARTH magazine. What’s more, Nautilus also recently kicked off an online Women in Science and Engineering Channel.
• The new Earth Science Week 2019 Toolkit, now offered under a new price structure, is free and available for the cost of shipping and handling. (Order online or call 703-379-2480.)
Days to Engage
Geoscience offers something for everyone precisely because there are so many fascinating facets of the Earth sciences. Explore your personal passion during Earth Science Week’s “Focus Days”:
• EarthCachers around the world will celebrate International EarthCache Day by participating in geocaching “treasure hunts” on Sunday, Oct. 13.
• Earth Science Literacy Day, taking place on Monday, Oct. 14, focuses on videos illustrating the field’s “Big Ideas” and related activities.
• On Earth Observation Day, Tuesday, Oct. 15, activities engage students and teachers in remote sensing as an exciting and powerful educational tool.
• National Fossil Day, focusing on paleontology, takes place at schools, parks and other sites across the country on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
• Geoscientists like you share the excitement of their careers with young women, minorities, and others on Geoscience for Everyone Day, Thursday, Oct. 17.
• On Friday, Oct. 18, celebrate Geologic Map Day, which promotes awareness of the importance of geologic mapping for education, science, business and policy.
• Saturday, Oct. 9, caps Earth Science Week with the celebration of International Archaeology Day.
You Are Essential
There’s no mystery about getting involved. As a petroleum geologist who wants to help enrich young people’s education, you can get tips from “Visiting Geoscientists: An Outreach Guide for Geoscience Professionals,” a handbook co-produced by AGI and AAPG’s Youth Education Activities Committee.
The handbook offers strategies, resources, sample activities and more. Download it at www.agiweb.org/education/aapg.
Provide unique educational opportunities based on your training, experience and firsthand knowledge of the workplace by visiting classrooms and leading field trips, especially at the elementary, secondary and high school levels. Whether you work in a resource or environmental company, a research institute, a state or federal agency, or a college or university, you can make a difference. Plan now for a school visit during the coming school year, maybe during Earth Science Week.
For additional ideas on how to lead a hands-on geoscience activity, simply search the Earth Science Week website’s collection of more than120 learning activities that support the Next Generation Science Standards. To find the perfect activity for a lesson, just click on “Search Classroom Activities.” Search by grade level and science education standard. Perhaps most useful, you can search among 24 categories of Earth science topics, from energy and environment to plate tectonics and weathering.
AGI reaches more than 50 million people each year through the Earth Science Week campaign. You can be an important part of that success. Geoscientists have provided the leadership for Earth Science Week since its inception in 1998. Now is your time to lead.