Geoscience = People

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Last week geoscientists from around the world joined together to share their passions at the European Geoscience Union (EGU) general assembly in Vienna, Austria. With Covid seeming a distant memory, the conference was operating at full hybrid force, with over eighteen thousand scientists attending both in person and online.

Thousands of geoscientists, 5 days of discussions- that’s a LOT of science.

But would you believe me if I said the most interesting things about EGU this year were not the *science* at all?

What is a conference?

A conference is where people come together to talk and discuss their ideas and discoveries. Researchers present their findings and projects either visually on a poster, or by giving a 10 minute talk to an audience. Ideas are exchanged in the breaks between sessions. Lots of coffee is drunk. New connections are forged. Exciting science chats happen. Heated discussions may break out (when exactly did plate tectonics begin?! Don’t ask…).

EGU attracts all kinds of scientists studying Earth and the universe – more types than you perhaps realise is possible: there are scientists who study ice, scientists who study air, scientists who study water, scientists who study the building blocks of our planet, scientists who study *other* planets! There are even scientists studying other scientists!

The conference is a gathering of geoscientists who want to make the world a better place: who want to understand and reduce the impacts of climate change and hazards, who want to find new ways to make energy, and more. There are so many awesome types of geoscience that the talks and posters need to be grouped together into themes just to make sense of it all!

Natasha with collaborators Dr Munira Raji and Dr Rebecca Williams (L-R) at an EGU poster session

Usually when I go to conferences, I love hearing about volcano science. I have spent a lot of my career thinking about and studying volcanic hazards. But this year I was at EGU with a different purpose – I was there to talk about, and think about, ways to make geoscience as equitable and inclusive to people from all backgrounds as possible. And this purpose led me to an amazing array of talks by scientists that weren’t actually about science.

Geoscience = People

“Why were geoscientists at a geoscience conference talking about stuff that isn’t focussed on the geoscience?” I hear you cry. Well, it’s very straightforward really, although sometimes it feels like a well-kept secret: Science is actually People.

Yes, you heard me right, science is people. The people who are learning about science, the people who work in science, the people whose land scientists work on, the people who are impacted by the findings of the science, the people who might find out about the science and might like it. The people whose minds may be changed by science. People, people, people.  

With the many ways that science can relate to people, it makes perfect sense that at one of the largest geoscience conferences in the world, there were a lot of amazing geoscientists talking about people. Here are glimpses of some of my favourites!

The beautiful connections between science and people

Sometimes science can feel a little… dry. Traditional science articles might be written with fancy jargon that turns us off. Graphs may make our eyes hurt. How can we make science more beautiful and exciting, so that as many people as possible can understand it and engage with it? This is a question that self-confessed frustrated poet Dr Sam Illingworth has the answer to- let’s combine it with poetry.

Sam uses creative methods to break down  jargon, communicate what really matters, and get to the heart of the story.  After all, when scientists tell us about their work, they are telling us a story.  And what better way to do this than through powerful, memorable verses, in a poem? Or through a fun and interactive board game?

Sam uses games and poems in many ways (including explaining climate change reduction strategies to local governments, and helping the wider public feel connected to important scientific findings.) He has won awards for his efforts to make science more fun and engaging. And ever since seeing his talk I can’t stop thinking about science in the form of poetry! Check out the fantastic open access “Community Engagement for Researchers resources created by Sam and his collaborators here.

Carbon City Zero, a game designed by Dr Sam Illingworth and Dr Paul Wake in collaboration with 10:10 Climate Action, aims to engage policymakers and the public in the real life challenges that come with trying to reach Net Zero

Anyone can think like a scientist

Not everyone thinks they can be a scientist. Some people may not feel that they belong. Some may not have had opportunities that empower them to think like a scientist. Dr Phil Heron wants to break down seen (and unseen) barriers, and encourage people from all walks of life to engage with and enjoy science education. At EGU Phil presented his “Think Like A Scientist” initiative, which involves providing science classes to students within the UK prison education system. 

The scheme, running since 2019, was the first to provide dedicated science teaching within English prisons, with great testimonies and outcomes from those involved. It was such a success that Phil is now taking the scheme across the pond to set up in Canada. In his talk, Phil told us his core values for teaching science in prisons: make it relatable, make it accessible, make it inclusive, and offer encouragement- he explained that these values are transferable to engaging with any undeserved group in science education. We couldn’t agree more, and can’t wait to see how the Canadian version goes! Learn more about this initiative in Phil’s The Conversation article, and in this open access Geoscience Communication paper.

Bridging cultural and language divides

There were so many EGU highlights it would be difficult to mention them all- but we couldn’t write a blog on engagement and inclusion talks at EGU without mentioning the force that is GeoLatinas.

Speaking a different first language from your colleagues, or coming from a different culture, can feel isolating. Particularly for women working in a profession that can be male-dominated.   GeoLatinas is a member-driven community network of women of Latin American heritage, who are studying and working in geoscience all over the world. The grassroots network began in 2018 and since then has gone from strength to strength, gathering members, arranging events and activities, and providing mentoring, networking, seminars, as well as review and translation initiatives in Spanish, Portuguese and English. They have developed a social media initiative  #FridayFeatureinGeo and a dual-lingual podcast GeoLatinas por el mundo (GeoLatinas around the world). There is now even a GeoLatinas in space network, for those who study planetary geoscience!

GeoLatinas is run by volunteers, and has members all over the world. I am in awe of the positive community movement GeoLatinas have developed and loved hearing about their activities. If you want to find out more, or join their community, check out their website.

Daniela Navarro-Perez presents the work of GeoLatinas at the European Geoscience Union conference in Vienna, 2023 (see the presentation here)

The engine of geoscience

Too often, Geoscience is seen solely as a subject of rocks and the Earth. But it is so much more, and people are at the heart of it. People are the storytellers, the engine, the directors and the audience of geoscience activities. Large gatherings of geoscientists can be fantastic reminders of this!

EGU brought people together to share excitement and ideas, and like a seed planted, those good ideas can spread, flourish and grow- we hope this article encourages you to see geoscience from a new perspective, whether you’re a student just starting on your geoscience journey or a professional looking for new ways to engage, educate and connect with others.

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Feature image attribution: People illustrations by Storyset