This blog is written by Agustina (@agusparra_7), Carla (@02carlu) and Marianela (@belenferreyro2), who are in their third year of study towards their Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences.
This is part of our “Ground Beneath Our Feet” series by students at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Argentina. Each piece is aligned to the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals- this one is aligned to SDG4, Quality Education.
The Universidad Nacional del Comahue (UNCo), located in the city of Neuquén in Southern Patagonia, is the only university in the world to have fossils on its campus. This fact made us realize just how important fossils are to our city and society, especially since Neuquén is constantly growing, and this valuable part of our heritage is neither preserved nor protected.
We are three third-year Geological Science BSc students, and when faced with this situation, we set out to raise awareness and visibility about our community’s fossil heritage. Not only does this project contribute to our professional training, but it also educates people from various educational groups about geosciences and our planet’s past.
Do local communities care about fossil heritage?
At the beginning, we hypothesized that, on a social level, neither fossils, their conservation, nor their value, were considered relevant. In order to confirm or reject this idea, we decided to carry out surveys to different sectors of the population: university and high school students and mountain runners that run on the university’s campus, as well as interviews to local professionals.
The surveys were designed to comprehend the locals’ level of interest, perception of importance, and general knowledge about fossil heritage, as well as their course of action should they find a fossil.
We also had an interview with Laura Avila, graduate in Geology and the director of “Museo Proyecto Dino”, one of the few paleontological parks in the area, which doubles as a geo-science school. Through a project in collaboration with UNCo, she gives lectures and workshops aimed at a variety of university students. In addition, the museum welcomes local and national students, and exchange students from all over the world. The aim of the interview was to learn a professional’s stance on this topic, in order to compare her knowledge with our findings.
Can our actions improve awareness and knowledge?
First, we analyzed the surveys answered by high school and university students. The results showed that they have some general knowledge regarding what fossils are and their importance to society, although most of them did not show interest in learning more or getting involved in the topic.
This led us to perform a short experiment: offer informative talks to other groups to see if their interests would change. We were especially interested in the newer generations, so we spoke to fifth-year high school students. Before the talk we performed a survey, to test their knowledge about fossils and their presence in the city. During the talk, they actively participated, asked questions and showed enthusiasm. After concluding it, the same survey was performed, hoping to observe changes. The results were greatly positive: we noticed an increase in their knowledge about fossils, their value for the city and what someone should do if they find one.
Lastly, we gave a talk to kindergarteners, who also showed enthusiasm, interest, and awareness. We noticed just how important this level of participation and knowledge is in young people.
While carrying out our project, we noticed a clear pattern: The younger the people are, the easier it is to awaken their curiosity and compromise in fossil heritage. On the other hand, adults tend to show less interest and do not consider the topic relevant in their daily life.
This tendency matches what was pointed out by Laura Ávila during the interview: Nowadays, the interest in fossils is concentrated in schools, teenagers, and kids, who are the ones that motivate adults to visit museums, paleontological parks, and participate in educational activities.
What did we learn?
This experience taught us a valuable lesson. If we want to protect our fossil heritage—which is part of both Neuquén’s and the whole world’s identity—we must start by educating people, especially when they are younger. Schools, museums and community projects are the spaces where science can become something full of life, fun and approachable.
This is why we consider it fundamental to organize talks, workshops, and educational activities. We believe that social media can be utilized to reach teenagers and young adults, using simple, visual, and attractive language. Sometimes an image or a shared story on the internet can inspire people more than you think.
Fossils aren’t just some old rocks. They are messages from the past that tell us about how life used to be on Earth.
Protecting them is protecting our history.
We want everyone who lives in or visits our city to know that, right under their noses, there lies millions of years worth of history, waiting to be discovered. And that, if we all help protect this legacy, future generations can too be amazed by discovering traces of the past.