“Women and children first” went the call from the deck of the titanic. And then of course Jack sacrificed his own life to save Rose, who was afloat on what admittedly looked like a raft with more than enough space for two. Chivalrous though this picture is, the reality is very different – in most disasters women seem to suffer a disproportionate number of injuries and deaths. Mos ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (70): Geologists in the Field – Debrief on the Beach
Undergraduates have a debriefing session on the beach in Dorset to discuss the geological history of the cliff face in the background. (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
Geology for Global Development
Resources: Free Online Training on Responsible Mining
Impactmin offer free online training courses where you can learn more about the impact of mining. Here Peter Gyuris, the project manager of Impactmin, writes to tell us more about what the courses have to offer. In its strictest sense, the term “Mining” refers directly to the activity of extraction of metallic or non-metallic resources from the Earth’s crust (Merriam-Webster). More commonly ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Women and Water
March the 8th is International Women’s Day. There are many problems that solely or disproportionately affect women, particularly in developing countries where many women are still fighting for basic gender equality. In honour of International Women’s day, we look at the importance of access to clean water for women and girls. It is vital that both rural and urban communities have access to a relia ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (69): Geologists in the Field – on Top of the Fault
These two geologists are standing at the top of a fault in Greece. The large elevation has built up over successive earthquakes, each moving the right hand side a few meters higher than the downthrow side of the fault on the left. (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
Geology for Global Development
King’s College London Summer School: Natural Hazards and Society
The study of natural hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, are an important part of geoscience courses. However a thorough understanding of how and why they impact society requires the study of a much broader range of topics. Similarly, the study of social sciences gives us an understanding of the origins and development of vulnerability, but this knowledge must be combined with an ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Guest Blog: Career Focus – Kate Crowley
Helen Ashcroft is currently a DPhil student at the University of Oxford. She blogs for the Bang! Science Magazine (Planet Blog) and is also a STEMNET Ambassador, working to promote science, technology, maths and engineering to young people. Helen attended the second meeting of her GfGD University group, to hear a talk by Kate Crowley. Here she gives us an insight into the career a geoscientist cou ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (68): Geologists in the Field – Reaching the Summit
This photo was taken in Jiangsu province, China. We had climbed up a steep hillside taking rock samples every few meters. This was the moment we reached the top of the cliff and stood still to catch our breath. Send us your favourite photos of geologists at work (or rest!) in the field (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
Geology for Global Development
GfGD in the IUGS-GEM Newsletter
An article about Geology for Global Development written by GfGD Director, Joel Gill, appears in this year’s IUGS-GEM newsletter. The international union of geological sciences (IUGS) has a commission on Geoscience for Environmental Management (GEM). GEM comprises working groups covering dust, gold and mercury, land subsidence and groundwater, man made strata and geopollution, drinking water ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
GfGD Placement Report: Ellie Murtagh’s work with CAFOD
In September 2012 Eleanor Murtagh completed a short Geology for Global Development (GfGD) placement with the international humanitarian and relief organisation CAFOD. At CAFOD, Ellie worked with Dr Kate Crowley (Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor) for a week. Here she reports on the activities she was involved in and the lessons she learnt from this experience. The importance of vocational professio ...[Read More]