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TEACHING EARTH SCIENCES ● Volume 31 ● Number 4, 2006 News and Views UKRIGS Education Project Update – Earth Science On-Site Work on the Project continues, with the help of ESTA members and local RIGS Groups. Teaching materials for Tedbury Camp and Vallis Vale (Somerset) were used at the ESTA Conference fieldwork session on September 17th and Barrow Hill (Dudley) for the UKRIGS Conference on 23rd September. A CD with all materials produced to date was distributed at both Conferences and copies are still available. Please pass on details to non-specialist colleagues! Susan and David Beale hosted a useful visit to Mungrisdale (Cumbria) in July, where, apart from the Carrock Fell Gabbro and Skiddaw Formation, we came across useful glacial material exposed as a result of aggregate working. We anticipate visiting our last site, Meldon in Devon, early in November and hope for comment from two longstanding ESTA members who use the site for fieldwork. The Earth Science On-Site materials have now been separated from the main UKRIGS website so that usage can be accurately logged. They are still available by clicking ‘Education’ on www.ukrigs.org.uk. Have a close look and please give us feedback: Many thanks to all concerned. The UKRIGS Education Project is funded by Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, administered by English Nature. John R. Reynolds & Rick Ramsdale Email: jr.reynolds@virgin.net From collapsing volcanoes to climate change Professor Bill McGuire will be giving a presentation at a Royal Institution meeting at University College, London on Friday 3 November 2006 (7.30pm-8.30pm ). How can collapsing volcanoes and a changing climate possibly be linked? In order to answer this question, we first need to understand a little about volcanoes. Nearly two thirds of volcanoes formed in the last 10,000 years are islands, with most of the rest lying within 250 km of the coast. Over time, major changes in the earth’s climate – such as glacial periods and interglacial periods – have resulted in global sea levels fluctuating by up to 130m. Extensive periods of volcanic activity were associated with these changes, and this may be because the varying water pressure causes stress changes around these island and coastal location. Fast forward several thousand years, and we are faced with the melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets on an unprecedented scale. Could the predicted 10m rise in sea level that this causes trigger another period of extensive volcanic activity? It may be that we are in for a fiery future as well as a hot one. See www.rigb.org for tickets The GEES Subject Centre Jiscmail list is a moderated news and information service for everyone involved in learning and teaching in the GEES subjects in higher education. To view the archives, join or leave this list, or change your details, please go to: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/GEES.html Science in School The second issue of Science in School is now available to read and download at www.scienceinschool.org for free. A new European journal to promote inspiring science teaching, it covers not only biology, physics and chemistry, but also maths and Earth sciences, highlighting the best in teaching and cutting-edge research, and focusing on interdisciplinary work. The contents include teaching materials; recent discoveries in science; education projects; interviews with young scientists and inspiring teachers; education research; book reviews; and European events for teachers. The issue has contributions from ten countries covering topics as varied as astronomy, environmental chemistry and insect biology. Exciting European projects include a floating exhibition in Germany, an Italian university-school laboratory and a UK scheme to bring young scientists into the classroom. Two articles address the ‘theory and practice’ of chocolate. A full table of contents is available at www.scienceinschool.org/2006/issue2. Dr. Eleanor Hayes Editor: Science in School European Molecular Biology Laboratory Meyerhofstrasse 1 69117 Heidelberg Germany Email: hayes@embl.de www.scienceinschool.org www.esta-uk.org 30
TEACHING EARTH SCIENCES ● Volume 31 ● Number 4, 2006 ESTA Diary NOVEMBER November until 15th April 2007 Dino jaws Natural History Museum, London Contact: www.nhm.ac.uk 4th November Rockwatch event: ‘Festival of Geology’ University College, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Contact: Tel: 0207 734 5398 5th November Geologists’ Association Lecture by Dr Lesley Cherns. ‘What was inside an Ammonite Shell? Geological Society, Piccadilly, London 11th November Sussex Mineral Show. Clair Hall, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, Sussex. Contact: Tel:01444 233958 12th November Warrington Gem, Mineral and Craft Fair The Grappenhall Youth & Comminity Centre, Bellhouse Lane, Grappenhall, Warrington. Contact: Tel:01282 614615 18th - 19th November Rock’n’Gem Show Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, Gloucester Contact: www.rockngem.co.uk 24th November School event (KS3 & 4): Earth Lab workshop Natural History Museum, London Booking required Contact: www.nhm.ac.uk Tel: 020 7942 5555 25th November Sidcup Lapidary and Mineral Show Emmanuel Church Hall, Hadlow Road, Sidcup, Kent. Contact: Tel:020 8303 9610 25th - 26th November Rock’n’Gem Show Brighton Racecourse, Freshfield Road, Brighton. Contact: www.rockngem.co.uk 29th - 30th November Course for teachers of A level Geology ‘Teaching Practical Geology’ University of Liverpool Contact: E-mail: bamberi@liv.ac.uk DECEMBER 4th - 15th December School event (KS3 & 4): Earth Lab workshop Natural History Museum, London Booking required Contact: www.nhm.ac.uk Tel: 020 7942 5555 JANUARY 4th - 6th January ASE Annual Conference University of Birmingham Contact: www.ase.org.uk Appeal for Photographs: ESTA/GSL Website “The Rock Cycle” A group of ESTA secondary teachers, together with Prof David Sanderson at the Geological Society, are in the final stages of writing draft materials for what promises to be an exciting new resource for secondary science students, namely a website that tackles all aspects of the Rock Cycle and its associated processes and products. Some who attended the ESTA Conference in Bristol had a chance to look at the draft materials displayed on computer at the GSL stand, and commented very positively on them – for which, our thanks! The Rock Cycle resource will hopefully be launched in May 2007 as part of a complete re-vamp of GSL’s website, which is to incorporate an increased emphasis on the Society’s educational role. GSL hopes that it will be the first stage of a resource programme that will eventually cover the subject to VIth-form level and beyond. As teachers involved in writing this resource, we are very keen to make it stimulating, informative, geologically correct (!) and, as far as possible (within the confines of what the GSL Server can deliver) interactive. This means that we intend to incorporate many images, animations and video clips, and interactive, games & quizzes. In the writing process, we have all made extensive use of images downloaded from the Internet, but wish to replace as many as possible with copyright-free photos using (wherever possible) UK examples. As part of this emphasis, the site will include a section called “Rocks around Britain”, where a series of photographs accompanied by explanatory notes on rocks, processes and scenery will be linked from a map of Britain. This aspect of the site will hopefully also attract geography students. Dave Turner and I are currently compiling a “wish list” of geological photos - they need to be of high quality and taken in good conditions - which some ESTA members may be able to help with. If you would like to help, please get in touch to ask for a copy of the list, or feel free to send in a few images that you think may be useful – examples that we perhaps haven’t thought of or have never come across. Broadly speaking, we are looking for images of: ● Rocks (Ig/Sed/Met) and their associated scenery in the field, and ● active geologicical processes in UK (e.g. examples of weathering, erosion, transport, deposition). Your help will be much appreciated, although, I’m afraid, there’s no money in it! Mick de Pomerai Email: depomerai@btinternet.com 31 www.esta-uk.org
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