EIT RawMaterials RIS Hub Baltic’s Post

Earth science education is not just important—it’s crucial. Our society faces pressing issues that demand an informed and skilled electorate in earth sciences. Topics ranging from critical mineral resources, energy security, understanding natural hazards, and mineral exploration, to sustainable land use, water management, and natural hazard research are at the forefront of national and global priorities. Emerging fields, such as critical minerals to power renewable energy and net zero targets, also depend on a solid foundation in geology. Yet, in Australia’s largest state, earth science offerings are under threat with cuts to Earth Science departments at University of Wollongong and other universities across Australia by the end of this year. This raises a critical question for the Australian Federal and NSW Governments, Geoscience Australia, Australian universities and Industry: are we willing to compromise an essential pillar of national prosperity and future economic prosperity? The economic model driving our universities is clearly in need of reform. Universities must serve the public interest by preparing citizens with the skills necessary to navigate and address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Delaying action on this issue is a disservice to both our country and its future. Australian Geoscience Council (AGC), Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), Geological Society of Australia, @PESA, S.A, NSW Minerals Council, Minerals Council of Australia, AusIMM, BHP, Rio Tinto, Newmont Australia, Hancock Prospecting, Fortescue, OneSteel, South32, Evolution Mining, Coalfield Geology Council of NSW, GSA NSW Division Geological Society of Australia, Glencore

Unam southern campus gets geosciences department: University of Namibia (Unam) vice chancellor Kenneth Matengu says the university’s southern campus is making deliberate strides to be at the centre of development. Matengu said this last week at an appreciation dinner for stakeholders in the //Kharas region supporting the southern campus. He also announced the approval of N$60 million in funding from the National Planning Commission for the construction of a geosciences building at Unam’s southern campus. The building will house specialised laboratories to service the oil and gas, hydrology and engineering industries. “We have a greater vision for the south, and we are very aware of the natural endowments in the south: oil and gas, hydrogen, zinc, diamonds and good soil that just lacks water,” he said. During his state of the university address that formed part of the southern campus’ weeklong 10-year anniversary, Matengu raised concerns over schoolchildren’s poor performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects in the Hardap, //Kharas and Omaheke regions. He said statistics for the last five years indicate that out of 9 000 applications received, only 2 500 students were admitted to the Unam Southern Campus. “I saw the statistics last night for the last 10 years in the three regions south of Windhoek and south-east. The performance in Stem subjects is very bad, and if you don’t have good performance there, it means you cannot get into the hydrogen sector, and you cannot get into oil and gas. So this is something that requires discussion and action. “The reason why there is low participation in higher education in some sectors of the economy, even in green hydrogen, is this: It is not that the region is marginalised, but the number of people who would qualify is low, and it needs to be addressed,” the vice chancellor said. The university inaugurated the Rhino-Halliburton Technology Centre at its southern campus at Keetmanshoop on Thursday. The centre is equipped with cutting-edge hardware provided by Rhino Resources worth N$3.5 million, and a comprehensive N$129 million three-year software bundle, courtesy of Halliburton. “The state-of-the-art facility will improve research and practical training in petroleum geology, engineering geology, geophysics, and data analysis. The lab is equipped with 15 supercomputers. “This computing power will allow Unam researchers and students to interpret diverse petroleum data, calculate volumes, produce maps, and develop strategies to generate hydrocarbon exploration targeting or maximise hydrocarbon exploration,” Matengu said. Southern campus director Seth Eiseb said a proposal for a multipurpose resource centre had been submitted to the Unam Foundation to source funding. “Stakeholders, with your continued support, we will make the campus a catalyst for individual and regional prosperity…

Most geoscientists undoubtedly recognize the influential work of Bruce Watson. His research has revolutionized the field of zircon geochronology and deepened our understanding of crustal processes and the thermal evolution of our planet. Almost 20 years ago in 2006 Watson wrote an article in Elements, "Advising Future Scientists," addressing the challenges and opportunities for early career researchers. Many of his observations and advice still resonate in today's scientific landscape. I found it very interesting to read this article for the first time today and think about what still holds true. What Hasn't Changed: 1. Passion, Curiosity and Perseverence: He reinforced the enduring need to foster curiosity amond many other traits in students. This along with passion and perseverence remains a major focal point for scientific excellence and therefore is as vital now as it was then. 2. Challenges in Funding: The struggle for funding in basic geoscience research continues. 3. Importance of Flexibility: Watson advised graduates to be flexible in their career paths, highlighting opportunities across academia, government, and industry. This advice is still relevant, as interdisciplinary skills and adaptability are highly valued in today's job market. What Has Changed: 1. Technological Advancements: The past two decades have seen incredible advancements in analytical instrumentation and computational methods, thereby helping us understand geochemical processes from various scales of observations. 2. Environmental Awareness: While he noted the importance of environmental and energy issues, today's climate crisis has amplified the urgency of these concerns. The role of geoscientists in addressing climate change, sustainable resource management, and environmental remediation has become even more critical and the initiatives taken globally is truly amazing. 3. Global Collaboration: The scientific community has become more interconnected, with increased international collaboration and data sharing. While I believe this has its own little disadvantages, on a broader perspective such global approaches has accelerated progress and innovation, providing new opportunities for researchers worldwide. For more insights, please read the shared article. It would be good to analyze what has changed in your field of work over the years based on your experiences and how. #Geoscience #STEMEducation #ScientificResearch #CareerAdvice #FutureScientists #ScienceMentorship #Geochemistry #AcademicResearch #IndustryResearch #ScienceInspiration

Why should be do research on apparently unimportant topics? Simple answer: because the sake of applying knowledge! Many of us learnt a lot in our area of specialization, either in University, courses, degrees, training, and so on; however, most of the time that learning got stuck in our minds and with no further use-even if we are on an stable job. I remember being awe finding in one video of the Youtube channel #numberphile (with a lot of fun and interesting mathematical facts), when the professor James Grime was asked why to make research on such irrelevant topic, and he replied that knowledge should be put in movement. This answer entered a bit of contrast with what is customary in engineering and geosciences. For example, I remember one training session of the IBA2021, where senior engineers and geoscientist, from a well-respected NOC, told us that we applied knowledge for the sake of profit. So in conclusion we should apply the #knowledge we have in every possible scenario and this can be also doing #research on simple, common and small topics-even for fun or geocommunication. This just to keep bold our technical #skills.

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Are the geosciences failing their qualifying exam goals? 📝 Qualifying exams in the geosciences are an understudied yet potentially important failure point for retention of underrepresented students. A new commentary in AGU Advances provides concrete suggestions for graduate programs to evaluate and modify their exams, which may advance educational equity and quality. Learn more in #AGUEos: https://lnkd.in/gS6f-kjJ #AGUPubs #DEIA

We need geology. We need the basic science subjects to be taught at all uni’s. Maths, physics, chemistry, biology and geology. Whilst we’re at it let’s add in geomorphology and geography too. The basic pillars of understanding our environment and the many hazards our world is facing.

Geo Math Monday: Targeting Minerals with Precision🎯 🔬Behnam Sadeghi's talk, "Decision-making for follow-up mineral exploration based on spatial uncertainty of geochemical data", explores his frequency- and Bayesian-based model for quantifying spatial uncertainty to improve sampling strategies and identify high-probability mineralization areas, including applications in challenging terrains and planetary exploration. ✨Sadeghi is a Research Fellow at CSIRO and Fulbright Research Scholar at Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL), Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington. He specializes in mineral exploration and geochemistry, integrating advanced geostatistics, GIS, and geospatial analytics to tackle critical mineral challenges. This innovative research, developed in collaboration with CSIRO, Stanford University, and EPL, is paving the way for smarter mineral exploration, even beyond Earth. 🚀 Geo Math Monday is our series of worldclass lectures from The International Association for Mathematical Geosciences annual conference in Trondheim, now available in a filmed version. Link in the comments field 👇 🎥 Steinar Ellefmo Raoul Schmitt Xavier 🚀 Emery Andras Bardossy Shaunna Morrison Michael Pyrcz 🇺🇦 Pieter Vermeesch Behnam Sadeghi (PhD, RPGeo, FAusIMM, FAIG, FAAG) #MineralExploration #GeochemicalDataAnalysis #SpatialUncertainty #CriticalMineralsInnovation

Is Geology Boring? Or Are We Just Not Telling Its Story Right? The perception of geology has changed—and not necessarily for the better. While geologists understand its vast interdisciplinary nature, society often sees it as outdated, narrowly focused, and even irrelevant. This perception gap is a major concern, as highlighted in a recent study by Rogers et al. (2024) (https://lnkd.in/eC_sMz54). 📉 Declining enrollment, university departments shutting down, and fewer students pursuing geology—why? 🔍 The study found that those outside the field see geology as simply "studying rocks", with little real-world impact beyond extractive industries. 🌎 Meanwhile, geologists themselves describe their work as a dynamic, interdisciplinary science linked to critical societal issues—climate change, resource sustainability, water management, and more. 🚨 The Real Issue: We Are Failing to Communicate Our Value 🚨 One key takeaway? The failure to emphasize geology’s applied and transferable aspects makes it harder to engage new students and professionals. The field is not just about hammers and rocks—it is about understanding Earth’s processes, shaping policy, driving the energy transition, and solving global challenges. This raises an important discussion: 🗣 How do we reshape the narrative around geology? 💡 How can geologists better communicate the real impact of their work? 🌍 What role does the discipline play in today’s biggest global challenges? Let’s open the conversation. What are your thoughts? (Image source: Rogers et al., 2024, Earth Science, Society, and Sustainability Journal, doi:10.3389/esss.2024.10078)

Earth Sciences holds the key to the energy transition, yet we are facing a worrying shortage of experts as the current workforce retires and fewer students enter the discipline. A great take from Graham Grant on why Seequent is investing in tools to attract early talent to the field. https://lnkd.in/gj9RbVQi