The aim of this session is to provide a forum for teachers and researchers to discuss innovative and effective means of educating the future generation of engineers and geoscientists. Technological changes and advances in knowledge constantly create new demands on engineers, geoscientists and the educational system that produces them, so there is a need for the continued development and improvement of education to meet those demands.

With regards engineering education, we identify three key issues: (1) how students best learn the ideas, principles, and practices of engineering to become creative and innovative engineers, (2) ways of measuring this learning; and (3) how to increase student interest in engineering by establishing partnerships among engineering schools, corporations and non-profit organizations to recruit and retain engineering students.

In the geosciences one area of potential concern in contemporary education is the provision of fieldwork training. This is due to a number of factors, for example increasing pressures on research time; health and safety legislation; and increasing costs of field courses. This session, therefore, contributions discuss innovative and effective means of teaching in the field that can help enthuse future generations of geoscientists.

We hope that the crossing of disciplinary boundaries between engineers and geoscientists will add to the impact of the session by promoting exchange of ideas, approaches and new insights.

The session is supported by the EGU and the outreach committee of the British Society for Geomorphology. The EGU speaker will be Professor R.M. González-Tirados (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) presenting “Women's role in the Engineering career: situation in the XXI century”; whilst the BSG speaker will be Dr A. Boyle (University of Liverpool) presenting "The student fieldwork experience: influencing factors and implications for learning".