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 scientist and engineers in geoscience. 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. Beside it, numerous teaching tools are available via internet, and published information increases exponentially mainly in contentious and popular issues such as climate change. Therefore, a filter and adequate information is demanded at different levels of education.

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, teaching in the professional field and retain engineering students. On internet media, presentations and debates on experiences comparing different methods and tools to provide the most appropriate framework for students are welcome.

Funding provided by CEIGRAM (Research Centre for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks) and Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) through project no. AGL2010-21501/AGR is greatly appreciated.

Selected presentations will be considered in a special issue of an international journal.