The "Icelandic Center for Energyscape (ICE)" is an inter-university teaching and research centre located in Hvanneyri on the campus of the Agricultural University of Iceland and in Reykjavik on the campus of Reykjavik University. The centre focuses on the incorporation of renewable energy into natural landSCAPES, by applying the concept of ENERGYSCAPE. ICE offers undergraduate and graduate courses for students, experts, interested pupils, and research fellows.

Renewable energy production can significantly impact natural resources and landscapes. ICE aims to combine the benefits of renewable energy production with other ecosystem services in order to develop sustainable solutions for a climate-neutral society. This requires a multidisciplinary approach using existing knowledge of landscapes, energy technology, ecology and circular economy solutions to address holistic challenges in energy production. The Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI) has extensive expertise in agriculture, environmental science, and landscape architecture. Reykjavik University (RU) closely cooperates with the Icelandic industries to develop innovative engineering and technology solutions. Therefore, the AUI and RU established a joint research and training Center for Icelandic Energyscape in Hvanneyri. 

The AUI campus in Hvanneyri is located in the protected area of Ramsar - an internationally recognized wetland area for wildlife, vital for the white geese during the summer months. The unique location provides the ideal conditions for innovative and applied research in Energyscape. ICE educate and train a new generation of practitioners to reduce the impact of engineering and agricultural production on sensitive natural resources and ecosystems, to address the challenges of designing and implementing renewable energy infrastructure, with minimal visual and environmental impact in the protected area of Hvanneyri.

Biomass Energyscape:  The organic waste from local farms will be used to develop a biomass energy centre. A small biogas reactor is built to convert biowaste and biomass into climate-friendly biogas.

Hydropower Energyscape: The Andakill hydropower plant is located a few kilometres east of the AUI campus. In order to mitigate and minimize the power plant's environmental impacts, various Nature-based Solutions have been implemented upstream and downstream of the plant. Accordingly, Andakill is the ideal case study to demonstrate and teach sustainable hydropower production.

Tidal Energyscape: Borgarfjörður is an ideal case study to investigate the energy potential of tidal currents, to investigate the tidal currents in the fjord and estimate the power potential of the currents. The impacts on marine flora and fauna will be investigated and demonstrated to students.

Geothermal Energyscape: Being close to Reykholt and Bæjarsveit, two large geothermal sources, geothermal energy pass through the Hvanneyri campus. The evolution of geothermal energy will be monitored with complementary sensors. This will allow students to discuss and analyze the optimal usage of geothermal energy for electricity production, agricultural production, district heating and recreational spas. 

Wind Energyscape: Heggstaðir and Vatnshamrar are two potential locations close to Hvanneyri with suitable weather conditions for wind farms. The energy potential will be assessed using weather monitoring stations. Furthermore, a potential wind farm's visual and environmental impacts can be compared to socio-economic benefits and its impacts on the Ramsar area's fauna.  

How to cite: Nickayin, S. S. and Finger, D. C.: Icelandic Center for Energyscape (ICE) - Creating solutions for a climate-neutral society, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15462, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15462, 2023.

Space weather is the study of the changes in Earth’s space environment with solar activities that impact technical systems, such as communication, navigation, aviation, satellite command and control, and electric power.  With the increasing human presence in space and blossoming of the New Space industry, understanding the physics of the heliosphere and the ability to accurately predict space weather events became essential to government agencies and private industry. The need for “in-house” professional experts on space weather becomes important for agencies/businesses to understand the potential implications of upcoming space weather events and make informed decisions to protect equipment, infrastructure and ensure health and safety. The Catholic University of America Physics department (CUA-Physics) has developed one of the U.S. first M.S. program in Applied Space Weather Research (ASWR), taught by faculty in the Dept. of Physics, researchers from our NASA/PHaSER cooperative agreement, and NASA civil-servant scientists. The CUA Master’s Degree program in Applied Space Weather Research is designed to provide graduate students the knowledge that will be needed in government and industry to confront the increasing impacts of space weather as human presence in space expands. In addition to core courses in thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and statistical mechanics, the program includes three new courses that cover the fundamental physical processes of space weather from the surface of the Sun to Earth’s atmosphere, in addition to courses in plasma physics and numerical methods for space weather. The technical and health impacts of space weather are integrated into these courses and also taught as part of a space weather seminar series. The program is open to students from any of the sciences, mathematics, and engineering disciplines, and is designed to teach students from diverse backgrounds the fundamentals of space weather. The program makes use of models and data streams available through CUA’s on-going partnership with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A key goal of the program is to provide our students with ample opportunity to learn both the scientific and practical aspects of space weather that will position them for jobs in academia, government and industry through active mentorship with scientists and researchers at Catholic University, NASA, and university partners. With emphasis on both the applied and research aspects of space weather, the program provides the unique interdisciplinary education needed to address the challenges of understanding, forecasting, and mitigating the threats from space weather. 

How to cite: Poh, G. K., Uritsky, V., Feuillet, L., Robinson, R., and Kraemer, S.: A comprehensive Applied Space Weather Research graduate program for professionals to meet academia and commercial needs for space weather expertise, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-10567, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-10567, 2023.

The recently formed University Partnership for Atmospheric Sciences (UPAS) has been developed by student, academic staff and faculty representatives of the 10 German universities that provide consecutive studies in the field of meteorology through both Bachelor (BSc) and Master (MSc) programmes. UPAS is open to all meteorologists at all levels and is supported by an executive office hosted at the University Bonn. The explicit goal of UPAS is to secure, guide and further develop meteorology as a study and research field at German universities while also synergizing the efforts of the individual partners in the four areas of

• Attracting suitable students,
• Excellent education,
• Synergies for successful science, and
• Societal and Community outreach.

We will present our efforts of the past months, which included e.g. establishing an international network of early-career scientists in the field of meteorology through virtual monthly meet-ups as well as an annual early-career scientist conference, testing experiments focusing on climate change and developing a handbook for meteorologists to showcase these experiments in a classroom near them, and using tools on our website to interact with the general public. Our upcoming plans include strategically entering the world of online and social media to both communicate to and interact with meteorology students in addition to interested citizens regarding meteorology as a whole, as well as establishing a nation-wide citizen science project. We are also interested in forming international ties to networks with similar objectives.

How to cite: Thiele-Eich, I. and Uebachs, A.: Communicating meteorology: the University Partnership for Atmospheric Sciences (UPAS), EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15763, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15763, 2023.

As part of the European Joint Project (EJP) SOIL on agricultural soil management, we designed and conducted a survey dedicated to the apprehension of the soil science skills required in the future (i.e. 20 years from now). The study adopted an interdisciplinary approach between Soil Science and Social Sciences. Various categories of stakeholders were contacted, including representatives of farmer organizations, farmer advisors, public policy makers, industry and retailers, NGOs, education and research organizations, and certifying and funding agencies. People were asked to provide personal opinions.

The survey comprised five sections. The first section focused on the characterization of the respondents and their relation to soils through their professional activities. The next three sections were designed to collect data about the stakeholders’ assessment of the future importance of soil science skills and identify innovative ideas. In section two, the respondents were asked to provide a list of skills they thought would be important in the future (open questions). Then, in the third section, they were asked to rank a series of proposed skills from 1 (useless) to 8 (essential). Skills were grouped into categories, such as “scientific knowledge on soil and their functioning”, “assessing soil quality” or “knowing how to mobilise agronomic drivers to manage and protect soils”. The survey also included some generic and technical skills, such as oral and written communication or use of databases. In the fourth section, the respondents could provide and rank additional skills that were not included in previous sections. In the fifth and last section, the objective was to identify future soil science related professional profiles. Here, respondents could provide a list of professional profiles and match them with the required skills.

The survey was handled and distributed on line using LimeSurvey^TM. The survey was available in English and in the national language of each of the 24 countries taking part in the EJP SOIL. Stakeholders were contacted through the National Hubs set up within the framework of the EJP SOIL. More than a thousand stakeholders were invited to collaborate. Efforts were made to balance participation between countries and stakeholder categories. For that purpose, we set up a target for the number of respondents per country proportional to its NUTS 2 regions. To take into consideration smaller countries representation, a minimum of invitations per country was also set. The response rate and the distribution of the responses between stakeholder categories was satisfactory. The target number was not reached for a few countries.

The analysis of the survey results allowed to identify (i) the skills considered most important according to the categories of stakeholders; (ii) new competences traditionally not included in training curricula but considered necessary by stakeholders; (iii) differences in appreciation according to respondents; (iv) possible evolutions of job profiles related to soil science.  The results of this survey will contribute to EJP’s roadmap on agricultural soil management by providing an objective basis for recommandations on training program evolution within EU.

How to cite: Coquet, Y., Veenstra, J., Melot, R., and Walter, C.: Soil science skills for the future: a European perspective, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11437, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11437, 2023.

NASA's Solar System Treks Project (SSTP) online portals provide web-based suites of interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable mission planners, planetary scientists, students, and the general public to access mapped data products from past and current missions for a growing number of planetary bodies.

Solar System Treks portals are being used for site selection and analysis by NASA and its international and commercial partners supporting upcoming missions. At the same time, the portals offer great inspirational and educational benefits for science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) education and public engagement, providing access to data from a wide range of instruments aboard a variety of past and current missions. As a component of NASA's Science Activation Infrastructure, they are available as resources for NASA STEAM programs, and to the greater STEAM community. As new missions are planned to a variety of planetary bodies, these tools facilitate teaching and learning of the missions and engage the public in the process of identifying and selecting where these missions will land.

Today, 11 web portals in the program are available to the public. This list includes portals for the Moon; the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars; the asteroids Bennu, Ryugu, Vesta, and Ceres; and the outer moons Titan and Europa. The Icy Moons Trek portal features seven of Saturn’s smaller icy moons. All of the portals are unified under a project home site with supporting engagement content. These web-based portals are free resources and publicly available. They are tools that facilitate and benefit teaching and learning within higher education community.

This presentation for EGU will detail and share examples of the project’s STEAM utilization, and preview future developments, enhancements and applications.

How to cite: Law, E. and Day, B. and the Solar System Treks Team: Higher Education Teaching and Research using NASA’s Solar System Treks, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-989, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-989, 2023.

While the importance of Nature-based Solutions for climate change adaptation (NbaS) is being increasingly acknowledged, this concept should be introduced in higher education. It looks particularly important for master's programs, because they usually lead to management jobs. Future graduates will therefore be required to make decisions in land use planning, urban planning, risk and resource management for example.

Based on a survey questionnaire, several interviews and a text mining analysis of the Master’s contents, a first analysis was conducted to identify, localise and analyse the French Masters that presented links with NbaS related concepts. This analysis revealed that the notion of NbaS is far from being mastered. This might be caused by a conceptual misunderstanding of definitions.

A combined analysis of the findings derived from this study and the results acquired within the framework of the European ARTISAN project (Achieving Resiliency by Triggering Implementation of nature-based Solutions for climate Adaptation at a National scale, www.life-artisan.fr), a training module dedicated to NbaS has been designed. Covering a wide spectrum of topics, it is composed of 8 courses of 3 hours: (i) Introduction to climate change, (ii)  NbS and NbaS: from terminology to reality, (iii) Ecological engineering and multidisciplinary approach, (iv) NbaS and geosciences, (v) Actors: mobilization, consultation and acceptance, (vi) Regulatory and normative framework, (vii) Methods and tools, (viii) Implementation of a NbaS.

Each course contains a general part gathering basic knowledge, and a second more specific part called in-depth.The latter makes it possible to adapt to the environment highlighted by the training in which the module is provided (urban, agricultural, humid, maritime and coastal, mountainous, natural, forest, or all environments).This structuring allows the module to be flexible and adaptable to the level and field of application of the targeted training.

How to cite: Versini, P.-A., Al-Sayah, M., and Schertzer, D.: Development of a Master course module dedicated to Nature-based adaptation Solutions, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9303, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9303, 2023.

Recent advances in underwater and airborne robotic systems and ocean technologies have opened new perspectives in marine geology and its applications in the context of coastal and marine economic activities, whose sustainable development is increasingly acknowledged as a pillar for the new blue economy. BridgET (Bridging the gap between the land and the sea in a virtual Environment for innovative Teaching and community involvement in the science of climate change-induced marine and coastal geohazard) is an EU ERASMUS+ project designed to develop innovative and inclusive teaching methods to address a growing demand for strategic skills and scientific expertise in the field of 3D geological mapping of coastal environments. Seamless integration of the wide variety of multisource and multiscale onshore, nearshore and offshore geospatial data is indeed one of the main areas for improvement in the implementation of efficient management practices in coastal regions, where climate change, rising sea level, and geohazards are considerable environmental issues.

BridgET involves a partnership consisting of six European universities with outstanding expertise in the study of geological hazards, and climate impacts in marine and coastal areas (i.e., University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, Arctic University of Tromsø/CAGE - Norway, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Greece, Kiel University, Germany, University of Liege – Belgium, and the University of Malta), two Italian research institutes (INGV and INAF) and a German company (Orthodrone GmvH) specialized in UAS-based LiDAR and photogrammetry data acquisition services and analyses. Project implementation relies on delivering learning and teaching activities through dedicated summer schools for MSc students by efficiently combining the partner’s expertise. Schools focus on giving students a hands-on experience with the variety of methods and procedures adopted in geospatial data acquisition and processing, including the use of drones (Uncrewed Aerial System – UAS), acoustic remote sensing techniques and underwater robotic systems, together with      the progress made by computer visions and digital image analysis by using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are also introduced to the opportunity to easily examine multiple viewing angles of the seabed and coastal 3D surfaces by using immersive and non-immersive Virtual Reality (VR), to bring them closer to a more straightforward observation of geomorphological data and geological phenomena.

The first Summer School was held in Santorini between the 3rd and 14th of October, 2022. It was attended by 26 students coming from 13 different countries. Teaching and learning activities included several classrooms, fieldwork, laboratory sessions, and seven seminars and cultural visits dealing with transversal topics, allowing students to approach an integrated understanding of human interaction with physical processes from social and economic perspectives. In this presentation, we give examples of course content used to allow students to develop a deeper understanding of theoretical and practical knowledge of climate-induced coastal and marine geohazards. Participants' opinions on the quality of the offered learning/training activities of the Erasmus+ BridgET Santorini Summer School (collected through a dedicated questionnaire) will also be presented.

How to cite: Savini, A., Antoniou, V., Bonali, F. L., Drummer, C., Esalingam, T., Fallati, L., Falsaperla, S., Gross, F., Havenith, H.-B., Klusak, J., Krastel, S., Martens, I., Micallef, A., Nomikou, P., Panieri, G., Reitano, D., Teege, J., Tibaldi, A., Varzi, A. G., and Vitello, F. and the Erasmus+ BridgET Team: The Erasmus+ BridgET project: A European partnership to renew teaching in marine geosciences, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13999, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13999, 2023.

Science communication skills are more essential than ever to today’s scientists, helping break down barriers such as the widespread use of technical jargon and limited access to journals in order to promote interdisciplinary collaboration with non-geoscientists and public understanding of geoscience research. However, traditional geoscience curricula place limited emphasis on the development of communication skills, particularly for audiences beyond scientific peers. Meanwhile, traditional science news focuses on topics of obvious interest to the public, such as geohazards or climate change. As a result, scientists are often given little scope to practice communicating with a general audience, and the majority of geoscience research lacks a mechanism for generating public interest.

“Bites” sites are blogs dedicated to communicating new developments in science to a broad audience. Each bite is an engaging, short (400-700 word) summary that explains an exciting new scientific paper and discusses its importance in the field. Bites are typically written by graduate students and other early career scientists about recently published articles that have not been picked up by more traditional science news outlets. These sites serve three key purposes: 1) to keep the interested public – especially university students who may consider careers in geoscience – up to date with recent developments in the field, 2) to generate attention for new work that traditional media outlets may miss, and 3) to give early career scientists practice with public-facing writing and editing, which are critical skills both within and beyond academia.

Here we discuss lessons learned in 3 years of running the site Geobites, targeted at communicating new geoscience (broadly-defined) research to the public. We discuss the community of peer science communicators formed by Geobites, diagram the structure of an effective article, present site analytics, and solicit feedback from the geoscience communication community.

How to cite: Vrouwenvelder, K., Shobe, C., Moerchen, M., and Giampoala, M.: Geobites: 3 Years of Science Communication Training in Practice, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6750, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6750, 2023.

In August 2022, we organized a hybrid course within the European Universities “FORTHEM” Alliance, which integrated virtual and on-site teaching techniques, testing various didactic concepts that allowed simultaneous, collaborative work by groups of on-line and on-site students.

The field area is located in Molinos, Teruel province of eastern Spain, where a spectacular fossil-rich Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentary sequence is exposed. The record mainly comprises marine units, which reveal changes in depositional environment that reflect paleoclimate changes. However, the area is extensively folded and faulted, and thus the tectonic deformation needs to be unraveled in order to determine the original depositional sequences.

The two groups of students worked on the same challenges but on different scales. The exchange of field and digital observations between students facilitated a holistic understanding of the local geology. The on-site participants performed traditional geological mapping, focusing on definition of units with different sedimentological characteristics and fossil assemblages, definition of a stratigraphic sequence and characterization of the geological structures that affect its continuity. In the field, these students learned how to use a geologic database (StraboSpot) on their phones or tablets for easy exchange of data, and were given a short introduction in the use of UAVs and photogrammetry.

On-line participants examined 3D models of outcrops and macrofossils, some constructed by the on-site participants, and carried out digital geological mapping with the aid of satellite images. They were able to provide a broader context for the outcrop-scale observations made by the on-site students, and carry out literature review for interpretation of the observed geological unit characteristics.

The two groups met in a hybrid classroom by video conference from 8-10pm daily, to share the outcomes of their days’ work and obtain instructions for the next day. The greatest challenges were logistical, related to establishing and maintaining a classroom environment in a region of poor internet reception. This required large time input from the teaching staff. Nevertheless, in general, the blended learning approach yielded more significant outcomes than would have been possible with only one of the participant groups. 

Acknowledgements: PlaneSight Online: Phillip Seelos, Steffen Abe, Hagen Deckert. V3Geo models: Simon Buckley, Conor Lewis. Molinos geology: Till Sachau, Paul Bons, Carlos Martinez-Perez, Sonia Ros-French, Fabrizio Pepe.

How to cite: Toy, V., Hawemann, F., Kirilova, M., Fenske, S., and Thomann, J.: Report on our hybrid online/on-site field trip: Reconstructing Earth’s past climate from the sedimentary record., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12309, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12309, 2023.

Virtual field trips (VFTs) are a means to give learners a genuine experience and feeling of what it
would be like to participate in in-person fieldtrips but can also act as a teaching resource to meet other
learning outcomes that are not necessarily related to fieldwork. These virtual experiences can provide
greater accessibility for people that cannot participate in in-person field trips for reasons such as
logistics, cost, or physical ability. Using internet browsers, we have been able to create online content
that is interactive with mapping activities, communication exercises, animations, 360° videos, virtual
rocks, detailed thin sections of rocks, and questions with automated feedback. These VFTs have been
used as more than just a replica of an in-person field trip, they can be used in a variety of contexts. As
an example, our research group has used them as: 1) flexible knowledge resources to replace lectures
and supplement hands-on laboratory classes and tutorials; 2) fieldwork preparation resources that
teach content and allow students to explore outcrops they will visit in person; and 3) a self-guided
field trip when group field trips are impractical or impossible (e.g., student illness).
We have found that VFTs allow educators to take students to places they would otherwise not be able
to go, to familiarize students with field skills and content before going into the field to maximize
learning on in-person field trips. Our research results from student interviews, focus groups and pre-
post measures of learning show that students enjoy and engage well with the digital content, although
we are still far from an immersive in-person field experience. Looking to the future, we are continuing
to develop new ways for students to genuinely explore and discover on a VFT, making use of mixed
reality, which has the potential to provide students with an even more immersive experience. Such
interactive VFTs can be suitable replacements for lecture content in a flipped classroom or as
preparatory exercises for in-person fieldtrips, but they should only replace in-person fieldtrips after
careful consideration.

How to cite: Davidson, J., Kennedy, B., Watson, A., Engel, K., Jolley, A., Stahl, T., Nichols, A., and Brogt, E.: Researching the use of virtual Field trips as a flexible multipurpose teaching resource, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1106, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1106, 2023.

Traditional geological field education includes organized trips of large student groups to geological outcrops. Typically, instructors guide students to outcrops and give (mini-) lectures. The students’ notes consist of the provided verbal summaries instead of one’s sketches and descriptions of outcrops, often leading to poor reports. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented group travel to geological sites, which halted such forms of teaching. To continue field education despite the contact restrictions, I designed an alternative way of field-based learning through proactive engagement of students in trip planning, site selection, outcrop study, discussion, and report writing. The concept involves (1) geotope sites provided by survey offices (e.g., Geotoprecherche LfU Bayern) because they contain precise outcrop locations and just the right amount of relevant geological information allowing students to visit geotopes of their interest on their own. It also involves (2) a shared project on GOOGLE EARTH WEB to which students post field photos, sketches, and text, which they present in (3) in the weekly zoom-seminars (geotope seminar). Instructors provide feedback and stimulate discussion among participants based on the presented field observations. The resulting sketches and reports are of higher quality because they are exclusively based on the student’s concentrated work at the outcrop (only 2 per day). However, no instructor accompanied any student in the field. The geotope seminar accommodates day trips, multi-day field exercises, and mapping projects for geoscience students of all ages and interests. Geotope courses could be offered to the broader public if safe site access is secured.

How to cite: Friedrich, A. M.: Geotopes as a tool for geoscience teaching and outreach, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-16110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-16110, 2023.

This is the most common answer to a common question at the beginning of the semester. Teaching remote sensing skills at university often is associated in physical geography but also geoscience studies. Thus, the topics with which we teach remote sensing skills are often related to these subjects. In undergraduate courses, the thematic interests strongly vary among students. In advanced master courses, students with various thematic and technical backgrounds (geo sciences, computing science, economics, ecology, law, politics etc.) may join remote sensing classes. Additionally, the number of students increases. From the teaching perspective, we aim to address the varying student needs and backgrounds and enable them to further develop their technical skills and have to cope with these challenges. In this presentation, we want to present two practical formats of currently taught remote sensing classes.

In all classes, we work with freely available satellite data (Sentinels, Landsat, MERIS, MODIS etc.) and software (SNAP, QGIS, GoogleEarth, Sentinel-Hub and other browser-based tools). The first class is designed for undergraduate students (geography and related subjects, e.g. geosciences) who have a theoretical remote sensing background (lecture). After completing the class, the students should be able to independently conduct and document a remote sensing processing routine and evaluate results. To this end, the class is split in a part with instructions and a second part with independent work. First, the students work in groups through a modular online implemented course for ten weeks. The modules chronologically follow a basic routine to finally classify land use/ land cover in a study area. The modules contain theoretic background, prepared data, short videos on software usage and broad instructions. To assure the learning process, the students conduct self-tests after completed modules and participate in a weekly on-site tutorial. After completing all modules, they have to independently assess a flood event without detailed instructions and write a fictious report for a catastrophe response unit. Students positively evaluate the split structure, free division of work, videos and self-tests with feedback. Otherwise, they wish more time for asking questions and discuss issues of understanding in the on-site tutorials.

The advanced master course “Remote Sensing Applications” is open for students with a basic, practical remote sensing knowledge coming from different master programs. After completing the class, the students should be able to independently process, analyse and discuss remote sensing data and combine them with additional data to work on a geo-/study-related topic (geology, coast, socio-economic, climatic etc.). To this end, we selected New Zealand as study area. Within on-site classes, the students work on the topics geothermics, urban heat islands, droughts, forestry and cloud computing with non-prepared satellite and other data. For the final project, they select a research topic on their own and present their analyses and results in a storymap. Students highly appreciated choosing an own topic for the examination and discussing them in the whole group.  

Here, we aim to reflect the presented classes with the community to further improve our current “solutions” for challenges in teaching remote sensing.

How to cite: Kuhwald, K., Gröschler, K.-C., Uhl, F., and Oppelt, N.: Why are you taking the course? Oh, remote sensing interests me…, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6530, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6530, 2023.

Although GIS technologies have been utilized in many fields, including geoscience and geography, obtaining skills in GIS operation is still challenging. Effective GIS operation requires geographical and cartographic knowledge such as the principles of map projection, techniques to use computers and related devices, and expertise in graphic, spreadsheet, and database software. In addition, various recent concepts and technologies, such as AR, VR, UAVs, web mapping, and 3D printing, have been combined with today’s GIS. Therefore, comprehensive GIS education is crucial for fostering scientists with GIS skills.

We have been developing methodologies and materials for GIS education to address this issue. They include 1) online open-source materials for learning how to use GIS software for various applications, 2) web-based online GIS to learn applications of GIS for understanding disaster risks, 3) web pages to learn the basics of Python programming relevant to GIS, and 4) materials for learning the utilization of UAVs, 3D printers, AR, and VR in connection with GIS. This presentation outlines our activities and discusses their implications to provide future perspectives.

In 2022, a subject called General Geography with an emphasis on GIS became compulsory in Japanese senior high schools (10 to 12 grades) due to government educational reform. Because students usually select what to major in universities during high school, attracting high-school students' attention to GIS and related geoscientific and geographical issues is essential for the future development of geoscience and geography. Therefore, the targets of our activities are both university and high school students.

How to cite: Oguchi, T., Yamauchi, H., Song, J., Ogura, T., and Iizuka, K.: Developing methodologies and materials for GIS education to university and high school students, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4945, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4945, 2023.

The 'Fieldstone' project is an attempt to first and foremost provide the Utrecht University students with a single source of knowledge/information about the field of computational geodynamics. It consists of a unique blend of multiple syllabuses for the geophysics courses that I teach, more than a hundred of educational python codes covering many topics (finite elements, finite differences, rheology, mass momentum energy equations, plotting, some data processing, etc ...) and a rudimentary attempt at organising more than 4000 references by topic. It is an ongoing open source project that is constantly updated by myself with occasional contributions by our MSc students. It is however not only meant for students as it is also used by colleagues and collaborators of different universities for personal study or to train their own students. 
In my presentation I will explain the philosophy and structure of the project, show examples of some of the key educational codes and reflect on how I see this project mature in the coming years and hopefully find its audience. 

How to cite: Thieulot, C.: FIELDSTONE: a computational geodynamics (self-)teaching tool, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14212, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14212, 2023.

Teaching geoscience phenomena often involves the use, albeit unconscious, of speech-accompanying gestures (van Boening / Riggs, 2020). Even though speech-accompanying metaphorical gestures are considered to have great potential in teaching situations (Herrera & Riggs, 2013), little attention has been paid to the role of gestures in learning geoscientific processes to date. The presented study addresses the question, whether the teacher's use of metaphorical gestures when explaining the processes at destructive and constructive plate boundaries can help learners to develop adequate scientific conceptions.  In an experimental study, 62 students from eight different classes in two high schools (grades 7-9) watch a movie. In this movie a teacher explains the processes at destructive and constructive plate boundaries, one time (group 1, n= 30) without using metaphorical gestures, one time (group 2, n=32) by using metaphorical gestures. Students are asked about their conceptions of divergent and convergent plate boundaries using semi-structured interviews before as well as after this intervention. The interviews are analyzed using a combination of systematic metaphor analysis (Schmitt, 2010) and gesture analysis (Herrera & Riggs, 2013; Müller, 1998). This was followed by a quantitative analysis with SPSS. The analysis showed highly significant differences between the groups. After the intervention, 33% of the group 1 activated a suitable source domain when explaining divergent plate boundaries, while 78.1 % of the group 2 did so (χ² (1, n = 62) = 12.636, p < .001; φ- = .451). When explaining convergent plate boundaries after the intervention, 10% in group 1 activated an appropriate source domain, and 67.78 % in group 2 did so: χ² (1, n = 61) = 21.300, p < .001; φ- = .59). These results suggest, that the use of metaphorical gestures in teaching geoscience processes should be paid more attention. Further research is needed on different variables, for example, on the type of gestures used, but also on the age of the learners.

References

 van Boening, A. M.  & Riggs, E. M. (2020). Geologic gestures: A new classification for embodied cognition in geology. Journal of Geoscience Education, 68(1), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2019.1624250

Herrera, J., & Riggs, E. (2013). Relating Gestures and Speech: An Analysis Of Students' Conceptions About Geological Sedimentary Processes. International Journal of Science Education, 35(12), 1979-2003.

 Müller, C. (1998). Redebegleitende Gesten. Kulturgeschichte – Theorie- Sprachvergleich. Berlin: Berlin Verlag.

Schmitt, R. (2010). Metaphernanalyse. In: Mey,G. & Mruck, K. (Eds.), Handbuch Qualitative Forschung in der Psychologie, (S. 676–691). Springer.

How to cite: Conrad, D.: Understanding processes at plate boundaries with the help of gestures. An experimental study about the role of gestures in teaching geoscience., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1103, 2023.

The foundations of a discipline shape the way in which knowledge is created, by whom, for what, and dictates who is allowed to generate knowledge. The historical roots of modern Earth Science lie in early colonial principles, when geological exploration for resource extraction was a powerful tool in colonial expansion. The legacy is that dominance of western institutions in Earth Science disciplines reinforces imperial and colonial power relations, where ‘powerful knowledge’ continues to ignore, belittle and erase other systems of knowledge. The founding and growth of these institutions during colonialism dictated who was allowed to practise geology. Those whose class, gender, race, or disability did not fit were excluded. 

There is a documented diversity crisis in UK Higher Education Earth Science. However, Earth scientists of various underrepresented and intersecting identities have always existed; their histories have just been hidden. Marín-Spiotta et al., (2020) argue that any action to “increase diversity, equity, and inclusion needs to start with an examination of the historical roots of contemporary experiences of exclusion”. Dowey et al., (2021) argue that “fundamental lack of acknowledgement that geoscience is deeply rooted in, and built on, colonialism, white power, violence, exploitation and slavery pervades relationships in the present” and is a barrier to participation in the geosciences. However, at present, Earth Science curricula in the UK typically do not confront the subject’s colonial past, and are taught through a Western-centric lens. The UK ‘Fathers of Geology’ feature almost exclusively in historical accounts of the subject while non-western and indigenous scholars and ways of knowing are largely excluded. Geology in Society courses are often framed as how geoscience can help society, without due regard for ethics. Thus, the legacy of colonialism is perpetuated through current UK Earth Science practise and education. 

Decolonising the Curriculum is a philosophical and pedagogical initiative exploring the origin, development and use of knowledge that calls for academics to create “spaces and resources for a dialogue among all members of the university on how to imagine and envision all cultures and knowledge systems in the curriculum, and with respect to what is being taught and how it frames the world” (Keele University’s Decolonising the Curriculum Manifesto, 2018). Rogers et al., (2021) argue that Earth Scientists may lack the academic training, knowledge and interdisciplinary approaches needed to decolonise the Earth Science curriculum. 

In this project we have identified three needs in UK HE Earth Science: (1) to make explicit the exclusionary and unethical practices that were common in geological education and practice and how they manifest today; (2) to reveal the hidden histories of other historically excluded and minoritised Earth Scientists, making their contributions explicitly visible and (3) to train Earth Science professionals and researchers to be more aware of geology’s imperial/colonial past and ongoing extension of colonial practices to halt the perpetuation of this legacy. We present a package of open access pedagogical tools and resources we hope will enable sector-wide recognition, learning, and conversations around the historical legacy of Earth Science and modern inequities. 

How to cite: Williams, R., Lawrence, A., Raji, M., Rogers, S., Dowey, N., Houghton, J., Mills, K., Souch, C., and Jameson, G.: Decolonising UK Earth Science pedagogy - from the hidden histories of our geological institutions to inclusive curricula, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13760, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13760, 2023.

We describe the creation and running of ‘Introduction to Climate Change and Sustainability’ a student led interdisciplinary undergraduate module. The course was designed and led by 2 undergraduate students with a passion for climate action, bringing together an interdisciplinary array of academic speakers from different departments. The format has been a mixture of lecture and in-class discussion, with assessment using presentations and group work. It has now been run 3 times. We will discuss some of the experiences and challenges around designing and running a credit bearing module with a joint team of students and staff support, with thoughts from running the course both online and in-person. 

How to cite: Petrie, E., Nanthakumar, V., Marot, S., Toney, J., Lemal, N., Antener, S., and Murphy, B.: Designing and running a student led Climate Change and Sustainability module, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15573, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15573, 2023.

This research explores the experiences of students and staff who have been involved in online courses delivered by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science since March 2020, with a view to developing a pedagogic approach which will help to make online learning more engaging for all students.

I work for the National Centre for Atmospheric Science coordinating the training that we deliver in Atmospheric Science to postgraduate researchers. Over the last two years we have moved much of our training online and I have invested time in working with staff to understand the ways we can best support them to maximise student engagement. When students are attending a course virtually it is challenging to create an environment within which they feel comfortable speaking and sharing their experiences and also for them to feel engaged enough with their learning community to feel that their presence is valued and that they would be missed if absent. When looking to engage students throughout a programme, building a sense of community is a key factor (Boyle et al., 2010; Yates et al., 2014) and builds a sense of dependency amongst the students. Although generally, students are defined as being engaged if they are actively involved in doing something, whether that be activities, discussions or group work (Radloff & Coates, 2010), Kahu et al suggest a broader definition where students feel a connection to their studies (Kahu et al., 2014). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic many courses have needed to be delivered online, and few teachers have the specific skills needed to develop and deliver high quality online training (OECD, 2020), meaning that delivering teaching that engages students has been challenging. This work unpacks the different approaches used to help students and teachers connect with online delivery, and then applies this to the experiences of those we have worked with in recent times.  I then synthesise our experiences with others taken from literature to propose a best practice approach to creating an inclusive environment within our online teaching spaces and implementing it into future courses.

I define an inclusive pedagogy as an approach to teaching that is intended to engage all students (Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011). So this is not about access for those with specific additional needs or protected characteristics, but developing a pedagogy which extends what is available for everyone to engage with, rather than providing access for all by differentiating for some. This work focuses on extending what the classroom community offers to all students and making them part of that community, rather identifying some learners as having specific needs which must be met.

How to cite: Whitehouse, L.: How can we develop an inclusive pedagogy for online teaching in atmospheric sciences to maximise student engagement?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14923, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14923, 2023.

Planning fieldwork can be overwhelming and time consuming, especially for those who have never done it before, such as early stage PhD or undergraduate students. At the first day of a fieldwork, it is not uncommon to already be exhausted from extensive logistics management, selection and acquisition of adequate equipment and understanding regulations. Not having had the time or assistance to properly learn how to use a field instrument may impact the quality of collected data. Lone, inexperienced fieldworkers in difficult terrain may be confronted with additional safety challenges.

We present ideas for institutional frameworks that support researchers in their fieldwork and share experience from our work as fieldwork technicians at the Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne. We suggest that many fieldwork-related resources can be shared across research groups and demonstrate how we provide centralised support to researchers and students in the management of their fieldwork goals, equipment and logistics.

Institute-wide digital libraries managing field and safety equipment can be a useful and sustainable tool to avoid unnecessary double purchases across research groups and to re-use equipment after a project has finished. Streamlining the maintenance, repair, acquisition and improvement of equipment under one shared budget decreases the financial burden on individual research projects and groups. Dedicated technical staff can advise which field equipment best serves its purposes in the framework of the research question and provide innovative support for new instrumentation design. Centralising training on using the field equipment in a safe way not only improves the quality of the field data, but also makes sure that this knowledge is not lost in the short-term turnover of PhD projects.

We further show that safety should always be considered in fieldwork planning and that institutes should provide comprehensive guidelines for this. Safety training and advice on risk assessment adapted to various fieldwork settings should be offered and institute members should be encouraged to regularly refresh their training. Finally, accompanying researchers and students directly to the field does not only avoid risky lone working, but can provide external, more technical expertise that can benefit the quality of the fieldwork outcome.

How to cite: Miesen, F. and Ballu, A.: Sharing knowledge, skills and things: How institutes can benefit from centralised fieldwork management, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11892, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11892, 2023.