Geological activities at Galilei Science Department (Liceo Scientifico Statale "Galileo Galilei" - Potenza, Italy)

Since September 2023, the high school Liceo Scientifico “Galileo Galilei”, located in Potenza (Southern Italy), has been leading a project in collaboration with the Basilicata University aimed at promoting knowledge of geo sciences among high school pupils at a national level. The main objective is to enable the development of skills in the geological, geophysical and geochemical fields via the adoption of teaching practices that include laboratory-based work, with the aim to encourage high schoolers to continue their studies in these fields.
The project will increase exposure to geological and environmental topics by covering not only classical geological aspects like lithogenesis, continental drift and geological time, but also current challenges such as territorial planning, environmental problems, natural and anthropic risks and the exploitation of renewable energy sources. The project will last three years (40 hours annually for a total of 120 hours) and involve 11th graders and above. Each year, students will spend 17 hours at the Liceo Galilei, 15 hours at the laboratories of the University of Basilicata, and 8 hours in field excursions to the geosites of the Basilicata region (including the Latronico geothermal power plant, the Vulture volcano and Aliano's gullies among others).
At the end of this project, the expectation is that students will have expanded their understanding of Earth Sciences and will have increased their awareness of the central role that this discipline plays in political decisions concerning territorial planning and the management and use of natural resources.