Ireland is well known for its vast and diverse geological heritage and landscape. However, it is unlikely that the average person will get to visit all of these sites due to remoteness and financial constraints. In addition, fieldwork itself can beconsiderably exclusive and dangerous for a large demographic of Irish Society. Many students with disabilities or financial constraints may never be able to practice field geosciences or gain basic field skills. This can exclude them from completing their degrees or hinder potential career opportunities. The COVID-19 Pandemic is a recent example of how a number of years of Irish geoscience graduates were not able to develop field skills due to social distancing constraints. But, technological and geospatial methods have advanced and digital skills have become as important as field skills. One solution is the creation of virtual reality (VR) fieldtrips with real world scales and geographic co-ordinates that not only give access to people globally and the excluded demographic mentioned above but can also act as an aid for pre-fieldtrip investigations. The VR field course can be accessed by anyone with a PC and VR headset. This project aims to acquire geospatially corrected photogrammetric data using a combination of low cost tools such a UAVs and smartphones. These data will be processed using well-developed photogrammetry workflows and be imported to Unity, an Open Source gaming engine, in which a student can navigate across the environment and record real geographic measurements (length and thickness of units, strike and dip, orientation, stratigraphic log and core samples). On a broader scale, this project will act as a pilot for a longer term aim where a catalogue of Irish and internationally recognised virtual fieldtrips will be made to support geoscience teaching in Ireland and abroad.

How to cite: Loriga, I., Macedo, L., Kenna, T., Jarvis, E., Tunwal, M., and Lim, A.: The development and impact of VR fieldtrips on Geoscience Curricula, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4738, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4738, 2024.

The meteoric rise of AI language models like ChatGPT has undoubtedly reshaped various industries, and education stands poised to benefit from its advanced capabilities. This study delves into the specific realm of geoscience education, a field traditionally characterized by hands-on fieldwork, intricate visualizations, and rigorous scientific demands. We examine the potential and pitfalls of integrating ChatGPT into this unique domain, drawing insights from a survey of 94 geoscience students in Mumbai and rigorous performance tests of the model itself.

The survey paints a fascinating picture of ChatGPT's current landscape among geoscience students. While 64% reported not using it (or rarely) for academic purposes, and 59% remained unaware of its potential beyond text generation, its popularity for self-study and quick information access is undeniable. This hints at a nascent understanding of the model's capabilities, indicating a fertile ground for responsible integration. However, limitations and ethical concerns require immediate attention. The testing phase unearthed a double-edged sword. ChatGPT's ability to generate content proved impressive, demonstrably improving abstract writing quality and potentially offering personalized learning materials. However, its reliability came under scrutiny, particularly in interpreting geological visuals – a core skill in geoscience. Moreover, inherent biases woven into its responses raise ethical concerns about misinformation and the propagation of skewed perspectives within a field demanding precise objectivity. Pedagogically, ChatGPT presents a treasure trove of opportunities for educators. It can facilitate customization of learning paths tailored to individual needs, streamlining assessments that free up valuable teaching time, and engaging simulations that bring abstract concepts to life. Yet, harnessing this potential demands a balanced human-machine approach. Critical thinking, creativity, and ethical considerations remain the exclusive realm of human educators, necessitating a collaborative environment where AI complements, not replaces, human guidance. Ethically, the study throws up red flags. AI-generated plagiarism, the challenge of identifying ChatGPT-written content in assessments, and the potential misuse of student data demand immediate attention. Establishing clear guidelines for responsible AI use and fostering critical awareness among students are essential steps towards ethical integration. In conclusion, ChatGPT in geoscience education is a story still unfolding. While its potential to revolutionize learning is undeniable, navigating its limitations and ethical challenges requires careful consideration. Striking a harmonious balance between the power of AI and the irreplaceable role of human teachers is key to unlocking the full potential of this technology, ensuring geoscience education continues to produce skilled professionals equipped to understand and protect our planet in a responsible and ethical manner.

How to cite: Patra, S., Singha, T. S., Kanvinde, M., Mazumder, A., and Kanjilal, S.: ChatGPT in Geoscience Education: Revolutionizing Learning or Ethical Minefield?, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-16918, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-16918, 2024.

Cloud computing has gained substantial momentum across diverse applications in recent years, notably in scientific computing, collaborative research, and large-scale machine learning operations. Its integration of data and code within a unified system facilitates swift data transfer and sharing among various research groups. However, despite its prominence in research, cloud computing usage in education is still limited beyond computer science courses.

Embracing this technological shift presents an opportunity for graduate students and early-career researchers to familiarize themselves with these tools, contributing to open research and facilitating global collaboration.

In this work, we explore from a user perspective the use of cloud computing in two NASA projects, particularly the Center for Geospace Storms (CGS) and Heliocloud, shedding light on how these initiatives can benefit the scientific community. By bridging higher education with academic and research environments through workshops and tutorials, these efforts can play a pivotal role in educating the next generation of researchers.

How to cite: Raptis, S., Merkin, S., Atunes, S., Smith, B., Jeschke, C., Winter, E., and Wiltberger, M.: Heliophysics Applications on Education and Research using Cloud Computing, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-13622, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-13622, 2024.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 represented a major break from the education world as we knew it. This was particularly true for the higher education sector, with lecturers around the world having to move their traditionally in-person activities to a virtual setting - in general without any previous experience or training. While many of the experiences have been widely reported at college- and undergraduate-level, not much has been said about teaching at postgraduate level, particularly at research-level degrees such as doctorates.

In this presentation, we will share our practitioner experience in designing a postgraduate research module in one of our areas of expertise, which is marine biogeochemistry modelling, and subsequently re-developing and delivering it under the constraints of the pandemic. We will discuss the challenges we faced, as well as the many of the opportunities that emerged from them, some of which led to innovative approaches that created a more authentic research experience to the students.

How to cite: de Melo Viríssimo, F., Ambrizzi, T., and Mosso Dutra, L.: Developing and teaching a postgraduate module to research students: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20024, 2024.

Globalization, population growth and climate changes are directly impacting the global water cycle with consequences at the local scale. For instance, water extremes, scarcity and flooding, have overpassed the natural cycles to which water managers were used to. These breaking boundary conditions are particularly present in Mediterranean semiarid areas such as the Andalucia region, southern of Spain. These new scenarios require updated management strategies and skills in the water management field, Civil engineers have a crucial role, not only in the designing of new infrastructure but also in the planification and participation at the political debate from different perspectives. Therefore, these new skills and competences have to be developed during the undergraduate period. In fact, the use of new teaching methodologies and strategies has become a very common tool in the higher education system. Specifically, subjects such as Hydrology can create the right environment where students can be trained to propose solutions and resolve water management conflicts in which numerous interests are present. Therefore, the use of teaching strategies such as role play debates for the resolution of water conflicts appear as a fundamental methodology in the civil engineering field. 

This work presents the results of the implementation of role play in the subject of Hydrology in the Civil Engineering program at the University of Cordoba during the last 5 academic years. The role-play fronts students into a real water conflict scenario: A generalized drought and 10 months without rainfall make it impossible to meet the needs of both society and irrigation communities in two towns. One of the municipalities wants to build a small dam for water management and leisure activities; however, the vicinity municipality, which is located within the catchment, is not in favor of the construction of this infrastructure. All the agents involved in the water conflict are represented by students. The roles were assigned randomly to the students.

The experiment has two periods, the first one was a pilot case during the 2019-2020 to enable us the definition of the best assignment. The second period from 2020-2021 until 2023-2024 represents the 4 years study case, where students have faced the same hydrological scenario, in two phases, one face-to-face with oral debate, and another online and written in which the role of the first face-to-face part was changed.

The student performance results are complemented with three kinds of surveys, i) an quality improvement survey, ii) self-analysis of acquired competences and iii) a pre debate and post event survey that analyzes the student perspective on water management. The results obtained were very satisfactory. The competencies that the students consider to have improved the most are i) ability to argue and defend ideas, ii) ability to research information and iii) ability to develop a critical spirit. Moreover, overall satisfaction with the activity has been very high in all years.

How to cite: Torralbo, P., Pimentel, R., Aparicio, J., and Polo, M. J.: How to deal with water conflicts? The use of role play at engineering schools for fronting real situations, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-11429, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-11429, 2024.

Navigating the transition to university life can negatively impact on student wellbeing, with poor mental health and lower levels of life satisfaction increasingly reported amongst university students. Moving away from home, managing workloads and financial pressures are often identified as some of the top concerns impacting student wellbeing. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds, international students, mature students, LGBTQIA+ students and neurodiverse students have also been identified as more likely to be affected by wellbeing issues, alongside those who have experienced bereavement or trauma, asylum seekers and refugees, and students with underlying health conditions. 
Acknowledging these challenges, this paper describes and reflects on the design and implementation of a first-year undergraduate creative mapping exercise focusing on student wellbeing. This forms part of the assessment in a large (200+ students) compulsory GIS module in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham. Students are asked to create an individual interactive wellbeing map appropriate to a first-year undergraduate student at the University using ArcGIS Online. They are supported to explore and reflect on what wellbeing is, what it looks like or means to them, and to become familiar with the support services, activities, places or facilities across the University of Nottingham's Park Campus that might support and nurture positive wellbeing experiences. Students are provided with GIS cartographic training in ArcGIS Online to facilitate the completion of their personalised digital wellbeing map that serves as a point of reference during their academic studies. This assessment was designed by the GIS team in the School of Geography in conjunction with the University of Nottingham’s Wellbeing and support team. It has successfully run over the last five years reaching over 1000 students and tackling contemporary topics including the COVID-19 pandemic and current cost-of-living crisis. 
This paper will focus specifically on how wellbeing was woven into the delivery of this compulsory first-year module GIS curriculum.  It will explore the decisions behind the GIS content included, software and technologies used, the placement of this wellbeing task in the wider pastoral School of Geography undergraduate programme alongside the choice to build creative opportunities into the assessment to further promote wellbeing. Experiences from the last five years will be shared from staff and student feedback, reflecting on some of the challenges and sensitivities encountered alongside showing some examples of the wellbeing maps themselves. It is hoped that this paper will inspire practitioners to consider the impact and position of their modules (particularly large first-year compulsory teaching groups) to tackle and raise awareness of student wellbeing, alongside the impact of creative assessment as a positive engagement opportunity for students. 

How to cite: Owen, S., Priestnall, G., and Clark, L.: Interactive Wellbeing Maps: Experiences from a compulsory undergraduate GIS assessment, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12930, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12930, 2024.

GO FAIR is an international, bottom-up movement dedicated to adhering as closely as possible to the FAIR Guiding Principles in the implementation of data and services as outlined in the seminal paper from 2016 (https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18).

Collaborating with a broad spectrum of stakeholders since 2018, the GO FAIR Foundation (GFF, see https://www.gofair.foundation/) has developed the Three Point FAIRification Framework (3PFF) that assists communities to better roadmap their FAIR aspirations. The 3PFF provides practical “how to” guidance to communities seeking to go FAIR. The main objective is to maximize the reuse of existing implementations, improve interoperability, and accelerate convergence on standards and technologies supporting FAIR data and services. 

3PFF refers to three key decision points of FAIRification:

-        FAIR Implementation Profile: A community effort facilitated by GFF to declare the use of FAIR-Enabling Resources addressing each of the FAIR Principles.

-        Machine Actionable Metadata as a central FAIR-Enabling Resource to meet domain-relevant metadata requirements. These can be specified and extended based on general standards in Metadata for Machines (M4M) workshops

-        FAIR Orchestration of FAIR-Enabling Resources on FAIR repositories such as FAIR Data Points or as FAIR Digital Objects.

3PFF workshops are in high demand within the international community including Environmental Research Infrastructures. More than 50 workshops facilitated by the GFF have been requested by stakeholders from a broad range of research areas. There is a clear need for training additional qualified facilitators who can subsequently lead these workshops locally from within their institutions. 

For this purpose, GFF has developed a FAIR Capacity Building Programme (https://osf.io/bthf8), to provide professional and qualified training for data stewards who aim to use 3PFF methods in their daily work. The FAIR Capacity Building Programme is designed to save costs and increase independence by embedding expertise within the organization.  The programme distinguishes between facilitators and trainers.

3PFF Event Facilitators: The GFF teaches and qualifies people in the facilitation of FAIR Awareness lectures, FIP workshops and Introductory M4M workshops. The Facilitator program consists of 80 hours of training, covering lectures, hands-on skill development, and participating with and assisting qualified instructors in conducting workshops. Facilitators also will also have developed skills to guide the creation of long-term FAIR governance structures that are essential for all organizations.

3PFF Event Trainers:  The 3PFF Trainer program delivers advanced instruction on methods and tools for individuals who are already qualified 3PFF Facilitators, but who also aim to train others in running 3PFF workshops. This “train-the-trainer” program consists of additional 80 hours of training and candidates must have a minimum of one year of experience as an active GFF Qualified 3PFF Facilitator before enrolling in the Trainer Module.

The GFF runs 3PFF training courses multiple times per year for 12-25 trainees, at a cost of € 4000 per student and training module.

How to cite: Schultes, E. and Magagna, B.: A Capacity Building Program for developing FAIR skills, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12552, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12552, 2024.

The University of Applied Sciences in Neubrandenburg, Germany has developed an independent and unique profile with regard to applied research, development, and knowledge transfer. This especially applies to the Bachelor and Master programmes in Geomatics within the Landscape Sciences and Geomatics department.

Geoinformatics involves using all information that has a spatial reference. Some of the major areas are the recording and representation of the Earth’s surface (cartography and land registry), the processing of aerial photography and satellite and radar images, as well as geographic information systems. Application programs, databases, the Internet and software development form the basis for the use of geoinformatics in the geosciences, such as geodesy, geography, geology, geophysics and ecology.

Geoinformatics requires a high degree of interdisciplinary work and this means that graduates enjoy excellent and exciting career opportunities in various application areas such as environmental protection, environmental monitoring, landuse planning, tourism and leisure industry, agriculture, and forestry.

The curricula for both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses are strongly oriented towards the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), open data and open standards. Since 2022 the studies include facultative seminars on Open Science / FAIR and Open Research Software. These courses reflect the paradigms of Open and FAIR and introduce the students to the values and best practices developed by the global open geospatial communities. The course provides a holistic overview and introduction to the organization, infrastructures and stakeholders of the OSGeo Foundation as an umbrella organization of quality-tested Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) projects, giving an overview of the software projects themselves (including OSGeoLive, QGIS and libraries such as gdal and proj), as well as the networked organizational structures such as GeoForAll, the national and regional OSGeo chapters, and the FOSS4G conference series, and providing opportunities for student participation and career building.

Taking this as a starting point, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences is aiming to participate in the global GeoFoAll Labs community in the mid-term.

How to cite: Löwner, R. and Löwe, P.: Open Science and FAIR in Geoinformatics education: Reality check, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-18508, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-18508, 2024.

The main challenge for master students is to start with the thesis writing. A common hard nut to crack for students at the beginning of the writing process is to decide which geological concepts to include in the introduction and background chapters, and how to present scientific content clearly without repetitions. They therefore often spend a lot of time in the initial stages of the work, and the challenges continue for the students in the later stages, where they struggle with separating new observations from results already presented by others. Furthermore, the master thesis is often the first time in their geoscientific career that the students are faced with constructive criticism on their written work. Although well-intended by the supervisor and aimed to help with the thesis work, this may sometimes be difficult to handle for the students.

The ability to structure a text efficiently, discuss problems in an advanced way by including new observations, and improve a scientific text through feedback are essential skills to master. These skills are highly valued both in academia and in other geoscientific workplaces. To address the challenges in the thesis work of the students, we have developed a scientific writing guide that aims to strengthen the master students conceptual understanding of how a scientific text should be structured. This guide also shows how feedback from the supervisor can be used to ease the writing process and improve the quality of the master thesis.

To illustrate how a text should be structured and address feedback, the guide includes short drafts from each section of a master thesis along with comments from the supervisor. Revised text and figures are shown side-by-side to the original draft, thus demonstrating an improved version of each chapter. Or put in simpler terms: the guide displays typical pitfalls and time thieves in the writing process, and by being aware of these the student and supervisor may save valuable time. The writing guide and condensed versions of chapter drafts are available on Instagram and can be found using this link: https://www.instagram.com/master_your_master/.

How to cite: Rydningen, T. A. and Bjordal-Olsen, S.: Master your master thesis – overcome writer’s block and handle feedback like a pro, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3835, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3835, 2024.

The NATRISK international partnership for enhancing risk management & resilience to natural hazards through collaboration in research, education and innovation connects expertise from Brazil, India, and Norway. The partnership focuses on excellence in education and research to reduce risk and increase societal resilience to natural hazards in steep terrain. NATRISK aims to develop new links and strengthen existing ties between key research institutes, universities, and public agencies from the partner countries. NATRISK also aims to facilitate the exchange of researchers, practitioners, managers, and students, disseminate knowledge and expertise to municipalities and the business sector, and foster international education and research on natural hazards, risk, resilience, and associated disciplines.

The activities in NATRISK are based on four education packages for collective scientific advancement: 1. Understanding natural hazards, multihazards, & cascading effects, 2. Quantifying & assessing risk, 3. Mitigating, perceiving, & communicating risk, 4. Managing disaster risk & enhancing resilience. The target audience is graduate students, researchers and practitioners. Education packages consist of two components – an online module and an in-person research- and experience-based course. The online modules are standalone introductions to the scientific themes and are openly accessible to anyone. The modules promote international rapid accessibility, guiding interested parties towards an understanding of these complex topics in geohazards. The course is structured with both in-person lectures and field excursions.

The NATRISK partnership consists of three research institutes, four universities, and three public agencies: (1) the Natural Hazards Division – Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), (2) the Central Road Research Institute – Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CRRI, India), (3) National Early Warning and Monitoring Centre for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN, Brazil); (4) the Department of Earth Science – University of Bergen (UiB, Norway), (5) the Department of Civil Engineering – Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), (6) the Department of Earthquake Engineering – Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR), (7) the Department of Civil Construction and the Department of Geography – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ); and (8) Ullensvang municipality (Norway), (9) Nova Friburgo Municipality (Brazil), and (10) the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC, India).

The NATRISK partnership is financed by the Research Council of Norway (project number 337241) and is running from 2023 to 2028.

How to cite: Piciullo, L., Gilbert, G., and Oen, A.: NATRISK: Enhancing risk management and resilience to natural hazards in India, Brazil and Norway through collaborative education, research and innovation , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19402, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19402, 2024.

Geo-hydrometeorological disasters have a significant influence on economic development in Indonesia. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, and droughts all pose major challenges to infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and livelihoods. Indonesia has an early warning system which was built in 2008. BMKG continuously improves this early warning system so that it can provide more accurate warnings to prevent fatalities and greater losses.

BMKG has 5 regions and 200 offices throughout Indonesia. Apart from operational facilities and instruments, BMKG also has 5000 employees, 90% of whom work in the operations division, and 10% in support units. The majority of employees are under 40 years of age. However, currently, only 16% of BMKG employees have a Master's qualification, while only 1% have a PhD.

Responding to these challenges and limitations, BMKG launched the "SDM Unggul" rogram in 2022. This progressive program aims to produce 500 PhD degrees by 2030. Through the program, young scientists of BMKG are expected to learn from leading researchers around the world, to gain important ideas, information, and competencies. Interacting with leading researchers exposes young scientists to cutting-edge research approaches, diverse viewpoints, and new ideas, allowing them to broaden their horizons and improve their skills. The main activity of the program is to prepare candidates to qualify for major scholarships in Indonesia and to be accepted at leading universities throughout the world. These activities include language preparation and scholarship assistance in the form of workshops, boot camps, training and coaching. 

In 2023, with the help of the coaches, BMKG created a Research Roadmap containing research topics for each field at BMKG, including Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics. This roadmap identifies all the research that suits organizational needs and has the potential to provide more direct and relevant results. The findings from the research can be immediately implemented in organizational practices, creating an immediate positive impact. This research can also strengthen the organization's ability to respond to future challenges. 

Coaches also play a role in helping talents know the direction of their research because most talents are still unsure about their research direction they will take. The coaching process can be an effective strategy to help each person find the direction of their research. With guidance from coaches, they will be able to align their research direction with organizational needs and increase the relevance of research and have a greater impact at the organizational or societal level. The coaching process also helps individuals to identify their interests, skills, and goals in more depth. This can lead to a better understanding of the research areas that best suit their interests and potential.

Exposure to research before the education period allows candidates to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the research process. This provides a solid foundation for the development of research competencies. By ensuring that talent is engaged in research throughout their educational path, organizations can ensure that they produce professionals who are competent and ready to face the demands of the user

How to cite: warman, A., Purbandari, D., and Riama, N. F.: Extending the role of coach in educational research to develop young geoscientist in BMKG, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20467, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20467, 2024.

Climate University for Virtual Exchanges (CLUVEX; https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/cluvex; 1 Jul 2023 – 30 Jun 2026) is a 3-year project conducted by two European Erasmus+ program countries Finland (UHEL) as the coordinator and Denmark (UCPH), and the Neighbourhood East countries - Ukraine (OSENU and TSNUK) and Armenia (YSU). Additionally, an art-and-science non-profit association, the BioArt Society (https://bioartsociety.fi), based in Finland, collaborates in this initiative.

CLUVEX aims to connect students from European and Neighbourhood East universities and involve them in climate-related topics, including ideas for adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change and advancing the green agenda. Moreover, CLUVEX emphasizes the development of interdisciplinary, green, and soft skills among students. In practice, CLUVEX is responsible for designing and organizing a series of interactive online training events known as "Virtual Exchanges" (VE). These VEs are structured to include educational materials and engage students, professors, teachers, and researchers collaboratively in small groups. During the project, a total of 5 VE Calls will be initiated, spanning both the Spring and Autumn semesters and starting from Autumn 2024. Each VE Call will extend invitations to 500 students from CLUVEX Universities and other institutions in European and Neighbourhood East countries to participate in VE training weeks. The main motivation is to cultivate a new generation of young Climate Messengers who possess the skills and knowledge to foster climate awareness and sustainability strategies within their home organizations and future professional endeavours.

During VE week, various activities will take place, including plenary sessions, discussions, and exercises focused on specific climate change topics within smaller groups. CLUVEX is rooted in atmospheric sciences research and builds from the Climate University (https://climateuniversity.fi). The goal is that after participating in VE, participants will gain a deeper understanding of climate-related issues and foster meaningful connections with their peers. Note, CLUVEX also leverages its networks - Una Europa (alliance of 11 European universities) and the WMO’s Global Campus initiative in Europe and Neighbourhood East, to attract a diverse array of participants.

During first year of the project, the CLUVEX Partners are focused on designing the VE concept and exercises, training VE moderators/ facilitators, conducting a study to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with online learning and communication. As an exciting innovation, the BioArt Society will bring artistic perspectives by offering VE lectures and creative exercises that explore how contemporary art contributes to public discourse on climate change.

VE cooperation will serve as a valuable complement to traditional physical mobility opportunities in the field of climate change research. CLUVEX plays a vital role in addressing the complex web of decisions and issues related to climate change, where the Neighbourhood East region holds also significant position on a global scale. The emergence of new Climate Messengers, equipped with expertise in climate awareness and sustainability strategies, is highly relevant in today's labour markets. These individuals are well-positioned to contribute to the critical work of advancing climate-related initiatives in a world undergoing transformative changes.

This work is supported by the European Union ERASMUS+,  Project Number: 101111959

How to cite: Lappalainen, H., Mahura, A., Baklanov, A., Laura, L., Dominguez, M., Ovcharuk, V., Shablii, O., Stepanenko, S., Schevchenko, O., Snizhko, S., Markarov, A., Aproyan, A., Billimore, Y., and Puhto, P.: CLUVEX - Climate University for Virtual Exchanges, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-15348, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-15348, 2024.

How to cite: Olano Pozo, J. X., Boqué-Ciurana, A., Aguilar, E., Alberich, J., Sigró, J., Gutiérrez, A., and Caterina, C.: Using WMO's Competencies for the Provision of Climate Services in Bachelor's Degree: The Experience of the URV's Bachelor in Geography, Territorial Analyis and Sustainabilty, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17633, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17633, 2024.

Introduction
The Specialisation programme in climate expertise is an education programme that aims to provide professionals from different fields with the know-how to drive systemic change towards a climate-resilient future. This two-year-long programme is meant to be carried out alongside work, teaching important and previously identified competencies necessary for effective climate action¹, including both subject knowledge and general skills, like argumentation, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and effective communication². Through education we hope to provide the basis for future collaboration, innovation, and understanding necessary to tackle climate change and related environmental as well as socio-economic problems.

Research
The programme is offered by the University of Helsinki, University of Eastern Finland, Finnish Meteorological Institute and was designed together with the Climate University network and Climate Leadership Coalition. The programme launches in spring 2024 with students from both public, and private sectors. 
The program's duration (2 years), scope (60 ECTS), as well as the large number of students (up to 50) from different backgrounds provide a unique opportunity for the students to network and exchange ideas, as well as providing a platform for us to explore the following questions: (1) how education shapes the agency and professional identities of climate experts, (2) how education meets the multidisciplinary needs of various stakeholders, and (3) how education translates to concrete climate actions?

Conclusions
The Specialisation programme in climate expertise aspires to find effective ways to address the needs of different stakeholders facing the current climate crisis, and to empower professionals with the necessary know-how to lead transformative climate actions within their respective fields. The programme is currently offered only in Finnish, but we hope to grow the programme in the future and to include international students, therefore expanding our multidisciplinary network of climate experts across national borders as well as societal sectors. 

More information: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-science/teaching-and-studying/continuous-learning-and-web-based-studies/specialisation-programme-climate-expertise

References
1.    Siponen, J., M. Santala, J. Salovaara, V.-M. Vesterinen, S. Tolppanen, A. Lauri, J. Lavonen and L. Riuttanen. Climate Competence – a view of professionals in the field (submitted).
2.    Riuttanen, L., Ruuskanen, T., Äijälä, M. and Lauri, A., 2021. Society needs experts with climate change competencies–what is the role of higher education in atmospheric and Earth system sciences?. Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 73(1), pp.1-14.

How to cite: Peltokangas, K., Riuttanen, L., Nygård, T., Ruuskanen, T., Hulkkonen, M., Kuntsi-Reunanen, E., Gregow, H., Kaurola, J., Kulovesi, K., and Kulmala, M.: Education in climate expertise as an instrument for sustainable change and a pathway for climate-resilient future, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-8295, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8295, 2024.

Over the last 10 years, many universities worldwide have seen a decrease in enrolment in Earth Sciences bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. Possible reasons for this decrease include the current image that secondary school students have of the Earth Sciences. Many of them consider the Earth Sciences as an old fashioned science, environmentally damaging and with insufficient emphasis on addressing societal problems. At Utrecht University, the Netherlands, the enrolment in the BSc Earth Sciences peaked in 2014 with an intake of 185, but has decreased since, in an irregular way, to 125 in 2022. For the current academic year, there has been a slight revival. A recent survey among 93 secondary school students confirmed that the Earth Sciences have an image problem, but also revealed low awareness of what the subject involves and what opportunities are available for graduates. Efforts are needed to change this. However, it is not a matter of simply improving publicity. We concluded that a modernization of our programme was also necessary, in order to reflect scientific advances of the last decades and the change in focus towards societal challenges, and to better prepare students for a professional career. As a result, we have constructed a fully integrated first year, including modular fieldwork covering topics across the full breadth of the Earth Sciences. After the first year, students choose one out of four ‘directions’. Each direction starts with its own set of foundation courses, followed by direction-related specialization electives. Seven skills learning lines are being implemented across the programme, providing the students with skills considered crucial for future Earth Sciences professionals. The students who started in September 2023 form the first cohort following the renewed BSc programme. Here we present the outline of the new programme and our first experiences. We address the issue of how to use our renewal in improving the image that secondary school students have of the Earth Sciences, expecting a positive effect on enrolment. More well-trained Earth Scientists are essential, not only to advance our science, but also to address the challenges society is faced with. 

How to cite: de Bresser, H., Kleinhans, M., and Mason, P.: A new bachelor curriculum in Earth Sciences at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, in response to the needs of society, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-7492, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-7492, 2024.

University Geoscience UK (UGUK) represents geoscience Higher Education providers and is the advocacy group for geoscience at UK Universities.  Since 2014, student numbers enrolling on a geoscience-related degrees in the UK have fallen by 43%. The reasons for this are complex and intersectional and need further research, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the main drivers for this decline are: [1] the similar decline in numbers of school-age students studying geology (triggered by changes to national educational policy and priorities); [2] perceptions that most geologists are white males; [3] perceived barriers of cost and demands of the fieldwork elements and relevance of a geoscience degree; [4] connection with pollution from extractive industries; and [5] paucity of appropriate career advice at school level. This demise has led to a number of University courses being withdrawn and the redesign of geoscience curricula to better reflect the roles geoscientists play in today's society. UGUK, in collaboration with the Geological Society of London (GSL), published a strategy to enhance student enrolment on geoscience programs in the UK in 2019. This strategy formed the basis for  actions to address this UK-wide (and indeed, global) problem. These are described by key themes around diversity and accessibility, linkages between schools and universities, educational routes in association with industry, and influencing policy: 

• University diversity and accessibility in geoscience. Geoscience lacks diversity and has a reputation for being inaccessible to marginalised groups and those with diverse needs.  UGUK has developed and is running a series of EDI-focused webinars to help Schools and Universities tackle subjects such as inclusive fieldwork, racism in Geoscience and decolonising the curriculum.
• University links with Schools. Geoscience appears across the school curriculum but is not necessarily recognised as such and in these cases is often taught by those with little or no experience of the subject. Our newly developed “TEACH EARTH” portal on the UGUK Website Earth Science provides non-geoscience STEM teachers access to teaching materials to help them deliver the geoscience aspects of their subject. Each resource is tagged to a subject and key stage of learning to facilitate use by teachers. The resources are flagged by a logo which highlights the linkage and overlap of Earth science/geoscience/geology.
• Geoscience Industry. Additional training routes in geoscience will support and enhance the pipeline for those entering the industry. UGUK has spearheaded the successful development of a Degree Apprenticeship in Geoscience, submitted to the UK government Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) in July 2023 and approved in November 2023. Universities are now tasked with developing the new degree in conjunction with industrial partners.
• Government Policy. Raising governmental awareness of geoscience and its role in our sustainable future is critical for the future of geoscience education. UGUK are actively working with Government lobby groups associated with the geoscience sector including the Ground Forum, Construction Industry Consortium, Critical Minerals Association, and the Subsurface Taskforce. These groups have direct access to the UK Government through various working committees.

How to cite: Williams, R., Anderson, M., Davies-Vollum, S., Loza Espejel, R., Fishwick, S., Healy, D., Koor, N., McLeod, G., Owen, A., Raji, M., and Rowley, P.: Actions to address the recruitment crisis into Geoscience related degrees in the UK, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20452, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20452, 2024.

This research aims to analyse the data that emerged from a long path of experiences, workshops, projects aimed at schools and a varied audience, with the aim of promoting interest in Geosciences. The fragility that characterizes in many countries the process of teaching and learning Geosciences throughout the educational cycle is certainly not a surprise, even in those countries where environmental emergencies, volcanoes, earthquakes, hydrogeological instability would require an in-depth knowledge of the dangers to reduce and when possible, prevent the risks. Some data will be provided, collected in the IGEO, International Geoscience education Organisation, where I am the contact person for Italy and at IESO, the Earth Sciences Olympiad has allowed me to interact with students and teachers from all over the world and especially through the COGE Committee of geoscience education of IUGS, as head of the GEFO committee with the aim of coordinating the work of field officers in many countries of the world outside Europe. The main role of field officers is to represent and promote IUGS-COGE initiatives among geoscience teachers and educators in their country, providing professional development through interactive workshops for teachers who have elements of geosciences in their curriculum. This can be done through workshops, proposing activities that use easy-to-build tools such as the materials of the ELI-Earth learning Idea repertoire presented at GIFT, which are particularly effective for understanding basic concepts and motivating students and teachers through manipulative approaches. It is clear, however, that the training and orientation path towards studies in the field of geosciences requires a significant progression of tools and concepts, which allows us to understand concepts of complexity and uniqueness, of flows and relationships, of interconnected systems that characterize the ES The research, in agreement with the GEFO COGE, is focusing on this: students 14-18 are often involved in field activities, conferences or academic lectures, but identify and develop activities dedicated to them that can motivate and excite them, making them passionate about this field of research, aware of the importance of these issues, which, in line with the objectives and goals of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, which are the responsibility of geosciences, from natural hazards, to global warming, to energy transition, to strategic minerals, are a priority. Some examples will be proposed, but research requires a considerable impulse and widespread collaboration between schools, universities , and research centres, combining scientific skills of the research world with methodological teaching skills of the education one.

How to cite: Occhipinti, S.: Experience and interpretation in the Geosciences learning process, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3830, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3830, 2024.

How to cite: Caporali, E., Facciorusso, J., and Gori, R.: Multidisciplinary laboratories to enhance engineering teaching in higher education, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19409, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19409, 2024.