Girls into Geoscience Ireland returned to NUI Galway on November 10th for the second running of the event which aims to introduce female secondary school and early stage university students to geoscience.
With a jam packed line-up of inspiring speakers including Jeromine Schmidt of NUIG, Rebecca Bradford of the GSI and Dr Maeve Boland of UCD, interactive workshops on marine geoscience and understanding the underground, and one-to-one chats the day was a great mixture of science and speeddating.
Co-organiser Dr Aoife Blowick of iCRAG, NUIG and the IAWG said, "It was wonderful to meet so many young people who were interested in exploring geoscience, it's importance in society and what careers it has to offer. This free event is so important because it's gives the next generation of potential geoscientists the chance to discover what they can do and how they can shape the world. Such a great turn out shows how as an annual event in the national calendar for schools, this event can really help to expose young minds to the endless possibilities geoscience offers."
Dr Fergus McAuliffe, co-organiser and Public Engagement Manager at iCRAG, said: “Girls into Geoscience Irland is about showcasing the vast array of careers in geosciences that are waiting to be discovered. Attendees got the chance to meet professional female geoscientists, hear their amazing career journeys that have taken them around the world (inculding to the US Senate), and also to try their hand at finding aquifers, creating convection currents and creating their own microclimate high in carbon dioxide. On behalf of Girls into Geoscience – Ireland we are delighted that the event has been so well attended and we hope to see some of today’s attendees in our first year university lectures in the next few years!”
Girls into Geoscience will return in late November 2019 to Dublin. If you would like to be involved in event keep an eye on the GiG social media pages - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and website: girlsintogeoscienceireland.wordpress.com