Geology students, high school students… Let’s all go to Iceland!
Students in the master’s programs “Earth Dynamics and Natural Hazards” and“Exploration and ReservoirGeology” have joined forces for the annual “Intergenerational Geologists’ Network” (LIG) project.
This project has been in existence since 2012 under the leadership of the University of Montpellier’s Geosciences Master’s Association (AAPG Student Chapter). This year, the project is being carried out throughout the academic year through a regional mentorship program for11th-grade science students at the Lycée Pablo Picasso in Perpignan, which has decided to focus its school-wide project on geosciences.
From left to right, front row: Thomas Moreau, Laurie Tchang-Tchong, Taïs Franchet, Marie Jacottin, Charlotte Guérin, Solène Meyer, Maryem Khyatte
; 2nd row: Victor Bonnet, Aurélien Gay, Corentin Gardes, Gabriel Pasquet, Théo Bourgeois, Gyde Feiry, Chris Bahonda, Maxime Catinat, Flavien Woirin, Antoine Mullor, Marialine Chardelin, Alexandre Lemoyne
High school students, college students, teachers: together
Starting in September 2017, high school students spent six months preparing a poster and a hands-on experiment on topics as varied as volcanology, geysers, hotspots, geothermal energy, and peri-volcanic basins. They presented the results of their work to the public in late March 2018. Drawing on their experience and expertise, the master’s students helped them create these materials in English. This mentorship took the form of remote exchanges using standard digital tools (email, phone, video conferencing, etc.), with the high school students dedicating one hour per week to this project under the supervision of their science and English teachers.
Iceland: A Natural Laboratory
As part of an existing partnership with a high school in Reykjavik, high school students from Perpignan traveled to Iceland on April 5, 2018, accompanied by master’s students. This was an opportunity for them to see firsthand what they had studied during the year and to collect samples of certain characteristic rocks, which they brought back in their luggage. The goal here is to show them the scientific approach behind field geology. They also took the opportunity to visit a geothermal power plant and the iconic sites of this incredible natural laboratory that is Iceland.
Upon their return, the high school students were invited to the University of Montpellier for a day of analysis. On the agenda: cutting their samples, preparing thin sections, and observing them under a binocular microscope—all under the guidance of their master’s student mentors, of course. It was an opportunity to explore the university environment through a guided tour of the Géosciences Montpellier laboratory, the DESTEEM teaching department, and the Faculty of Sciences on the Triolet campus.
Open House
The association members returned to Montpellier to prepare for the third and final phase of the project: the open house on May 31. The day was filled with experiments and analyses, including sample cutting, the preparation of thin sections, and observations using a binocular magnifying glass. During this event, high school students came to familiarize themselves with the university environment on the Triolet campus: the Montpellier Geosciences Laboratory, the DESTEEM teaching department, and the Faculty of Sciences. They were joined by students from a fourth-grade class in Lavérune, accompanied by members of CERGA, the association of geosciences alumni.