Geologists, students, high-school pupils... All together in Iceland!
Students from the "Earth Dynamics and Natural Hazards" and " Exploration and Reservoir Geology " masters programs have joined forces for the annual Geologists' Intergenerational Link (LIG) project.
This project has been running since 2012 under the auspices of the Montpellier University Geosciences Masters Association (Student Chapter AAPG). This year, the project is being carried out throughout the academic year through a regional tutoring program for1ère S students at Perpignan's Lycée Pablo Picasso, which has decided to focus its school project on the geosciences.
From left to right 1st 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
Schoolchildren, students, teachers: together
Starting in September 2017, the high school students spent six months preparing a poster and hands-on experience on subjects as varied as volcanology, geysers, hot spots, geothermal energy and perivolcanic basins. They publicly presented the results of their work at the end of March 2018. Thanks to their experience and know-how, the Master's students helped them build these materials in English. This tutoring takes the form of distance exchanges via conventional digital means (email, telephone, videoconferencing...), with the high school students having one hour a week dedicated to this project under the supervision of their SVT teacher and their English teacher.
Iceland: a natural laboratory
As part of an existing twinning with a high school in Reykjavik, high school students from Perpignan went to Iceland on April 5, 2018, accompanied by master's students. It was an opportunity to see in situ what they had studied during the year and also to sample some of the characteristic rocks they brought back in their luggage. The aim here is to show them the scientific approach behind field geology. They also took the opportunity to visit a geothermal plant and the emblematic sites of Iceland, a formidable natural laboratory.
On their return, the students were invited to Montpellier University for a day of analysis. The program included cutting up their samples, making thin sections and observing with a binocular magnifying glass, under the guidance of their Master's mentors. It was also an opportunity to discover the university environment through a guided tour of the Géosciences Montpellier laboratory, the DESTEEM teaching department and the Faculty of Science on the Triolet campus.
Open Day
The members of the association returned to Montpellier to prepare the 3rd and final phase of the project: the open day on May 31. A day of experiments and analyses, with sample cutting, thin sectioning and binocular observations. During the day, the 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 Science. They were joined by pupils from a CM1 class in Lavérune, accompanied by members of CERGA, the geosciences alumni association.