Earth Sciences

Geology is all around us, and you do not have to be a student at UCL to appreciate the fascination of earth sciences.  Through links to our geology collections, taster courses, loans box, projects and self-guided walks, we hope to widen access to both children and adults.  We are also represented on the London Geodiversity Partnership, which is working to promote the geological diversity and protect the geological heritage of London.

Examples of activities we have undertaken over the past few years include:

• UK School Seismology Project: In partnership with the UK School Seismology Project we launched a teacher training day. The aim of the project is to help bring science into the classroom, allowing students to interact with real data from earthquakes in real time. The project capitalizes on students' innate fascination with the power of earthquakes by making seismology a unifying theme in a set of simple classroom activities that teach a range of basic science concepts. more
  
• Geology Collections: The department holds a large collection of rocks, fossils and minerals.  At present, the Rock Room display is not generally open to the public, but may be viewed if an appointment is made through the collections staff at geolcoll@ucl.ac.uk.  Collections information can be viewed at UCL Museums and Collections.
• UCL Museums and Collections: A range of learning activities are offered by other UCL museums and collections, including visits to the newly re-opened Grant Museum, and downloadable resources.
• Fieldwork in London: The aim of this project was to provide school teachers with background information, worksheets and model answers to support the teaching of geology and geography in secondary school at a range of levels. more
• London Walks: More for the general public, London walks is a series of geological walks written by a number of individuals, some of whom are connected with UCL Earth Sciences, which allow Londoners to see a range of geological features, and rocks from around the world, all on the doorstep. more
• Mars in the Classroom: The Mars in the Classroom project provides years 9 - 11 (ages 13 - 16 yrs) science pupils in the UK with an engaging programme of extra-curricular activities. Students are asked to plan their own manned mission to Mars, exploring a wide range of relevant subjects both theoretically and experimentally as they progress through various workshops. The project is constructed around several self-contained modules to provide as much flexibility as possible.
• The Earth Sciences Department regularly runs Taster Courses for sixth form students.
• Loan Box:  A range of Loan Boxes are available from through UCL Museums and Collections.