Learning from the ground: Why geosciences matter for future generations
The American civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman stated that ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’. This quote is truly inspirational for the ENGIE project.
ENGIE is an EIT-funded project which aims to raise the interest of young girls for geosciences and the related engineering disciplines, and thus to improve the gender balance in these professions that are traditionally dominated by men. Although the focus is on girls, the ENGIE actions are open to anyone who wants to know more about geosciences.
By the end of 2022 we expect to reach 1 million persons from 21 European countries through our awareness-raising activities. We organise events and develop material that allow secondary school students to discover geology.
As states coordinator Eva Hartai:
“My vision is not only that our sector will become more diverse thanks to projects like ENGIE, but also that more and more young people will get familiar with the Earth processes and the impact of human activities on our planet. This knowledge is essential to understand where resources such as energy, minerals, water and food come from and how to better prepare for and mitigate natural hazards. A bigger societal awareness of geoscience will also trigger more innovative ideas on how to handle the climate crisis.”
On 6 October 2022, the ENGIE project will organise its final conference in Brussels. Even though it is vital for our life, geoscience is not a core subject in public education. However, the knowledge of geosciences helps us to manage energy, minerals and water – the resources which are essential for human life. The basic aim of this conference is to emphasise the importance of geosciences for future generations. Topics which have high relevance and interest nowadays will be discussed and the gender aspects of geo-professions will also be touched on.
The conference welcomes school students, educators, policy makers, media representatives and any other interested participants.
ENGIE’s mission is closely interlinked with the objectives of the International Geodiversity Day. Therefore, our event is organised under the umbrella of the first edition of this new annual international celebration, which will promote the various aspects of geodiversity.
Participation in the event is free but registration via the following form is mandatory: https://bit.ly/3AJy5x8
More information on the event: https://www.engieproject.eu/2022/07/08/final-conference/