Future of GeoScience - Virtual Summit

The Geological Society of London is the UK's national society for geoscience, providing support to over 12,000 members in the UK and overseas.Our aims are to improve knowledge and understanding of the Earth, to promote Earth science education and awareness, and to promote professional excellence and ethical standards in the work of Earth scientists, for the public good.Founded in 1807, we are the oldest geological society in the world. Today, we are a world-leading communicator of Earth science – through scholarly publishing, library and information services, cutting-edge scientific conferences, education activities and outreach to the general public. We also provide impartial scientific information and evidence to support policy-making and public debate about the challenges facing humanity.----The host of Future of GeoScience, Tom Backhouse is a member of Council and of the Professional Committee within the Geological Society and is also the founder and CEO of Terrafirma IDC Ltd. Tom is an award-winning geologist and entrepreneur, who founded and has rapidly grown his business Terrafirma into a innovative and market-leading disruptor, supporting professionals and the public unravel the complexities of the ground. Tom works relentlessly to ensure everyone can understand the ground, not just the minority.He lobbies within regulatory bodies to change the way we act upon ground risks and has recently been appointed a Director of the Council of Property Search Organisations. He is a member of council for the Geological Society of London and has provided several hundred hours of professional development and training over the past few years.Tom is a passionate communicator of the value of GeoScience in our society. He has featured across public media as the face of documentaries on Channel 5 and the BBC and works with universities, schools and societies to improve public and professional understanding of earth and geo-sciences.

Geological Society of London

Geoscience is facing an impending crisis. The number of students choosing to study geological or Earth sciences at A-level and university is at record lows, and the perception of geoscience in our wider society is at rock bottom. Do we need to face up to the fact that we have failed in communicating the true value of our science, our profession and our skills, right when society needs us the most? 
The climate is changing, both in the UK and globally and with it, comes a collective and determined call for change to more sustainable energy and food sources, travel and trade as well in our manufacturing industries and natural resource consumption. We know that geoscience is integral to combatting climate change, in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and in meeting an ever-increasing global population’s want and need. However, our challenge is to now change the narrative within the public eye, within the mainstream media and within our schools to ensure there are future generations of geoscientists and they are valued for the role they play within our society.
This free-to-attend virtual summit will attempt to delve into the detail of the perception of geoscience, within the public, within the media, within our businesses and within our schools. It will bring together a mix of professionals, entrepreneurs, teachers and lecturers, public speakers and civil servants in a series of panel sessions that will take your questions and debate the statements and opinions you raise over the coming weeks. The outputs from this summit will be taken into a more focused Geology Student Enrolment Summit on the 24th June and from there a working group/committee, with representation from across our society, will be formed. 
This is your opportunity to engage with this challenge and it is our collective responsibility to change the narrative. Geoscience is quite literally our past, present and future. 
 
<H2>Call for Contributions: </H2>
We would like this event to be as interactive and inclusive as can be practically allowed. Although it will not be possible to stream live questions from the attendees during the summit, before the event, we are asking for all attendees to send in questions, opinions and dicussions points, relavent to each session. A selection of the contributions will be put to the panelists and will form the basis for discussion and debate. 
As we get closer to the event and we release further details around each of the three sessions, we will ask for more specific questions and opinion, however, initially we would like contributions to be more generalised. Any and all contributions will be hugely valuable and even if they are not put to the panel in the event on the 10th June, they will be collated and utilised in the Geology Student Enrolment Summit and the subsequent action plan. 
Please email your contributions to: tom@terrafirmaidc.co.uk. 
<DIV> </DIV>
<H2>Agenda, Speakers and Panelists: </H2>
 
8.45am - Zoom Room opens
9 - 9.10am - Introduction and Overview of Virtual Summit: Nick Rogers 
9.10 - 10.10am -First Session: The Perception of Geoscience in Society
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent1 list-bullet1">
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent2 list-bullet2">
<LI>
9.10 - 9.20am - Introduction to Session 
</LI>
<LI>
9.20 - 9.40am - Key note Speaker: Lucy Crane 
</LI>
<LI>
9.40 - 10.10am - Panel Q&A / Debate 
</LI>
</UL>
</UL>
10.10 - 11.10am - Second Session: The Perception of Geoscience in Business
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent1 list-bullet1">
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent2 list-bullet2">
<LI>
10.10 - 10.20am - Introduction to Session 
</LI>
<LI>
10.20 - 10.40am - Key note Speaker: Tom Backhouse 
</LI>
<LI>
10.40 - 11.10am - Panel Q&A / Debate 
</LI>
</UL>
</UL>
11.10 - 12.10pm - Third Session: <SPAN CLASS="thread-070236589257899894661963 attrcomment attrcommentfirst thread-070236589257899894661963-first author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qoxwytgz87zsxtz67zvz68z0z83zq11ez70zfz82zmz68ztdnbz80zpymu">The Decline of Geo/Earth Science Students
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent1 list-bullet1">
<UL CLASS="listtype-bullet listindent2 list-bullet2">
<LI>
11.10 - 11.20am - Introduction to Session 
</LI>
<LI>
11.20 - 11.40am - Key note Speaker: Professor Iain Stewart 
</LI>
<LI>
11.40 - 12.10pm - Panel Q&A / Debate 
</LI>
</UL>
</UL>
12.10 - 12.15pm - Closing remarks: Nick Rogers 
12.30pm - Zoom Room closes
 
Following the event, the recording will be circulated to all attendees. 
Login and Meeting Details will be sent to all confirmed attendees before the 8th June 2020.

Thank you for registering for the Future of GeoScience - Virtual Summit. 

Meeting ID and Log in details for the event will be circulated to all attendees at least a week before the 10th June. 

If you have any questions, please contact Tom Backhouse by emailing: tom@terrafirmaidc.co.uk

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