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UNESCO YEAR OF THE EARTH 2008 Our major activity to celebrate GA150, the 150th anniversary of foundation of the Geologists' Association The Earth is a dynamic planet, and understanding its history and how the Earth, oceans and atmospheres work today has never been more important. The GA has a major role in engaging children and the public at large in geology, and earth sciences more broadly, and we have launched the first stage of our new programme 'Your Planet Earth' The core of YPE is a set of Powerpoint talks that may be used by anyone in speaking to school groups. Each talk carries a full commentary or script in the associated panels.
We encourage free and extensive use of these materials. We have made every effort to confirm copyright of all images, and the talks are made available freely for educational use. There is also a training module that may be used by instructors/ outreach coordinators in earth sciences institutes to train their students before they take the science show into schools. We strongly recommend that students are trained either through this module, or by some other qualified instructors. Sending ill-prepared students into schools can cause harm to both sides! This initiative has been made possible through the backing of the GA, the Geological Society of London, and the Earth Science Educational Unit (ESEU), and funding from Shell. The first five talks have been prepared by Dr Jess Trofimovs at the University of Bristol, UK, with extensive involvement from many colleagues. Aimed at the 14-15-years age group, they introduce key earth sciences subjects with a focus on current debate and basic science concepts. We plan to develop the scheme by expanding the roster of talks, by preparing them all for a younger age group, probably ages 8 and 9, as well, and by focused promotion around schools and universities. Mike Benton
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Since the beginning of November 2001, Rockwatch has been managed under the auspices of the Geologists' Association.
