November 2015 BBC Presenter to Deliver Geology Lecture at NUI Galway

BBC Science programme presenter, Professor Iain Stewart will deliver a Geology public lecture at NUI Galway on Monday, 9 November. The lecture, ‘Between a Rock and a Hard Place: communicating geology to society’, is a collaboration between Galway Earth and Ocean Sciences Student Society, Galway Geological Association and NUI Galway’s Earth and Ocean Sciences.

Professor Iain Stewart is Professor of Geoscience Communication with the University of Plymouth and has worked on several science programmes for the BBC, including the BAFTA nominated ‘Earth: The Power of the Planet’. His research interests are in the broad area of Earth hazards and natural disasters, particularly in terms of investigating past major earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in the Mediterranean region.

Geoscientific knowledge and understanding lies at the heart of many of the most critical societal issues that faces us in the 21^st century. The pressing human challenges of natural disaster reduction, energy supply and security, and mineral and water resource management, rest on geological foundations. And yet, outside of the academic and industrial geoscience community there is a limited appreciation of Earth Science, especially among policy makers and the wider public. It is for that reason that professional geologists are increasingly encouraged to communication more broadly what they do and what they know. This talk will use a decade of experiences in popularising geoscience to explore ways in which geologists can make our subject connect better with the public, and in doing so develop more effective strategies for meaningful public engagement.

Dr Alessandra Costanzo, of NUI Galway’s Geofluid Research Group and Earth and Ocean Science said: “Professor Stewart is world renowned for his ability to communicate the fundamental principles of geological science to a wide audience of both technical earth scientists as well as the lay audience. It is indeed an honour to welcome such a high profile communicator to NUI Galway.”

The lecture will take place in the Colm O’hEocha Theatre, Arts Millennium Building at on Monday, 9 November at 7pm. Places are limited and places can be reserved at www.eventbrite.ie.

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