Organization:Geoscience Education, Training and Technology Transfer

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The Commission for Geoscience Education, Training, and Technology Transfer, mostly known as the Commission on Geoscience Education is a global organization operating under the International Union of Geological Sciences. It focuses on advancing geoscience education and promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology in this field on a global scale.

About

The Commission for Geoscience Education was established in 2004 with the mission to enhance the quality of geoscience education worldwide through collaboration with global organizations, including the International Geoscience Education Organization (IGEO) and the European Geosciences Union (EGU), to promote geoscience education and training initiatives around the globe.[1]

The commission established in collaboration with the Education Committee of the European Geosciences Union, the Geoscience Education Field Officer Program, as part of its mission to promote geoscience education initiatives worldwide. The program aimed to address the growing devaluation of geoscience teaching[2] and provide innovative pedagogical proposals[3] for non-higher education.[4] Since its inception by professor Chris King (geologist), in 2018, the program has involved more than 400 teachers, including 120 Portuguese, in various initiatives aimed at proposing innovative pedagogical proposals and creative training for teachers in this field.[5] As such, the field officer program is an important component of the commission's efforts to advance geoscience education on a global scale.

Other efforts of the commission are the development of an international survey that gathered data on school-level geoscience education across the globe and the proposal for an international geoscience school syllabus.[6][7] In the survey it was revealed that geoscience is taught in various contexts, either linked to science, geography, or both.[8]

Initiatives

COGE is involved in the following initiatives:

  • The Geoscience Education Field Officer (GEFO) Program, a joint effort with EGU Education[9]
  • The Chris King Medal, created in honour of professor Christopher John Henry King gives visibility to efforts in Geoscience Education worldwide.[10] The first Awardee is Professor Hector Lacreu from Argentina .
  • The GEFO Internship
  • Meetings/Sessions in Earth Science Research and Education at the International Geological Congress.
  • Workshops Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) organised by EGU Education since 2003.[11]
  • Supporting national Olympiads on Earth Science and educational activities at national level worldwide[12]

Current organization

The current board of the commission is formed by five members representing Asia (Elvaene James), Australia (Ian Clark), Europe (Susanna Occhipinti), North America (Scott Miller) and South America (Sandra Villacorta).[13]

In february, 2023, the commission formed five organizational committees: International Relations, GEFO Program, Chris King Medal, Publications, and Social Media.

Today, 20 countries worldwide are represented in the commission: Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brasil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Spain and USA.[1]

COGE works closely with International organisations like IGEO, EGU, Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australasia (WOMEESA)[14] and locally, with the Geosciences center of the National University of Mexico (CGEO-UNAM).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "About us – IUGS" (in en-US). https://iugscoge.org/about-us/. 
  2. Hall, Caitlyn A. (2022). "GC Insights: Diversifying the Geosciences in Higher Education: a Manifesto for Change". Geoscience Communication 5 (3): 8. https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2022/egusphere-2022-116/egusphere-2022-116.pdf. 
  3. Feig, Anthony (2019). "Achieving inclusive field-based education: Results and recommendations from an accessible geoscience field trip". Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 19 (2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1213975.pdf. 
  4. Carneiro, Celso Dal Ré; Barbosa, Ronaldo; Amendola, Danilo Furlan; Barbosa, Isabella Nogueira Bittar de Castilho (2022). "Two decades of learning with the Geo-School Project: a journey to introduce Geoscience into schools" (in en). Ciência & Educação (Bauru) 28. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/2510/251071987008/html/. 
  5. Correia, Gina P.; Pereira, Hélder; King, Chris (2021). "O Geoscience Education Field Officer". Revista de Ciência Elementar 9 (3). doi:10.24927/rce2021.056. ISSN 2183-9697. https://rce.casadasciencias.org/rceapp/art/2021/056. 
  6. "International Geoscience Syllabus | International Geoscience Education Organisation" (in en-US). http://www.igeoscied.org/activities/international-geoscience-syllabus/. 
  7. King, Chris (2015-03-01). "The international geoscience school syllabus and its development" (in en). Episodes Journal of International Geoscience 38 (1): 57–74. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2015/v38i1/008. https://www.episodes.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.18814/epiiugs/2015/v38i1/008. 
  8. King, Chris (2013-03-01). "Geoscience education across the globe – results of the IUGS-COGE/IGEO survey" (in en). Episodes Journal of International Geoscience 36 (1): 19–30. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2013/v36i1/004. https://www.episodes.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.18814/epiiugs/2013/v36i1/004. 
  9. Correia, Gina P.; Realdon, Giulia; Pereira, Hélder; Roca, Anna Anglisano; Coupechoux, Guillaume; Juan, Xavier (2023-02-22) (in en). The EGU Geoscience Education Field Officer Programme is growing! (Report). Copernicus Meetings. https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU23/EGU23-9754.html. 
  10. "The Chris King Medal – IUGS" (in en-US). https://iugscoge.org/the-chris-king-medal/. 
  11. "Introduction to GIFT" (in en). https://www.egu.eu/education/gift/. 
  12. "Educación | Geolympiadperu | Perú" (in es). https://iapgperu.wixsite.com/. 
  13. "IUGS – Commission on Geoscience Education" (in en-US). https://iugscoge.org/. 
  14. "Sponsors and partners" (in en-US). https://www.womeesa.net/sponsors-and-partners.