National Schools Geology Challenge
The next National Schools Geology Challenge Finals will be held on Thursday 28 March 2019. If your school group is interested in entering the challenge please email your local Regional Group to find out about your local Regional Heat or contact Will Foreman for more information.
2018 Competition:
Eight teams of school students from across the UK attended the Finals of the National Schools Geology Challenge on 22 March 2018. The day was packed full of fascinating talks and posters on an assortment of geological topics from carbonados and diamonds to the evolution of avian flight and the geology of an iPad. Each of our judges (Emma Bernard, Tim Gregory, Helen Smyth, Jessica Smith and Huw Richards) gave the students a talk on their area of geoscience covering museum curation, engineering geology, oil and gas, meteorite geochemistry and mineral exploration.
Winners:
The winning team were Aylesbury Grammar School (Home Counties North Regional Group) with their talk and poster on ‘Curious Carbonados’. Congratulations to James Davies, Edward Maher, George Ramsey, Tom Ward and Jonny Davis.
Presentation Award:
The students from Saffron Walden School (East Anglia Regional Group) won the Presentation Award with their talk on ‘Convergent evolution of flight’. Well done to Fran Beal, Geraint Jones, Ben Cornwall-Jones, Thanos Klidaras, Owain Fletcher Williams and Nick Lopez Martin
Poster Award:
Wells Cathedral School (Western Regional Group) won the Poster Award with their poster on ‘The Geology of an iPad’. Well done to Adele Potts, Ali Meek, James Moore, Becca Verity, Al Padgett and Joe Tall
Congratulations to the winning teams and to all of our finalists!
Finalists:
- Hall Cross Academy (Yorkshire Regional Group)
Cu later, Copper!
- Rathmore Grammar School (Northern Ireland Regional Group)
Minerals: a key geological resource
- Runshaw College (East Anglia Regional Group)
The Caledonian Orogeny in the UK
- Torquay Girls’ Grammar School (South West Regional Group)
The evolution of plate tectonics
- Whitchurch High School (South Wales Regional Group)
The effects of coal mining on Welsh landscapes: Sinkholes
Photos of the 2018 Final of the Schools Challenge and Early Career Award:
