Geology Week rocks on for fifth year
Dr Brian Jones (left) leads a field trip during Geology Education Week 2015
(CNS Local Life): The fifth annual Geology Education Week will take place from Monday, 16 October, to Friday, 20 October. Organised by the Water Authority-Cayman, Geology Week, as in past years, will comprise geology lessons for students at local high schools and professional development courses for local educators, which will include a field trip to Cayman Brac.
A new addition to the programme this year is a second professional development course focusing on the rock cycle.
Dr Brian Jones, professor of geology at the University of Alberta, Canada, will be returning to the Cayman Islands to lead this year’s events. Dr Jones is a world-renowned geologist whose work in the Cayman Islands spans more than 30 years.
Water Authority director Gelia Frederick-van Genderen said that the organisation is looking forward to welcoming Dr Jones. “We are pleased that the Water Authority and Dr Jones are once again able to host Geology Education Week and provide an opportunity for Dr Jones to share his expertise with local students and educators,” she said. “We are proud that the local interest in this exciting educational programme continues to grow each year.”
Although registration for the courses offered as part of Geology Week is restricted to local high school students and educators, the public will also have the opportunity to engage with the subject matter through an Instagram competition and a display of photographs in the authority’s lobby.
Water Authority corporate communications officer Hannah Reid said the addition of these events will help engage the wider public with local geology.
“Last year we were proud to exhibit a collection of artwork by noted sculptor Horacio Esteban and this year we wanted to add something to the programme to engage the public in a similar fashion but with a greater focus on social media,” she said.
The Instagram competition will run from 1 October to the closing date of Geology Week, 20 October. Using the hashtag #caymanrocks, the public is invited to showcase images of their favourite places of local geological significance for the chance to win a gift basket filled with Water Authority-branded giveaways and a $50 Water Authority gift certificate.
“Whether it’s the blowholes in East End, or Peter’s Cave in Cayman Brac, or Hell in West Bay, we want to see the public’s favourite places of local geologic significance,” Reid said.
From 20-31 October, the public will be able to cast a vote to decide the winner of the competition, and can “like” or “follow” its social media pages for more information on the voting.
Category: Education
