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The Geological Society is presenting this one day conference on how to communicate key geoscience challenges to the public. at Burlington House, London. For further information and registration visit the conference web page.
Geological issues are increasingly intruding on the everyday lives of people across the UK and around the world. Whether it be onshore exploration and extraction of oil and gas, subsurface injection of waters for geothermal power or deep storage of carbon and radioactive waste, many communities across the country are being confronted with controversial geo-engineering interventions under their backyard.
Alongside the complex scientific and technical challenges, an additional problem is that, to most people, the geological subsurface is an unknown realm. That combination presents particular difficulties for professional geoscientists communicating what they do and what they know to the lay public. Developing public participation strategies that effectively engage with citizens, communities, and stakeholder groups, requires geoscientists to better appreciate what the public knows and what they have concerns about.
This conference will be a forum to bring together geoscientists from universities, industry and government alongside specialists in communication and public engagement to explore the challenges of communicating contested geological issues to the wider public.
The meeting, which is aimed at emerging geoscience professionals and experienced practitioners who wish to better engage with the public, will focus principally on three current and pressing societal concerns in the UK:
These themes will be explored through a mix of keynote talks and expert panel discussions, alongside active Q & A from an audience of geoscience and communication practitioners.
Confirmed Speakers include:
