Many people fondly remember assembling their first rock collection or exploding a baking soda volcano as a child. These experiences can be a great gateway into the Earth sciences, but a more tailored and modern approach will ensure future generations are geoscience-literate and eventually able to contribute to the workforce. In this presentation, we 1. Use the Geoscience Australia Education Program as a case study of changing approaches to Earth science education and engagement, particularly after the global pandemic; 2. Discuss four key challenges facing geoscience education and engagement; and 3. Apply these challenges to efforts to promote Earth science to students in later high school, including summarising some of the broader data surrounding the attitudes and priorities of this demographic. We hope that this presentation will help guide the discussion on how we can most effectively ignite the interest of the next generation in pursuing Earth Science.

Geoscience Australia’s Discovery & Engagement team are developing a comprehensive plan to make our public spaces and programs more inclusive for visitors and staff. This will involve a multi-year journey to find effective ways to showcase the varied work of our staff and the relevance of Earth science to all Australians. To inform this work, GA undertook a series of audience research studies across a range of audiences to unearth interest in, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Earth science as a topic. This work involved a literature review, public surveys and focus groups, and audience testing for a new exhibit called Rocks that Shape Australia. This research is presented combined with recent findings from outreach work by the Exploring for the Future Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project team. Join us for intriguing insights into what the public know, think and feel about Earth science.