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
Use the Geoscience Australia Education Program as a case study of changing approaches to Earth science education and engagement, particularly after the global pandemic;
Discuss four key challenges facing geoscience education and engagement; and
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.