Curricular changes in the Geology Department, University of Zimbabwe: towards a more vocational degree

Zimbabwe is a mineral-rich country with a long history of Earth Science Education. The establishment of a University Geology Department in 1960 allowed the country to produce its own earth science graduates. These graduates are readily absorbed by the mining industry and few are without work. Demand for places at the University is high and entry standards reflect this. Students enter the University after GCE A levels in three science subjects and most go on to graduate. Degree programmes include B.Sc. General in Geology (plus another science), B.Sc. Honours in Geology and M.Sc. in Exploration Geology and in Geophysics. The undergraduate curriculum is broad-based and increasingly vocationally orientated. A well-equipped building caters for relatively large student numbers and also houses analytical facilities used for research and teaching. Computers are used in teaching from the first year onwards. Staff are on average poorly qualified compared to other universities, but there is an impressive research element. The Department has good links with many overseas universities and external funding agencies play a strong supporting role. That said, financial constraints remain the greatest barrier to future development, although increasing links with the mining industry may cushion this.     

Earth Science Education in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a mineral-rich country with a long history of Earth Science Education. The establishment of a University Geology Department in 1960 allowed the country to produce its own earth science graduates. These graduates are readily absorbed by the mining industry and few are without work. Demand for places at the University is high and entry standards reflect this. Students enter the University after GCE A levels in three science subjects and most go on to graduate. Degree programmes include B.Sc. General in Geology (plus another science), B.Sc. Honours in Geology and M.Sc. in Exploration Geology and in Geophysics. The undergraduate curriculum is broad-based and increasingly vocationally orientated. A well-equipped building caters for relatively large student numbers and also houses analytical facilities used for research and teaching. Computers are used in teaching from the first year onwards. Staff are on average poorly qualified compared to other universities, but there is an impressive research element. The Department has good links with many overseas universities and external funding agencies play a strong supporting role. That said, financial constraints remain the greatest barrier to future development, although increasing links with the mining industry may cushion this.     

Earth Science Education in Botswana

In Botswana, the Earth Science Education programme is based at the University of Botswana in the Department of Geology, which is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Science. Initially the new department had three academic staff members; this number has later increased to eight and, most recently, to ten academic posts. Since the programme's inception in 1980, 84 graduates completed the undergraduate geological studies. The Geology B.Sc. programme gives a choice between a single major in Geology and three combined majors: Geology/Environmental Sciences, Geology/Chemistry and Geology/Physics. Postgraduate programmes are currently under preparation. All Geology graduates are employed by the Botswana Government institutions and private companies. An active research programme, related to both local and international projects is conducted. This involves co-operation with national institutions and international organisations.     

Earth Science Education in Eritrea

In Eritrea, Earth Science Education is taught only by the Earth Sciences Department based at the College of Science, University of Asmara. Currently, the University of Asmara has eight teaching Colleges: Agriculture & Aquatic Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, and Science offering Bachelor degrees, Diplomas and Certificates in various fields. The Earth Sciences Department was established as a Geology Unit in 1983 and until 1996 offered minor and service geology courses for students of Science and Agriculture. The Department started a four-year degree programme in Geology (B.Sc. in Geology) at the beginning of the 1996/97 academic year. The B.Sc. programme in Geology provides students with a Geology major and a minor in Physics or Chemistry. Potential major organisations which employ the geology graduates include the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment, as well as mining and petroleum companies which are currently active in mineral resources exploration in the country.     

Earth Science Education in Uganda

Uganda has two Government funded universities, five operating private universities and four other universities are due to start soon. Geology was first taught in Uganda at Makerere University in 1968 within the Department of Geography. Through the leadership of Prof. Robert Macdonald it became established as a full department in August 1969 as part of the Faculty of Science. Both pure and applied geology are taught and the courses are designed to suit the current job market. At present, the three-term academic year is being replaced by a semester-based course unit system. At the same time, the 3:2:2 subject combination, requiring a student to do three subjects in first year and two subjects in both second and third years, is to be replaced by a major-minor subject combination.Currently, there are about 50 undergraduate students and four Ph.D. students in the Department. A student Geological Association acts as a forum for the exchange of information on matters of geological concern. An affirmative action policy has improved the intake of women students into the Department. On average, the number of women has increased from about 10% to 33.3% in the years 1984/85 to 1997/98. Their performance parallels that of the male students and they are readily employed. Of the eight members of academic staff, two are women. The Department of Geology has good links with regional and overseas universities through which a number of research programmes are currently supported. In addition, most of the training of manpower for the University and research programmes is supported by regional and international research agencies. Academic staff combine teaching with research and consultancy.     

Earth Science Education in Morocco

The earth sciences are taught in twelve universities in Morocco and in three other institutions. In addition there are three more earth science research institutions. Earth science teaching has been taking place since 1957. The degree system is a four-year degree, split into two two-year blocks and geology is taught within the geology-biology programme for the first part of the degree. ‘Classical’ geology is taught in most universities, although applied geology degrees are also on offer in some universities. Recently-formed technical universities offer a more innovative approach to Earth Science Education. Teaching is in French, although school education is in Arabic. There is a need for a reform of the curriculum, although a lead is being taken by the technical universities. A new geological mapping programme promises new geological and mining discoveries in the country and prospects of employment for geology graduates.     

Earth Science Education in Zambia

Mining in Zambia has been practised for centuries, and in the last 70 years Zambia has risen to become one of the world's leading Cu producers as a result of the exploitation of the Zambian Copperbelt orebodies. In contrast to this long history of mining, Zambia has a relatively short history of Earth Science Education. For the past 24 years, the earth sciences have been taught within the School of Mines in University of Zambia. The School started operation on 1st June, 1973, with the purpose of training professional geologists, extractive metallurgical/mineral processing engineers and mining engineers to service the needs of the mining industry in Zambia.The School consists of three departments — Geology, Metallurgy and Mineral Processing, and Mining Engineering — which deliver a five-year undergraduate programme. Students are admitted to the School after completing a one-year programme in the School of Natural Sciences of the University of Zambia. Students with an average of C+ or better in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics are admitted into the School of Mines.The School of Mines has a total of 36 teaching positions — 12 for each Department. To successfully complete their course, students must pass 40 courses over a period of five years. During this time, industrial training is mandatory in the vacation periods after the third and fourth years of study. This training is mainly within the mining industry who in most cases sponsor the students for their studies in the School.The School admits 50 students on average per year, of whom five students take up Geology as a career. So far only two female students have studied in the School of Mines, both of them in Geology. The student to staff ratio in the Geology Department is 3 to 1. The low enrolment in Geology is thought to be because of a lack of knowledge of geology as a possible career by prospective students and a perceived lack of progression, once employed in industry. This has lead to a ‘Geoscience in Schools’ project with the main aim of making secondary school students aware of geology as a career.The Geology Department enjoys close co-operation with geology departments in a number of universities around the world, with industry, government ministries and regional bodies. It is hoped that the current increase in employment prospects for Geology graduates in Zambia will attract more students to geology as a career.     

Earth Science Education in South Africa

Most of the statistics given in this overview of the history and current status of Geoscience Education in South Africa pertain to the more geologically inclined disciplines; while the report does mention the extent to which earth sciences are taught in mining and geography departments, no detailed information about these activities are given. There are 13 active geoscience departments countrywide (eleven at universities and two at technical institutions) teaching a wide range of geological topics, some at a highly specialised level. There are just over 100 academic staff members engaged in teaching, supported by 65 technical and administrative staff. Of the teaching staff, 89% have Ph.D. degrees, and most are engaged in active research. About 150 three-year B.Sc., slightly fewer B.Sc. (Hons.), graduates, plus 10 geological technicians pass through the system every year, with most finding employment in the mining industry. Approximately 120 M.Sc. and 60 Ph.D. candidates are currently registered at the universities, about 40% of whom graduate in any particular year.     

Appropriate teaching materials for Africa: local is ‘lekker’!

Most of the statistics given in this overview of the history and current status of Geoscience Education in South Africa pertain to the more geologically inclined disciplines; while the report does mention the extent to which earth sciences are taught in mining and geography departments, no detailed information about these activities are given. There are 13 active geoscience departments countrywide (eleven at universities and two at technical institutions) teaching a wide range of geological topics, some at a highly specialised level. There are just over 100 academic staff members engaged in teaching, supported by 65 technical and administrative staff. Of the teaching staff, 89% have Ph.D. degrees, and most are engaged in active research. About 150 three-year B.Sc., slightly fewer B.Sc. (Hons.), graduates, plus 10 geological technicians pass through the system every year, with most finding employment in the mining industry. Approximately 120 M.Sc. and 60 Ph.D. candidates are currently registered at the universities, about 40% of whom graduate in any particular year.     

Earth Science Education in Tanzania

In Tanzania, the earth sciences are only taught at the University of Dar es Salaam, in the Department of Geology. The Department was founded in 1974, acquired its first Tanzanian staff in 1975 and produced its first graduates in 1977. Now the Department is completely run by Tanzanian staff and about 25 Geology students graduate annually.The Department offers B.Sc., M.Sc. (taught and by research) and Ph.D. degrees. Students enter the University after 13 years of schooling, thus, upon completion of A levels. Currently, about 30 students a year are admitted to the Geology course, of whom about five will fail to complete. Normally, only 5 to 10% of the undergraduates are women. Currently, most students obtain employment with exploration and mining companies.The Department has dedicated laboratories for teaching and research and has several items of analytical equipment. There are 15 academic staff, most with Ph.D.s, many of whom were trained in the 1980s and 1990s in Germany and Finland through collaborative training programmes. Current research projects are funded by Sweden, the Netherlands and the Tanzanian Government.     

Can a decline in Earth Science Education and research be averted by networking, specialist centres and hybrid departments?

University earth science departments are under threat in southern Africa, as in the rest of the world. It is argued here that a good quality and broad based Earth Science Education can be maintained in southern African universities either by networking, or by maintaining departments staffed by a local core of academics, whose teaching is supplemented by block courses conducted by staff from specialised centres also serving industry. These centres should play a vital part in graduate research and maintain research links with the core staff. Positioned between industry and universities, they could promote links between both.     

The 100th Anniversary of the Department of Geology,Peking University

The Department of Geology,Peking University is the earliest geological institution of the Chinese universities.It was founded in 1909,initially as one of the two departments in the School of Science at the Peking Imperial University.After several events,recruitment commenced in 1917 and a new name was adopted:the Department of Geology,Peking University.When the war broke out in 1937,the     

Geological Society of Africa

History and objectives,The ambitious and forward-looking decision to establish a pan-African geological society was taken during the course of a conference on African geology held in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1970. A Steering Committee was convened at that meeting under the Chairmanship of Professor Russell Black of the Department of Geology, Haile Selassie University, Addis Ababa, and the provisional constitution drafted by his Committee was approved at a second conference on African geology in Addis Ababa in 1973. Thus was the Geological Society of Africa (GSA.t) born. Its first President was Professor M O Owawoye (Nigeria) and Dr S M E1 Rabba (Sudan) became its first Secretary General.     

李四光教授生平简介

本文简要介绍了李四光教授从青少年直到逝世为止的毕生活动中的重要事迹。其中包括早年留学日本时参加中国同盟会和辛亥革命时期的活动;入英国伯明翰大学后,专攻地质科学,走上了“科学救国”的道路;新中国成立前后,专心致志地从事地质科学研究和地质教育工作,在长期的科学活动和社会活动中,为繁荣祖国科学事业,发展和提高中国地质科学水平,为社会主义经济建设寻找和开发矿产资源,做出了不可磨灭的卓越贡献。在国内外科学界、知识界享有崇高的声誉,为后人留下了大量宝贵的科学文化财富,中国人民引以为荣。     

Earth Science Education in Kenya

The University of Nairobi is currently the only University in Kenya which offers degree level courses in the earth sciences. The Department was founded in 1961, became part of an autonomous University in 1970, awarded its first degrees in 1972 and awarded its first Geology degrees in 1978. The Department currently offers a four-year B.Sc. course - delivered as part of a course unit system - and an M.Sc. programme in Geology. Students are admitted to the University after eight years of primary and four years of secondary schooling. Graduates find employment either in government departments or in the private sector. The Department currently has 15 academic staff who are involved in a variety of research projects. Currently, there are collaborative links with Universities in Germany, Sweden and South Africa.     

第6次全国青年工程地质学术研讨会综述

2017年7月21~23日,第6次全国青年工程地质学术研讨会在成都理工大学地质灾害防治与地质环境保护国家重点实验室顺利召开。本次研讨会是第三届工程地质专业委员会青年工作委员会成立以来组织召开的第二次围绕某一具体主题的学术会议,共有来自全国68家单位,包括高校、科研院所和工程单位的185位青年工作者参会。会议结合成都理工大学地质工程学科的研究特色,以“复杂条件下地质灾害形成机理与风险评价”为主题,举行了13场特邀专题报告、10场学术报告、3场圆桌讨论和1天的地震灾区野外考察,报告内容丰富多彩,涉及理论研究、试验研究与工程实践,深度与广度兼备。本次研讨会是国内工程地质及相关领域青年学者开展讨论和深入交流的一次盛会,对推进青年学者之间的学术交流与合作、加强多学科之间的交叉融合创新、促进“产、学、研”结合的成果转化、促进青年人才的成长起到了积极作用。     

Earth Science Education in Cameroon: a case study from the University of Buea

Cameroon is a bilingual country with French and English being the official languages. This bicultural status is linked to pre-independence colonisation of the territory. Consequently, two educational systems exist in formal schools, colleges and the university sector. Studies of Earth Science Education curricula in these systems show completely divergent approaches in colleges and at the Tertiary level. An assessment of the factors that influence these divergences shows their relationship to the cultural background and to available expertise. From 1962 to 1992, Earth Science Education at the Tertiary level was limited to the unique University of Yaoundé and was based on the French system, even though the University served both systems. The curriculum was not related to the major priority needs of the country with respect to its natural or mineral resources and this handicap is being felt today. However, the creation in 1993 of six independent government universities in the country, with one — the University of Buea — being of an ‘Anglo-Saxon’ tradition, has resulted in the development of varied curricula in Earth Science Education in five of these universities. The varied approach is aimed at meeting manpower needs in priority areas of the subject in future. A comparison of the Earth Science curricula from 1993 to 1998 in the Universities of Yaoundé I, Douala and Buea is used to identify the divergent approaches and the expected advantages of each curriculum. A more detailed evaluation of the curriculum in the University of Buea is used to highlight the attempt being made to train geoscientists who will be capable of exploiting the natural resources of the country and equally ensure the conservation of the environment for future generations.     

尹赞勋先生对我国地质教育事业的贡献

尹赞勋先生是我国著名的地质学家和古生物学家，又是我国地质事业的一位开拓者和组织者。尹先生对科学界、地质界的贡献是多方面的。在地质教育方面，自１９５２年至１９５６年，他参加了北京地质学院的筹建工作，并担任了第一任副院长兼教务长。在北京地质学院任职期间，他竭尽全力推进各项教学工作，培养了大批学生，满足了第一个五年计划对地质人才的需求。他为北京地质学院的成就而自豪，并长期关怀学院的成长，关怀地质教育的健康发展。我们缅怀尹先生的最好方法就是推动学校工作的进一步向前发展，使之建成为当代地质教学和科研的一个中心。     

第10次全国青年工程地质论坛回顾

第10次青年工程地质论坛于2018年9月7~9日在三峡大学顺利召开。论坛由中国地质学会工程地质专业委员会、三峡大学等单位承办,中国地质大学（武汉）等单位协办。主要围绕"水利水电工程中的工程地质与岩土工程问题"主题展开研讨,共有来自国内78家高校、科研院所和企事业单位的300余位代表参会。论坛活动由学术报告和野外考察两部分组成,其中,青年学者报告55场,研究生报告12场。各位代表围绕论坛主题,进行了热烈讨论和争鸣,气氛十分融洽。碰撞出了新的学术火花,催生出了新的学术思想。为青年工程地质论坛的不断前行和青年人才的成长,注入了新鲜血液和新动力。     

Before the Scottish Survey: Alfred Harker the Geologist

The archival papers of the eminent petrologist Alfred Harker span his entire geological career of over 60 years. These are held by the Archive of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences (University of Cambridge). Harker was associated with the Department of Geology, the Woodwardian Museum and post-1904, the Sedgwick Memorial Museum. Importantly, his meticulously labelled notebooks provide an unprecedented insight into his development as a field and laboratory scientist. They chart Harker's beginnings as a fossil collector and observer of sedimentary stratigraphy on the North Yorkshire coast, his trips to Wales and Devon with the Sedgwick Club, and his later work in the English Lake District with his friend and colleague John. E. Marr. This paper examines in particular Harker's suite of 20 notebooks kept up until 1894, including his trip to Edinburgh in August 1892. This visit introduced the young scientist to the geology of Scotland for the first time. An overview of Harker's experience and contemporary contacts suggests some reasons why Sir Archibald Geikie later invited him to join the Scottish Survey staff in 1895.