Special Presentation

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Unleashing the Future: Advancing Geoscience Education for the Next Generation

Tuesday, 1 October 2024, 11:00 a.m.–12:25 p.m. | Muscat, Oman

Training students to become young professionals in geosciences is a challenging task owing to the changes in the market’s needs. I.e., based on the energy transition the market needs less petroleum geologists then today. Furthermore, many nations want to become economically independent from hydrocarbons, thus, fostering geotourism, mining and application of artificial intelligence (AI). Essential approaches to tackle these changes in student education are (1) to innovatively integrate classical field work, which demands high active learning skills, with theoretical learning; (2) to include latest trends and technologies in geoscience education, such as application of AI, virtual reality and online learning platforms. (3) to tune curriculum programs to meet current and future industry needs, including the integration of new technologies and sustainability concepts; (4) to bridge the gap between academia and industry such as partnerships between universities, research centers and industry; (5) to explore the growing importance of data science, machine learning, and digital skills in geoscience education and research; and (6) to evaluate the 4-years BSc program concept, i.e., to balance between sciences fundamentals to provide a broad education but limited job specifications vs. trained job requirements but with a narrow general scientific background.