media (the Internet and CD-ROMs, for example) on their own
teachers judged the introductory events held in Bavaria and
and to carry out simple experiments that will help them
North Rhine-Westphalia as a total success. They also awarded
visualize the information they are absorbing. The lessons range
high marks to the concept behind the subjects dealt with in the
from »Volcano in a Jam Jar« to »Tornado in a Bottle«. »About
seminars: a well - coordinated combination of lectures and
80 percent of the materials can be found in the pupil’s own
presentations of simple experiments that can be carried out in
kitchen,« says Frank Siemer, a scientist involved in the project.
the classroom.
»That makes it easy for pupils to approach the phenomena of the natural sciences and reduces their reluctance to carry
The next event in the series, which will be organized in
out experiments.«
cooperation with the Academy for the Continuing Education of Teachers in Saxony, will take place in Schloss Siebeneichen
TEACHERS BECOME PUPILS
in Meißen from November 25 – 27, 2002. Further seminars are planned for 2003. More information on the project
Concentration! Participants of the teachers’ seminar in Bochum in June 2002
In cooperation with the education experts in Kiel, the
and the seminars for teachers can be found on the
GEOTECHNOLOGIEN coordination office conducts seminars in
websites of GEOTECHNOLOGIEN and the IPN (http://
continuing education programmes for teachers throughout
systemerde.ipn.unikiel.de).
Germany. The target group consists mainly of specialists in the fields of chemistry, physics, geography and biology. Participating
Public relations activities »DON’T HIDE YOUR LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL« – TWO IMPORTANT CONCERNS OF THE GEOTECHNOLOGIEN RESEARCH PROGRAMME ARE TO PROMOTE ITS PROJECTS AND TO ACTIVELY PUBLICIZE THE RESULTS ATTAINED BY THE RESEARCHERS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE DEVELOP-
Science instead of shopping: GEOTECHNOLOGIEN in the elegant shopping mall »SchadowArkaden« in Düsseldorf
MENT AND THE SUCCESSES OF THE PROGRAMME. GEOTECHNOLOGIEN on tour
The Year of the Geosciences 2002, initiated
mineralised »black smoker« channel from the
by the Federal Ministry of Education and
depths of the Pacific Ocean. The multimedia
Research, offers an outstanding platform for
presentation is now also available on a CD that
When it is not taking part in one of the various
GEOTECHNOLOGIEN programme. Accordingly,
the effective public presentation of research
can be ordered from the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN
central events of the Year of the Geosciences,
the March 2002 issue of this magazine in-
in the geosciences.
coordination office.
the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN presentation is on
cluded an eight-page report on the various
Accordingly, the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN coordi-
Another attraction enjoyed by the viewers was
tour throughout Germany in the form of a
topics of GEOTECHNOLOGIEN. Whether satel-
nation office has organized an extensive pro-
the series of classroom experiments developed
travelling exhibition, set up in shopping malls
lite missions, early warning systems to help
gramme of activities for this year - long event.
as part of the »Research Dialogue on System
and savings banks as well as Ministry
deal with natural catastrophes, or state-of-the-
For example, representatives attended the
Earth« (see the article »Laboratory Earth« in this
buildings and regional parliaments in order to
art technologies for disposing of the dangerous
major events of the Year of the Geosciences
issue). The experiments made the geosciences a
increase
greenhouse gas carbon dioxide – readers lear-
in Berlin, Leipzig and Cologne and presented
hands-on subject and helped viewers to literally
programme and the geosciences in general.
ned in an entertaining and easily comprehen-
a travelling exhibition in numerous German
»get a grasp of« the broad spectrum of work
The
was
sible way about the tremendous relevance of
cities. Furthermore the programme was the
being done in these fields and its multiple appli-
presented on three different occasions in
geoscientific research to our everyday life. The
subject of an extensive report in one of the
cations. Not only children but also adults were
Berlin: It could be viewed at the Federal
positive response to these pages, from the
most popular German customer magazines.
thrilled by the experiments. The visitors’ enthu-
Ministry of Education and Research on the
business sector as well as other categories of
siasm increased from one event to the next.
»Day of the Earth«, on April 22, and on the
readers, testify to the success of this some-
Accompanied by a fiery background program-
Ministry’s Open House Days, on August 17 and
what unusual way of publicizing science.
me, the crowds of visitors who came to Cologne
18. In addition, it accompanied the lecture
One of the most important activities of
– more than 80,000, according to the organizers
series »The Geosciences – Water Is Life« at the
GEOTECHNOLOGIEN during the Year of the
– exceeded all expectations. Staff members of
Konrad Adenauer Foundation on several days
Geosciences was its series of presentations at
the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN coordination office
in mid-June. Future venues include the state
the Year’s various central events. The pro-
and the Institute for the Teaching of the Natural
parliaments in Hannover and Schwerin, the
gramme of presentations was designed to
Sciences in Kiel worked very hard to meet the
GEO-2002 conference in Würzburg and the
reflect the many facets of the geosciences. The
visitors’ expectations. And of course there was a
Geocentre located at the site of the German
tremendous spatial and temporal dimensions
long list of interested visitors wishing to receive
Continental Deep Drilling Programme (KTB) in
that the geoscientists deal with was one of the
further information on GEOTECHNOLOGIEN
Windischeschenbach. To find out when this
topics highlighted. Other themes included the
and the various classroom experiments.
presentation can be seen at a site near you,
AT THE GEOSCIENCES FAIR
an ideal medium for acquainting interested non-scientists with the geosciences and the
public
interest
GEOTECHNOLOGIEN
in
its
research
exhibition
check the »News« link on our Website.
relevance of their research to everyday life, the breadth of their expertise and the high technological level of their work. A multimedia show and spectacular exhibits that gave viewers a glimpse of the researchers’ daily activities turned out to be a magnet for younger members of the audience in particular. Especially popular exhibits included
drill
heads
from
the
German
Finding out about the geosciences in entertaining way — The CD accompanying the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN research programme
GEOTECHNOLOGIEN boards the train In Germany passengers on long-train journeys enjoy reading the »DB-mobil« magazine published by the German national railway system,
Continental Deep Drilling Programme (KTB) at
Deutsche Bahn AG. More than 500,000
Windischeschenbach, hissing gas hydrates and a
copies are distributed every month. It is clearly
Reading for your train trip: The March 2002 issue of »DBmobil« included a comprehensive report on the topics of GEOTECHNOLOGIEN