New South Wales schools have booked out Australian Earth Science Education’s (AusEarthEd) incursions in Term 1 as travel to schools has been made possible.
Students from Davidson High School, Frenchs Forrest, explore the high-tech minerals maps of NSW to consider the future needs of the region.
Students from St Clares College, Waverley, work with Susan Filan, AusEarthEd Education Officer, to explore for resources using simulated geophysical exploration techniques.
The program launched in the State in 2020 with the support of the Gold Industry Group to deliver much needed Earth and Environmental Science (EES) training, resources and incursions.
With gold featured prominently in several incursions, AusEarthEd will visit 22 schools this Term, including regional schools in Orange, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Murwillumbah, Wollongong, Newcastle, Maitland and Moss Vale.
Year 11 and 12 students have embraced the incursions to date, immersing in gold-oriented hands-on activities, covering Rocks and Minerals, Exploration and Mining, and Resources as core topics.
“The demand for these new incursions has been fantastic, with Term 1 booked out. These incursions have been experienced by 83 students across six schools and by the end of Term 1, the incursions will reach 22 schools across NSW including regional areas,” said AusEarthEd NSW Education Officer Susan Filan.
“The students have really engaged with the gold content across these incursions,” added Ms Filan.
While exploring Rocks and Minerals, year 11 students are fascinated that ‘fools gold’ (pyrite) can be distinguished from real gold. Many schools have a Gold Industry Group Gold Resources Kit and students look closely at the rocks in the kit with the hand lens trying to spot gold, but only manage to see it in the gold leaf specimen.
Year 11 students also dive into Exploration and Mining where they learn the importance of mining to Australia’s economy and our top exports, including gold. Students use free geophysical data on MinView to ‘go for gold’. When exploring different types of mines in virtual reality, they see the ROM bin and appreciate the design of underground mines.
In Resources, year 12 students explore the mined resources for future mining using the High-tech Metals and Metallurgical maps from the Geological Survey of NSW. One of their activities include proposing gold mines to explore based on Australian reserves in NSW, using information they gather from the maps.
Gold Industry Group Executive Officer Rebecca Johnston said she was delighted to see the success of the program since its launch in May last year, expanding awareness of and interest in the gold sector, while providing essential resources to educators in EES across the State.
“We are excited to see the new program bringing Australia’s gold industry to life in schools across NSW, enhancing students’ and teachers’ understanding of its significant role in our society and economy, while building awareness of the diverse range of career opportunities within the sector,” said Ms Johnston.
Secondary schools in NSW can book these gold incursions and choose one incursion for a half-day or full-day incursions. Teachers can visit our website to find out more.
NSW educators and students can learn more about AusEarthEd on their website, blog, YouTube channel, or by following their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
Gold Industry Group members supporting the partnership with AusEarthEd in NSW include Evolution Mining, Regis Resources, Northern Star Resources, Gold Road Resources, Kirkland Lake Gold, Pallion and ABC Refinery.