Schools and Higher Education –Inspiring the Next Generationof Mineralogists.
The Working Group on Schools and Higher Education is committed to strengthening the visibility of the geosciences, particularly mineralogy, and improving the quality of geoscience education in schools. It also advocates broad and high-quality subject-specific education at German universities. Current questions, developments, and ideas relating to education at both school and university level are addressed and discussed within the Working Group.
The Working Group maintains close links with representatives of other professional and scientific societies and continues to expand its network.
The Working Group’s current activities focus on the following projects:
Mineralogical Teaching Kit (mileko)
The Mineralogical Teaching Kit was developed to strengthen the presence of geoscience, and mineralogical topics in particular, in school education. Five didactically designed thematic kits (modules) are currently available. The kits can be borrowed or purchased by schools and other educational institutions.
The Working Group is currently establishing a network of so-called mileko stations. In addition to serving as lending locations for the teaching kits, these stations provide teachers with access to subject-specific expertise and support.
The project is coordinated by Andrea Koch-Hillmaier. Further information is available on the Mineralogical Teaching Kit page.
German Earth Science Olympiad
The German Earth Science Olympiad gives upper secondary school students the opportunity to test their knowledge through engaging, real-world and research-oriented tasks and to qualify for participation in the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO).
The Olympiad is organised by the German Federation of Geosciences (DVGeo) in cooperation with its member societies. The DMG contacts for the project are Birgit Kreher-Hartmann and Malte Junge.
Further information is available on the German Earth Science Olympiad website.
Outreach Events
As part of the DMG Annual Meetings, outreach events are organised to invite the wider public to learn more about mineralogy, the geosciences, and current research, and to engage directly with scientists.
Activities range from a “Market of Science” and short talks to interactive workshops, offering accessible formats for a broad audience and creating opportunities for exchange between science and the public.
The DMG contact for the organisation of outreach events is Bastian Joachim-Mrosko.
Citizen Science with Urban Micrometeorites at School
The study of urban micrometeorites gives students the opportunity to work with genuine extraterrestrial material in science classes while developing and expanding their knowledge of mineralogy and the geosciences.
Since 2023, citizen science projects have been carried out in cooperation with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) at a secondary school in Berlin, where the study of micrometeorites is integrated into upper-level physics and chemistry classes.
The contact person for these school-based citizen science projects at the MfN is Lutz Hecht.