The Mission

Raising the interest of young girls to study geosciences and geo-engineering

 The project ‘ENGIE – Encouraging Girls to Study Geosciences and Engineering’ aims to turn the interest of 13-18 years old girls to study geosciences and related engineering disciplines. As career decisions are made generally in this period of life, the impact of the project is expected to contribute to improvement in the gender balance in the fields of these disciplines.

Improving the gender balance in these disciplines

The overall gender pattern in geosciences, especially in the mineral exploration and extraction sectors is imbalanced. It is typically characterised by men and stable male stereotypes at almost all levels in businesses, in society and professional communities as well as in education and research. However, studies confirm that diverse teams are more creative and innovative. Participation of women in raw materials related industries is therefore necessary and may be considered as a desirable element of business strategy.

Implementing awareness-raising activities in 22 European countries

Through the project, an awareness-raising strategy is being developed and an international stakeholder collaboration network will be established for the implementation of a set of concrete actions. These actions include family science events, outdoor programmes, school science clubs, mine visits, mentoring programmes, international student conferences, publication and awarding opportunities, summer courses to science teachers and production of educational materials. The actions are being carried out in more than twenty countries throughout Europe and will be enhanced by vibrant and active social media presence.

The Concept

Actions

Researchers Night – Geosciences theme
University Open Day
Girls Day
Linking ENGIE with RM@Schools
After-school science events
Earth science study tours
ENGIE Magazine
Methodology course for science teachers
Photo contest ‘Girls and Geology’
Webinars
Social media campaigns

Programming

Baseline assessment
Capitalising experience
International benchmarking
Best practice methods for STEM in Europe
Customising the Action Plan

Impact Assessment and Monitoring

Impact monitoring and assessment
Recommendations for long-term strategies promoting gender equality in geosciences and geo-engineering

Expected impact

Science

Conducting research and gathering comprehensive knowledge on what discourages and excludes women from participation in geosciences and engineering

Helping to change the way science is communicated and increasing the participation and interest of girls in geosciences

Encouraging sustainable collaboration on gender equality in science by connecting schools, science museums, research centres and industry representatives

Economy

Creating a platform for the cooperation of international and European players who are strongly interested in improving the gender balance in geosciences and engineering, including future employers

Fostering corporate effectiveness, innovation capacity and economic benefits by promoting more diverse teams and thus helping European companies to better compete at international level

Strengthening a sustainable European raw materials industry

Society

Increasing societal awareness of the importance of expertise in geoscience and geo-engineering for the supply of mineral raw materials and protection of the public from natural and man-made geo-hazards by sensitising young people, especially young girls, to this topic

Creating awareness of the importance of gender equality at both European and national levels and contributing thus to more societal justice

Photo credit:

Peter Zwahlen, EAGE / EFG, 2017.  |   Catalina Llano Ocampo, EAGE / EFG, 2016.