FMVA Speaker Series: Geoscience Communication in the Digital World
[A picture containing circle, logo, symbol, emblem Description automatically generated]Friends of Mineralogy-Virginia Chapter Speaker Series
Geoscience Communication in the Digital World
Speaker: Cate Larsen
Date: 27 April 2023
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqceqhrjkvGta99JlfUcdMcUSbUN0Mw-n5
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Cate Larsen is a geo-communicator who specializes in public outreach via social media. She is best known for creating educational content on her Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/groovygeologist/ (141,000 followers), TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@groovygeologist, (438,300 followers), YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF1ehD3s1xlI25jmbieIrQA, and Groovy Geologisthttps://www.groovygeologist.com/ platforms. She is the host of a weekly live-stream called “Rocks & Hopshttps://www.groovygeologist.com/rocksandhops.html” that covers a different geologic topic every month and elaborates on specific aspects in weekly lesson, and a podcast called “The Schist of Ithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theschistofit” that describes newly published research, breaks down complicated concepts, and talks with professionals across the many fields of geoscience. She also acts as an instructor and consultant for science communicators looking to get started in social media and improve their skills. Through partnerships with schools, companies, and government organizations, she not only shares important information on her own platform but teaches other geoscientists how they can use social media to advance their own field.
Cate did not discover that geology until she took a planetary geology class in college in 2016. Initially, she was interested in astronomy, and after taking planetary geology with a passionate geology professor, she was inspired to switch her major. During her senior year, Cate was sent home from college due to the COVID-19 lockdown along with many other college students. She downloaded TikTok and started making videos unrelated to geology, until she posted one geology video that blew up and people begged her to make more. She realized that she could start educating people online, and she began hosting weekly livestream lessons about geology. Cate graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Geology in 2020 and has been working as a geology communicator ever since. She plans to go to graduate school to do more fieldwork research and eventually become a professor.
She comments that with enrollment down in geology programs nationwide, it’s clear that we’re not doing enough to entice the next generation into pursuing geoscience as a career. Geoscience communication, or geo-communication, is meant to bridge the gap between geoscience and society by sharing information and explaining it in layman’s terms to a general audience; in doing this we aim to show them how interesting the field can be as well as how important the jobs are in our society. But how effective are the conventional methods of communicating geoscience when interest in the subject is still declining? By modernizing geo-communication to reflect societal interest in things like social media, podcasts, and even memes, geoscience can be introduced to millions of people who may have otherwise never known they would love it.
Currently, she is collecting data on the impact that sharing geoscience videos online has on program enrollment. The data comes from traffic insights on her geoscience resources link hub at Beacons. Beacons allows her to track where visitors come from and measure upticks in relation to making videos promoting the link versus normal traffic from other videos simply relating to geoscience as a whole.
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This presentation will be recorded and posted on YouTube. It, and all previous Speaker Series talks, can be found onlinehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVXiDsPBpOIZ2Qw3L8XH3VQ/videos.
Friends of Mineralogy Virginia (FMVA) Speaker Series provides the highest quality lecture experiences with a personal atmosphere. Our speakers are some of the leading experts in their fields and interests and are ready to share their passion with our members. FMVA hopes to provide a platform where the academic communities, industry professionals, and the public can engage with one another for the shared passion of rocks, minerals, and geology. We strive to find an appropriate mix of lectures that are easily accessible for all ages and levels of knowledge.
