Blog & News

PESGB-ESTA Competition for Earth Science Week 2015

Tue 22 March 2016

Category: Community, Education, Outreach

Article by Maggie Williams, ESTA Projects Manager 

estaCharlene Ropozo, a pupil at St Bede’s College Preparatory School in Manchester, received her certificate of special commendation for her entry for the 2015 national Earth Science Competition for Schools at an event arranged during the school assembly at St Bede’s College on 4th March 2016.

The competition, “The Tambora Eruption” organised by PESGB and the Earth Science Teachers’ Association (ESTA), was based on the 1815 volcanic eruption of Tambora. (A theme was chosen because 2015 marked 200 years since the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia – an event which is the largest ever eruption recorded by humans, ranking a 7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index).

The challenge for students was to show their knowledge and understanding of this topic and produce a poster that was both eye-catching and informative and which would appeal to and be understood by students of their own age.  This poster could be based on a model of the working model of the volcano and for her entry Charlene starred in a video featuring a model of Tambora in which she explained some of the environmental and human impacts of the 1815 eruption.

As part of this event, the whole school was shown all of the school’s entries for the competition before Charlene was presented with her certificate.  Charlene also received a signed copy of Dougal Jerram’s new book ‘Victor the Volcano’ and a piece of pumice that had erupted from a volcano in Tonga and which was eventually picked up in Australia by Professor Jerram.

Charlene was delighted with her award, book – and the piece of pumice.  Rumour has it that she is already planning to become a geologist in the future!