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26-06: Geologist leads STEM afternoon

Students were given an insight into the working life of a geologist during a STEM session.

Students were given an insight into the working life of a geologist during a STEM session.

Geologist Diane Sinclair gave a talk and then an exciting practical demonstration about her work as a geologist for landfill sites.

The scientist explained the role of her job in determining whether areas are suitable to be used for landfill activities and then carried out an experiment using a variety of different permeable and  non- permeable materials to demonstrate how some are better suited to the use than others.

She explained to students that waste from a landfill when it comes into contact with liquid (such as rain) produces contaminated water, called leachate. The role of a geologist within the landfill industry is to assess the site and ensure that the risks of the leachate are dealt with in part through constructing sites on geologically impermeable materials or by using engineered clay.

Science teacher Victoria Khan said: “Diane’s talk and experiment demonstrated wonderfully that a career within the scientific field is not just about science labs and white coats.

“We want to show the wider application of science to our students and they all really enjoyed the visit from Diane.”

Students also learnt about rock formation during the session, which will aid their learning in geography.

Student Joseph said: “I found it really interesting as it was something that was totally new to me and not something I had even considered before.

“Seeing science experiments demonstrated like this helps you to make more sense of things.”