Curtin academics introduce geology to Miri youngsters

Miri, Sarawak – 12 June 2024 – An eager group of youngsters aged 10 to 13, accompanied by  their parents, had a fun day learning the basics of geology during at a ‘Geology Day’ field trip under the guidance of academics from the Department of Applied Sciences of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently.

This community engagement activity was coordinated by the local parenting support group Miri Parenting Group (Persatuan Informasi Ibu Bapa Miri), and facilitated by Head of the Department of Applied Sciences Professor M.V Prasanna, Programme Coordinator for Applied Geology Associate Professor Dominique Dodge-Wan and their staff. Undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Applied Geology also assisted in the field and in laboratories at the campus.

The field trip took the youngsters to the Airport Road Outcrop, Miri’s iconic geological site with a world-class outcrop for the study of fault development and the structural complexity of the area’s geology, where they learned about strata, rock types, and the faults that characterise the site. They showed great interest in features such as alternating sandstone and mudstone layers, traces of ancient life, and how the rocks were modified during uplift since the Miocene age.

The field trip was followed in the afternoon by five exciting hands-on activities at the Applied Geology Laboratories Curtin Malaysia campus. This included viewing minerals and rocks with a polarising microscope, understanding sedimentation and erosion with lab erosion models, and seeing ‘magic sand’ being compressed and faulted in a dynamic sandbox.

In addition, the children were shown a working model of a multi-layer aquifer system, complete with river, lake, gravel, and clay layers and several boreholes. In real-time, this enabled them to see how rain recharges groundwater, how groundwater flows, and how groundwater interacts with lakes and rivers. The activity helped them better understand the need to preserve natural resources.

The day concluded in the lecture theatre, where the youngsters showed off the knowledge they had gained in a closing quiz using the Kahoot online learning platform. Furthermore, they went home with an activity booklet reflecting all the concepts they had learned during the day.

Such Geology Day activities are among the many community engagement projects by the Department of Applied Geology. Interested groups who would like to participate in similar activities can contact Dr. Prasanna at prasanna@curtin.edu.my.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin’s three-year Bachelor of Applied Geology programme, where students are exposed to a range of units such as Fundamentals of Geology, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geographic Information System (GIS), Structural Geology, Basin Analysis, Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology and Geoscience Project.

Students engage in lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, and fieldwork. The practical exercises offered mirror as closely as possible the activities undertaken by industry professionals to prepare students for their future careers. Graduates of the programme can look forward to employment in the oil and gas, mining, hydrogeology, geotechnical, environmental engineering, and remote sensing industries. More information on the Bachelor of Applied Geology can be found at curtin.edu.my/study/undergraduate/bachelor-applied-geology/.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Prof Prasanna and Assoc Prof Dodge-Wan (far right) with other staff, students and parents in a group photo before embarking on the field trip

Prof Prasanna (left) and his team guiding the children and parents on their field trip at the Airport Road Outcrop

Assoc Prof Dodge-Wan (third right) showing the children a working model of a sand box