Imperial geoscientists complete UK’s first MSc virtual field trip

As part of the College's move to remote learning, thirty-five MSc Petroleum Geoscience students embarked on a simulated overseas trip to the Pyrenees. Students and staff in the Department of Earth Science & Engineering were struck with the news of the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe with only two weeks notice before they were due to embark their flight and spend nine days in the famous Spanish mountain range. The quick-thinking and expertise of the Department teaching team, alongside the determination of students, ensured the field trip continued in an entirely new format in what is thought to be a first in a UK university setting at Master's level. As they would in a physical setting, the group stuck to a regimented schedule of 'field work' from 8am until 5pm, with lunch-breaks. At each 'stop' on the trip staff and Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) guided students in smaller groups using Microsoft Teams software set up with the assistance of the College's ICT and Faculty's Ed Tech team. Students were set tasks and discussed what could be interpreted from hi-res photographs, Google Earth, and drone-scanned virtual models of geological formations shared courtesy of Professor John Howell, University of Aberdeen, and V3Geo , licensed under Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC). Reacting to the ingenuity of his colleagues and students, Professor Omar Matar, Vice-Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Engineering , said: "From research, to education, to innovation, our Departments are committed to excellence.