Ireland’s Fossil Heritage – bringing geoscience to the public

Bio: Jess Franklin is the Senior Engagement Officer for Ireland’s Fossil Heritage. She has a BSc in Geology from UCC and a PhD in Geology from the University of Galway. Jess also completed a post-doctoral project at the University of Galway evaluating the public perception of geoscience and geoscientists by diverse stakeholder groups within Ireland, in particular focusing on the awarding of trust by various publics in scientists. Her work with Ireland’s Fossil Heritage includes the development and delivery of innovative fossil workshops for school students and public exhibits, events and national art contests for members of the general public. She has a keen interest in art-science collaborations as an avenue to facilitate access to geoscience in new and exciting ways. 

Talk Summary: Ireland’s Fossil Heritage is a science engagement project funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), based at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at University College Cork (UCC). Palaeontology is a remarkably accessible gateway to science owing to the public’s fascination with ancient creatures. Ireland’s Fossil Heritage has leveraged this appeal to increase awareness of, and interest in, Irish fossils by offering a diverse range of free resources to the public, including school workshops, a travelling exhibit, science and art collaborations and lots of interactive web content for all ages and backgrounds. A major project deliverable is a programme of school workshops, with >1100 pupils participating from primary and secondary schools across Ireland. In addition to promoting palaeontology, a key goal of the workshops is to increase awareness and understanding of geoscience in schoolchildren. This talk will explore the various programmes delivered by Ireland’s Fossil Heritage with a particular focus on the current aims of the project to increase the reach of direct engagement activities across Ireland.