Connecting geology and people

Tell us about your background 

Anjana: My background is in Earth science and I love telling stories about rocks, fossils, and landforms. My journey into geoscience communication and broadcasting started with a one-year internship with the US National Park Service, Utah. I learned alongside some of the best interpreters of natural landscapes at national parks in the US, then brought those skills back to the UK, where I became programme manager for learning and engagement at the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.  

Since then, I’ve focussed on engaging communities with natural and cultural heritage. I’m passionate about helping people connect with the landscapes they live in. In terms of broadcasting, I first appeared in a programme called Fossil Detectives in 2008 and have gone on to champion stories about the Jurassic Coast and beyond. It’s been an interesting journey to go from a research scientist into a world of storytelling on screen and through writing. 

Chris: I’m also a geoscientist and I fell into geoscience communication, which is probably the story for lots of science communicators. In 2014, I got an email out of the blue from the Geological Society of London asking me to give a public lecture. There was lots of panicking on my part thinking about how to take a relatively complicated concept, the deposition and deformation of salt rocks, and make it interesting and simultaneously communicate its importance for society. In 2017, I did my first TV show, Expedition Volcano. Again, that was a cold call from the BBC because they saw a YouTube video of my 2014 public lecture. 

Now, I’m using various vehicles, podcasts, written pieces, TV – which are all valid and important mechanisms – to have a conversation with the public. I’m trying to communicate the breadth of sub-disciplines within geoscience, and the way in which the subject has, does, and will continue to shape our lives. We can do this in a practical way – by looking at resources, sustainable cities, the energy transition – but without losing our wonder for the natural world. 

Old Harry Rocks, chalk formations at the easternmost tip of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. (© Shutterstock).

How has the public’s perception of geology changed? 

Anjana: I’ve been at the forefront of the public flocking to one of the most iconic geological sites in the country, the Jurassic Coast. Despite its extraordinary international recognition, I’ve seen how millions of visitors either see or don’t see the rocks and landscapes in front of them. We’ve worked hard to unpack the stories that are locked inside the geology, but communicating such long timescales is difficult. So, we shifted towards focussing on human history, such as Mary Anning’s story.  

we tried to create a shift to people having pride and ownership in their local community and landscape

Roughly 20 years ago, it was particularly challenging because the public perception of geology was that it existed elsewhere in the world. Incredible TV programmes showed extraordinary landscapes outside of Britain, so we tried to create a shift, to people having pride and ownership in their local community and landscape. We’ve begun to see a slight shift in perceptions, but I feel like we are largely still living in a society where rocks are invisible. They aren’t talked about or seen as part of the natural world. 

Chris: I am not sure it has changed. People I speak to remain largely unaware of the geology around them and the role it plays in their lives. However, we need geoscientists more than ever to tackle key global challenges, so we must inspire the next generation and tell the public why geology is important.  

While doing this, we should openly tell people about geoscience career salaries. Second, scientific upskilling of the public, whether that is in geoscience or any other physical science, is a powerful way to get them to accept or at least consider science-based interventions and policies. Whatever we do, we need to show a 360-degree retrospective view of geoscience, for example, admitting the historical role that elements of geoscience have in the climate crisis, while also talking about the role geoscience plays in generating wind energy or the safe disposal of nuclear waste. 

What challenges have you faced? 

Chris: One is the de-professionalisation of science communication. In academia and, to a lesser extent, in industry, it’s not valued enough. Getting recognition for being a geoscience communicator is a challenge because it’s seen as the easy thing to do. Running the scanning electron microscope or going into the field and collecting gas samples from volcanoes is seen as hard. You’re almost mocked for viewing geoscience communication as being part of a geoscientist’s identity. It’s deeply frustrating because that negative, regressive attitude doesn’t attract people to geoscience communication, at a time when we need a diverse set of voices championing our subject. 

Anjana: In the natural heritage sector, we’re competing with other voices that are having important conversations about the Sycamore Gap vandalism, the reduction of butterflies and insects each summer, and river pollution. It shouldn’t be a competition for space to be heard, but geoscience exists on the periphery.  

We need to reframe how we present our understanding about the geological world, that it is as important and as alive as the rivers that flow across the landscape

I think the biggest challenge is that rocks and geological landscapes are seen as a constant, that they don’t change. Of course, they do change, but mostly over very long timescales. But I think the seeming constancy of the geological world makes it quite difficult for people to spend time thinking about it. The human interaction with the natural environment feels more real and immediate; pollution in rivers has a visible impact and people react emotively. When people look at the geological world and see a landslide or a quarry, we somehow feel quite disconnected from it. This is an interesting concept because if we look at different global cultures, particularly in Indigenous communities, rocks are animate and imbued with spirit and life. In the western, Eurocentric context rocks aren’t seen that way, so this is where the distance is created. Perhaps we need to reframe how we present our understanding about the geological world, that it is as important and as alive as the rivers that flow across the landscape. Personally, an additional challenge as a woman of colour in broadcasting is that I’ve often experienced the difficulty of people not believing me when I talk about science. 

How would you improve geoscience communication? 

Chris: I’m keen to advocate for audience or stakeholder mapping, which is where you determine the level of knowledge of the people you wish to engage with, then curate a message or delivery mechanism tailored to that group. The problem I’ve seen in the past and now is that there’s a deficit model applied to science education and geoscience communication. We think, “I know more than these people, therefore I’m going to tell them what I know”. What would be far more productive is asking those audiences what their understanding of geological processes or concepts is and then fill in the gaps. I would do this nationwide with different age levels and map people’s understanding. We can then use various ways to plug those gaps for different audiences, like social media or a TV show. Another powerful tool would be to upskill geoscientists in geoscience communication by making it a fundamental element of a university degree or mandating the skill through accreditation bodies like the Geological Society. It would show we value geoscience communication as much as we value sedimentology, or volcanology, or geophysics.  

we need a diverse set of voices championing our subject

Anjana: Chris has touched upon the important process of deconstructing the gatekeeping of power and knowledge that the geoscience community is guilty of, for example, through jargon and the publication process. From my experience, gatekeeping can lead to a disconnect between the science that we love and how the public feel about geosciences. We have an opportunity as scientists to learn from communities – young people, disabled people, people of colour, or faith groups – about how they interpret the world around them. From working with some of those groups, I’ve learnt how scientists can be guided by spirituality, which can build a sense of empathy and humility in ourselves and help us accept that there are different ways of knowing the natural world. There are many different facets for how people relate to the geological world; embracing that diversity of thought enriches our ability to empathise and gives us ethical guidance for how we treat our planet. 

How can we encourage young people to consider geology? 

Anjana: For the last few years, I’ve focussed on the influential people in children and young people’s lives outside the school environment, such as parents, carers, and elders. By enhancing their love of the natural environment, they can pass that interest on to children and young people. Through the Jurassic Coast, we’ve run community-led engagement programmes, with educational walks and I’ve given talks to retired people, grandparents, and carers. What I find interesting with that particular demographic is that a lot of the women, who were told during the 1950s and 1960s that science wasn’t for them, are particularly inspired to explore their local geology. There’s a huge opportunity to reach that generation who are carers for young people and create a positive influence that supports formal education. 

Chris: We’re at the point with geoscience communication where we don’t have the luxury of sitting passively and waiting for people to be naturally wowed by Earth science and for policymakers and governments to ask us for our opinion. We need to approach it from multiple directions with multiple tools and be much more proactive in communicating the impact, importance, and wonder of our subject. 

Authors

Dr Anjana Khatwa

Freelance Earth Scientist, presenter and writer

Prof Chris Jackson

Technical Director at WSP 

This interview is an excerpt from the podcast episode Geo Conversations: Anjana Khatwa and Chris Jackson. Listen to the full interview here.

Interview by Marissa Lo, Associate Editor, Geoscientist magazine 

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