Field2Lab

 

Field2Lab – Geochemistry applied to climate change & environmental monitoring 

(1st Edition, 2022)

In partnership with the Geochemical Society and the Institution Notre Dame de Dakar, our program Field2Lab (From the field to the lab: geochemistry applied to climate change and environmental monitoring for young girls in STEM) aims at developing and empowering the next generation of female geochemists in Senegal. To do so, we target young girls attending high schools in Dakar and interested in embracing a career in Geochemistry applied to earth and environmental sciences.

CoastGIS Research Institute designed a tailored program based on:

• A workshop on geochemistry applied to environmental sciences (water chemistry with O16/O18 isotopes ice-cores as indicators of climate change, elemental composition as a key indicator of supply/source of pollution/contamination and sediment analysis (Wentworth classification) for coastal erosion or floods. These topics will be connected to Earth dynamics and the Anthropocene.

 

• A field trip on coastal areas in Dakar to collect water and sediment samples. Girls will learn which protocols should be considered to avoid contamination, identify and prepare the required equipment while learning how to collect samples and safely transport them from the field to the lab.

 

• A Lab work : Girls will work on the sediments previously collected and will couple the results with the water quality data. This approach will allow connecting water quality (pH, T°, salinity or electrical conductivity, salinity) with environmental monitoring, sediment composition, accumulation processes in relationship with coastal erosion and climate change.