Wingara Mura – Bunga Barrabugu Summer Program

What messages can sediment tell us about the past?

A little piece of GRG news from over the Christmas Break…On 12^th January 2015, the School of Geosciences participated in the University of Sydney’s Wingara Mura – Bunga Barrabugu Summer Program. The WMBB Summer Program is a practical on-campus engagement program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 who are considering studies beyond high school.

Students got to experience university life at the University of Sydney with a range of activities and programs from across the university based on their interests and preferences. During the program, students focused on one area that enabled them take their potential chosen field of study for a test drive. A total of over 200 students were hosted on campus for the WMBB Summer Program over the five days!

Samantha Clarke from the Geocoastal Research Group ran the School of Geosciences session called “Clear As Mud!” with the help of Elyssa de Carli. Students learnt about collecting and analysing sediment samples from beneath the Earth’s surface to reconstruct the past, understand more about the Earth’s history, and to predict future processes and trends. In the process, students got some hands on experience with microscopes and sediment cores, ultimately learning to get more out of mud!