ECORD School of Rock 2024, Naples (Italy)
“Understand the Planet through ocean exploration”
Claudia Lupi(1) and Ester Piegari(2)
(1) Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia
(2) Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II
Forty science teachers from all over Italy participated in the ECORD School of Rock (SOR) on 9-11 February 2024, in Naples, Italy. Through lectures alternating with practical activities the participants have discovered the scientific drilling tools of the International Ocean Discovery Program for unravelling the Earth secrets.
The ECORD School of Rock is a workshop designed by scientists and outreach & education officers who have sailed onboard IODP/ODP expeditions to share their at-sea experience with teachers of their home country and to introduce educational resources which can be used in the classroom. The teachers thus experienced an immersive research experience: “With scientists as scientists”.
“School of Rock” was financed by the Italian Commission CNR ECORD-IODP ICDP and was organized by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Pavia and the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences and from the Museum Center of Natural and Physical Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II. The scientific committee was composed by Claudia Lupi and Alessia Cicconi (Pavia) and Mariano Parente (Naples). The school has benefited from the patronage of the Italian Geological Society (SGI), of the National Geology Project (PLS –Geology) and of the National Association of Natural Science Teachers (ANISN).
The teachers carried out practical activities of description and sampling of sediment cores, preparation of samples for the analysis of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil content, calculation of the expansion rate of the oceans as well as participating in seminars on the history of IODP, drilling techniques and differences between continental and oceanic crust. The seminar lessons took place in the splendid settings of the Royal Mineralogical Museum and the Paleontological Museum, while the practical activities were held in the laboratories of the Department of Earth, Environment and Resources Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II. During the workshop, participants were given the unique opportunity to visit the JOIDES Resolution with a guided tour by experts and to meet the scientists who will take part in the upcoming JOIDES Resolution expeditions.
