Episode 10: Exploration, Geoscience and Communities

Exploration and mining are human endeavors, relying on teams who work in the field and offices globally.  The human factor in our work is also critical to establishing strong and meaningful relationships with local communities.  So should those teams of professionals include social scientists, and what is the role of the exploration geologist?  The answers are complicated, but this episode is packed with information.   We talk to Monica Ospina from O-Trade and to Susan Joyce of On Common Ground to learn more about what impact exploration has on communities and where we can improve.  We also explore what influences our practices, is it regulatory frameworks, investors, or the companies themselves?

Next we check in on a community engagement process – an open house held by Geoscience BC in a small town in British Columbia, Canada.  The purpose of the meeting was to share the results and implications of a regional geophysical survey with people working and living on the north end of Vancouver Island.  We went to the open house to see the process in action and hear from Richard Truman about why community engagement is important for a publicly funded research oriented organization.

Lastly, community is important for sharing science as well, so when as economic geologists we lost our ability to gather at conferences and seminars due to the pandemic, two early career scientists, Alannah Brett and Tom Belgrano,  took action.  A tweet and an email later, the Ore Deposits Hub – an online platform for seminars - was founded.  Three months later they have established a diverse and inclusive community to share knowledge of ore deposits.

Theme music is Confluence by East Winds. www.eastwindsmusic.com