Geology for Non-Geologists: Getting a Little Boulder in the GeoFORCE Summer Academies (ft. Mitchel Lambert)

Join us on this episode of The Art of Subduction as we explore the various opportunities youth outreach programs like GeoFORCE offer to aspiring geologists! Diya and Mitchel share their journeys of their involvement in geology and youth outreach programs, and how these experiences sparked their passion for what they do!

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Transcript:

Introduction and Personal Interests in Geosciences

[00:00:00] Mitchel Lambert: Was there a specific topic or, um, thing that, like, you latched onto and was like, oh, this, I want to learn more about this, or this is what I want to do, geosciences, or this changed my mind? Like, was there a specific, like, topic or, you know, lecture or field stop that kind of grabbed you? 

[00:00:17] Diya Gaur: Yeah, so, okay, it kind of stems from the podcast name as well, but subduction for sure.

Like, in the 11th grade academy, we kind of, like, learned about plate tectonics, because one of the main things that we were learning was And that is how these volcanoes, like mountain range, form. And for me it's just, I thought that was like, super interesting and cool, and like, one, I just don't know why, but I just think volcanoes are super cool, like, I could just keep on learning about them and like, just never get tired of it, it's just kind of been like that for me.

And just also, I kind of want to pursue geobiology, and so it's like learning how geology interacts with people like us, and even just animals overall, like that's such an important, such an important aspect that we need to consider, and so it's kind of just my love for learning that kind of keeps on fueling why I wanted to go into geoforce and that type of stuff.

But yeah, like, the art of subduction. 

[00:01:12] Mitchel Lambert: Perfect. I love it.

Meet the Hosts: Diya and Mitchell

[00:01:41] Diya Gaur: Okay, so, just a bit about me. If you don't already know me, what you do. But my name is Diya, I go to Lamar High School in Houston, Texas, and I'm in 12th grade. I recently just went on GeoForce 12th grade summer academy, which was just last month, and I studied ice sheets in Western Antarctica and Mars.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself, what you do in GeoForce? 

[00:02:03] Mitchel Lambert: Of course, yeah, so, um, I'm Mitchell Lambert, I am a GeoForce coordinator, um, I have just finished my second summer with GeoForce, I had you both on two academies, one this summer, one last summer, um, it was great, I've done a total of eight academies, um, one, at least one with all of our different grade levels, um, so, it's been great, it's been great.

I don't know anything about geology. I do all of the logistic stuff and everything like that. As you know, um, like, making sure we get from A to B, I am not the person who tells y'all what the rocks are, what we're looking at, anything along those lines. 

Mitchell's Journey to GeoForce

[00:02:38] Diya Gaur: So, you didn't, like, initially come from a background in geology, what did you do before becoming a GeoForce coordinator?

[00:02:45] Mitchel Lambert: Yeah, so my, you know, degree was in sports administration, um, and I did some stuff with Rec Soccer Leagues, I was a soccer coach, gymnastics coach for a long time. Um, I have been working in summer programs, though, since I was a junior in college. And so, for the last 12 summers, I have been working in some summer program here and there.

Um, I was at Project Transformation for 10 years across two different chapters, um, before coming over to, to be at GeoForce. And I worked with, like, little kids from, like, 2 to 5, elementary, youth. High school, I was the person who