Geoscientists from Latin America visit Eichstätt

Various concepts will be presented during the conference, including the Bavarian regional museums, of which the Jura Museum is one. Martina Bryce from the planning team of the future Natural History Museum of Bavaria will present museum education in natural history museums, Prof. Martin Meschede will talk about the offer of virtual excursions. The tour also includes visits to institutions such as the Jura Museum with its digital museum guide, the natural history collections of the Episcopal Seminary, the Blumenberg visitor quarry, the museum and quarries in Solnhofen, caves and landscape development through the Urdonau Valley in the Altmühltal Nature Park and the Ries Geopark with the Ries Crater Museum. "The program clearly demonstrates the important role geosciences play in the region around Eichstätt," says Christina Ifrim.

Some of the 35 conference participants hold high positions in their countries. Among the guests are the Director of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina, the Vice President of the Paraguayan Chamber of Mines, the Vice President for Research and Studies of the University of Moa in Cuba, the Secretary of Environment and Infrastructure of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Director General of the National Paleontological and Archaeological Museum of Bolivia and the Director of Engineering Geology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Other experts will also attend the workshops online, including the Director of the Center for Amazonian Research at the Federal University of Pará in Brazil, the President of the Geological Society of Bolivia and the UNESCO Commissioner for Global Change, Geo-risks and Geo-Heritage, as well as the Vice Minister of Mining and Energy of Paraguay. "The topics approached in Eichstätt are of supra-regional importance. And the GOAL network has a significant impact on Germany's relations with countries where important georesources are located. These relationships are maintained at an academic level through the GOAL network", says Ifrim.

The GOAL association has been promoting cooperation between the Latin American and German geoscience communities for 22 years. The network is dedicated to finding solutions to socially relevant issues, including geological risk management, geoparks, sustainable resource development, geothermal technology, digitalization in resource extraction and the extraction of strategic resources. The organization is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service.