Community and Workforce Visual Presentation CW04: Stimulating interest in GeoEnergy STEM careers and further study through interactive demonstrations of landscape evolution and CO2 sequestration

Community and Workforce Visual Presentation CW04 Student enrolments in Earth sciences and resources engineering have substantially decreased, and fewer degree programs are now available at universities across Australia. A 2025 survey by the Australian Geoscience Council highlighted a lack of awareness amongst high school students of Earth science, geoscience and geoengineering as areas of study. Interest in the subject was found to be the most important factor in choosing what to study. We have opened a new Geomodelling Laboratory at Adelaide University, with facilities dedicated to outreach education. These are designed for hands-on experiential learning to stimulate curiosity and inspire students to consider further study and employment. A FluidFlower, built in collaboration with the University of Bergen, enables live demonstration of carbon sequestration, where students can observe the injection, migration and storage of CO2. Roles of porosity and permeability, deposit geometry and faulting can be demonstrated. Structural, dissolution and capillary trapping mechanisms are observed, as well as gravity- and diffusion-dominated mixing. A 4-m-long stream table enables generation of active river and delta deposits. Slope, discharge, particle size and sediment load can be varied, and waves generated, to explore controls on sedimentation. Students leave with a better understanding of the formation of sedimentary rocks through dynamic Earth processes, the properties of sedimentary rocks and fluid flow in the subsurface, and the science and engineering of CO2 sequestration. We present an overview of the current context of Earth sciences and resources engineering at Australian universities, followed by details of the new Geomodelling Laboratory facilities and outreach activities. To access the Visual Presentation click on 'Supplementary data' below. To read the full paper click here