Geography Week
South Hampstead’s annual Geography Awareness Week kicked off with a powerful assembly that highlighted the problems of plastic waste in the oceans, and introduced some solutions that we could all implement, as part of the theme of reducing our individual plastic consumption.
Throughout the week, the Geography Department welcomed an array of expert speakers to inform and inspire the girls. Pupils from across the school report back on some of this year’s highlights:
‘This week, we welcomed three speakers from the Royal Geographical Society to talk about global warming and the use of plastic. It was eye-opening to see how our use of plastic has not only an impact on marine life, but also on humans, as plastic is being passed up the food chain. The speakers all covered different aspects of the topic and helped us think about how our lifestyle affects the planet. We really enjoyed the experience and look forward to exploring the issues (and solutions) in more depth.’
Sophia and Margot, Year 9
‘We were lucky enough to hear from Lindsey Noakes, a South Hampstead alumna, to speak to us about where Geography has taken her. Lindsey has recently been featured in the Forbes “30 under 30 social entrepreneurs” for her work in co-founding Gather, a geospatial data provider, using data to get toilets to people who need them, helping some of the 2.5 billion currently living without access to adequate sanitation.
After interviewing hundreds of sanitation organisations, Lindsey and her co-founder spotted a recurring theme: toilets were not being provided where they were needed due to a ‘sanitation data gap’ – organisations simply couldn’t access the data they needed. By training locals in mapping software, Gather are now able to collect and present data on where sanitation is required and what format is the most beneficial, taking into account the needs of the area and the geography of the environment. Lindsey’s talk highlighted how multidisciplinary Geography is, drawing synoptic links between human and physical factors in order to ensure that sanitation solutions are suitable and tailored for each area they are required. Although currently focusing on the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, they have aims to reach more locations across Africa, such as Kenya and Ghana. Lindsey’s journey showed us what we can achieve as Geographers and the career options it opens up to us.’
Emma, Upper Sixth
‘Another alumna, Lois Salem, gave a fascinating talk about her journey beyond South Hampstead. After studying Earth Sciences at Cambridge, Lois pursued a PhD in Volcanology and now works in the Sustainability and Environmental Consultancy sector. She spoke to us about her specialism in volcanology, focusing on some of the amazing fieldwork she completed whilst carrying out her PHD. Lois and a team had travelled to Hawaii to study a then erupting volcano called Kilauea. She showed us video clips of herself monitoring the advancing basaltic lava flow, using GPS to record the location of the lava, the direction of flow and the speed of movement.
Lois also spoke to us about some of her work in Papua New Guinea, where she explored a remote volcano that had never been visited before. We were shown videos taken by drones that the team had taken whilst there, which showed remnants of lava flows from previous eruptions. Throughout the talk, Lois expressed the importance of Geography in each of her chosen careers, which included volcanology, mining and her current field in sustainability and environmental consultancy. She talked about the breadth of Geography as a discipline and the geographical skills she has gained and used throughout her career. Her talk really emphasised the endless opportunities and career paths that Geography can provide.’
Anna, Upper Sixth
Welcoming external experts is one of the many ways we aim to open pupils’ minds and to expand their horizons. Next we look forward to welcoming Dr Naho Mirumachi from Kings College London to speak to the girls about the issue of water governance and water conflicts. Earlier this term, our Geography Department received the Secondary Quality Geography Mark (SGQM) – a prestigious award that recognises quality and progress in geography leadership, curriculum development and teaching and learning; South Hampstead was the only London school to gain the coveted Centre of Excellence status this year.