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Rocking the Digital World: Promoting Geology through Social Media and why it's important
This is a free public lecture open to members and non members.
Summary
This talk explores the power of social media as a tool for promoting geology and engaging diverse audiences in Earth science. Led by @ScottishGeologist Luisa Hendry, it highlights innovative strategies for making geology accessible, relatable, and exciting through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok and talks about the importance of doing so. From creating engaging, educational and captivating content and building a passionate online community, the presentation demonstrates how social media can inspire a new generation to connect with the natural world and understand its geological foundations.
Biography
Luisa Hendry, known online as @scottishgeologist, is a Scottish geologist and social media influencer dedicated to making geology accessible and engaging to the public. After graduating from the University of Glasgow in 2015 with a BSc in Earth Science, she has worked as a Senior Engineering Geologist in the engineering sector.
In April 2022, Luisa began creating educational and entertaining videos about geology on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, under hashtags such as #tiktoksaboutrocks and #reelsaboutrocks. Her content, which includes informative and immersive explanations of various rock formations across Scotland, has reached millions of viewers and significantly increased her social media following to over 460K followers.
Recognizing a gap in public appreciation for Scotland’s geological landscapes, Luisa founded ‘Scot Rock Walks - Geology Tours Ltd’ in January 2024. This initiative offers geology tours ranging from brief excursions to multi-day trips, aiming to educate participants about Earth’s processes and Scotland’s geological history.
Through her innovative use of social media and in-person tours, Luisa Hendry continues to inspire a broader interest in geology, making the subject accessible and engaging to a diverse audience. With Scotland offering some of the most incredible landscapes where the rocks reveal a complicated geological history, Luisa presents this in an easy and understandable way which has led to opportunities such as: appearing in newspaper articles (the Scotsman, Daily Mail and Press and Journal, BBC); appearing on the radio (BBC Radio Scotland, Heart FM, Hope FM and Sunny Govan Radio); presenting talks on the geology of Scotland for scientific groups, institutions and societies; sponsored trips to GSA connects and Germany to speak about geology; appearing in documentaries speaking about Geology. Luisa shows passion and enthusiasm within her role - Her commitment to inspiring, leading and coaching the next generation of geologists as well as the general public has had a significant impact within the industry and within geology.