The famous Monviso mountains in the background. Photo: Francesco Nosenzo

– I have been always fascinated by nature since I was a child. I had lovely memories of collecting fossils, rocks and shells during the holidays with my parents, doing orienteering at school (the first time that I had something to do with a map!) and seeing my garden bloom again in spring. Even now I cannot resist the stunning landscapes you see on reaching the top of a mountain or in front of the vastness and the mystery of an ocean. I liked nature, but I have followed humanities at the high school (Latin, Greek, philosophy and Literature). These subjects opened my mind and strengthened my communication skills. The choice of Geology at the university level reflects for sure my curiosity and love for nature, but stems also from meeting a talented professor in Earth Sciences the last year of the high school. Her lectures were so fascinating that I was passing my afternoon studying Earth Sciences instead of Latin and philosophy!

Why I choose Geology?

Studying geology develops a broad and deep knowledge of the Earth. Geology provides a comprehensive framework essential to understand the Planet where we live. It is an exciting journey through minerals, rocks and their interaction with fluids with the aim of understanding how our Planet formed. You may be able to answer questions like how do mountain belts grow? Through which processes do continental and oceanic crust form? How rocks transform and deform when they are buried at great depth? Which mechanisms are able to exhume these rocks? Where and why we find precious ore deposits? These are just a few fascinating discoveries that are waiting you…

A good knowledge of the “Earth system” is a fundamental step towards global sustainability, hazard mitigation and the building of an eco-friendly environment. This will include understanding (i) the availability of natural resources (mineral, water, energy…) and how we have used or abused of them in the past or (ii) the causes and consequences of geological processes (floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions…). We are part of the “Earth system” and it is our responsibility to interact with it in a friendly and balanced way.

What can you work with when you have completed the education?

– Education in geology is a combination of field and theoretical studies and gives the possibility to acquire analytical skills that may be useful for future jobs. There are several career opportunities in this field.

• Applied Geologist – working on infrastructure (railways, dams, tunnels) and monitoring geological risks (landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis)
• Environmental Scientist – working on for example treating contamination problems of lakes and rivers
• Geologist working on renewable and not renewable energies (geothermal energy, oil and petroleum, ore deposits)
• Academic research – with the possibility to do a PhD and to discover and investigate poorly understood events and processes in Earth history
• Finally, yet importantly, teaching in high school to educate the new generations about the Earth.