GeoQuiz 2010

The UP Geological Society (UP GeoSoc) held its annual quiz show entitled “GeoQuiz 2010: Diversifying our Knowledge of the Third Planet” last October 2, 2010, Saturday, jointly at the UP NISMED Auditorium and the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) Audio-Visual Room. The GeoQuiz is an earth science quiz show in which high school students engage in friendly competition about basic earth science, geology, and current events related to geology. This event is sponsored by Philex Mining Corporation, represented by Vice President for Exploration Ms. Redempta P. Baluda. In celebration of UP GeoSoc’s 53rd anniversary, this year’s quiz show’s theme is mainly on what GeoSoc termed Geodiversity, which aims to introduce the various branches and disciplines of Geology and the Earth Sciences to the secondary level, and to show how the geologist contributes for national development. The program was hosted by Conchitina Cleofe Yu and Jigo Mismanos.

This year’s GeoQuiz, now inviting private schools alongside public and science high schools, was contested by seven teams, with four students per school. The participants are the Holy Spirit School, Pasig City Science High School, Sta. Lucia High School, School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City, St. Paul College Pasig, Rizal National Science High School, and University of Santo Tomas – Education High School. The first part of the quiz show was a one-hour individual written examination.  Then the participants went on to the team competition wherein they underwent three rounds of competition, with ten questions each round.  The judges of this year’s GeoQuiz were Dr. Ma. Luisa G. Tejada, NIGS Associate Professor, Ms. Catherine C. Abon, NIGS Instructor, and Ms. Redempta P. Baluda, VP for Exploration of Philex Mining. After a catered lunch prepared by Heart Angela’s Food Shop- NIGS Canteen, the students participated in a High School Workshop held in various rooms in NIGS.

The awarding at the NIGS Seminar Room was spearheaded by Adriann A. Vasquez, then UP GeoSoc Academics Committee Head and GeoQuiz 2010 Event Coordinator, and John Dale B. Dianala. All seven schools received certificates of participation, while trophies and cash prizes were given to the top three schools. Rizal National Science High School, Overall Champion, triumphed over other schools with a cumulative score of 232.75 points, while Sta. Lucia School and University of Santo Tomas - Education High School garnered Second and Third Place with 231.25 points and 205.25 points, respectively.  The top three schools received P10,000, P7,000, and P5,000 in cash prizes, respectively.

            As a continuation of the objectives of the GeoQuiz, UP GeoSoc aims to invite more schools and allow multiple teams per school for its next quiz shows. 

- Adriann Vasquez

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HighSchool Workshop 2010

The Externals Committee of UP Geological Society (Geosoc) launched the High School Workshop (Workshop) as part of Geosoc’s advocacy in educating students about geology. Geosoc held the Workshop at the National Institute of Geological Sciences during the afternoon of 2 October 2010, right after the annually-held Geoquiz; the participants consisted of the Geoquiz contestants, accompanied by their teachers and younger schoolmates.  The National Institute of Geological Sciences, Nannoworks Laboratory, and Geosciences Foundation Incorporated provided the food and the necessary materials.

The Workshop had one simple objective: introduce the principles and practices of geology through hands-on approach. The Workshop presented principles and practices in geology through interactive stations, each manned by instructors (sophomore to senior BS Geology students). The Workshop catered to all levels and backgrounds of high school students, unlike the Geoquiz which only catered to the students already knowledgeable in geology. Even the less-inclined-to-geology participants easily digested the concepts being taught in the Workshop.

The stations of the Workshop hosted various specific topics: mineral hardness; mineral color and streak; field mapping; rock cycle; field mapping; rock types; carbonate rocks; fossils; and optical mineralogy (thin sections and polished sections). The instructors showcased an interesting hands-on exercise for each of their stations. For example, the exercise in optical mineralogy allowed the participants to see the kaleidoscopic view of thin sections of rocks under the microscope. Active discussions followed the hands-on exercises. For example, after showing off a gold specimen under the microscope, an instructor discussed the interesting facts about the economics of mining in the Philippines.

The sponsors of the Workshop greatly contributed to the success of the Workshop: the National Institute of Geological Sciences provided the rooms, petrographic microscopes, and rock samples; the Nannoworks Laboratory provided fossils and specialized microscopes; the Geosciences Foundation Incorporated provided funds for the Workshop stations’ materials and the food for the participants.

The participants and their teachers, as well as the organizers and instructors, gave positive feedbacks regarding the Workshop. The participants enjoyed the activities in the stations, especially the stations in optical mineralogy. Some participants even expressed their newfound interest in geology; some considered including the BS Geology program among their choices in college. The teachers also participated in the stations, most of them asking a lot of questions out of curiosity. One teacher from Rizal National Science High School commented the Workshop presented a very fresh concept in teaching geology to high school students; the teacher also requested the Workshop to be held in her school. The Workshop actually provided a good start for the future educators of geology. The instructors, consisting of the sophomore to senior members of Geosoc, found the Workshop a rather exhausting yet very rewarding experience. After the Workshop, some of the members started entertaining the idea of teaching geology after finishing their BS degree. Nikko Rivera, one of the brains behind the concept of the Workshop, expressed his interest in continuously supporting the Workshop. He vowed that once he gets to work, he would donate rare and interesting rocks from the various parts of the world for the Workshop. #

- Rico dela Pena

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