Meet the new Geo-educator, Sasha Morriss - a podcast by Whitestone Geopark

The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust has appointed a geo-educator to help educate the community on the district’s geology.  Sasha Morriss, who has a masters degree in geology from Otago University, has been appointed to the role.

Transcript

Real Radio host: Time to talk GeoPark and joined by the new Geoeducator, Sasha Morriss. Sasha, new to the role only been in it a week.

Geoeducator: That's right. Yes I started last Tuesday.

Real Radio host: Okay. So what does a Geoeducator role do? What do you, what's the job?

Geoeducator: So my job is quite, is going to be a really wide, varied job. One of my main roles is going to be connecting with the community. Different groups in the community and particular school groups, creating educational programs for them about the environment that we live in, the stories that Geopark tells us right through from the geology - the formation of our land right through to the cultural aspects of the Geopark. So I hope to be meeting lots of people in my role. We'll have online programs - hopefully, field trips. I'm going to be based out at the School of Rocks and Duntroon occasionally with our other Geoeducator Sophie Briggs working there with children from Duntroon School. So it's going to be really varied. It's really exciting, and I just can't wait to get into it.

Real Radio host: Now you've got a background in geology too, haven't you?

Geoeducator: That's right. I've got two degrees in geology. My undergraduate bachelor from Otago and a master's in geology as well from Otago. My thesis was actually based in an area just in South Canterbury. I've done a lot of work in the North Otago region to do with geology, so I've got a pretty good foot on the ground, as it were. And I'm based in Oamaru as well. Been here for almost five years, so I'm pretty familiar with the area.

Real Radio host: What's the most exciting thing that you're thinking about with this role?

Geoeducator: My most exciting thing is getting people engaged with the environment here. Getting people out into the outdoors, seeing the geology, seeing the various aspects that we have here - we've got volcanoes, we've got old limestone formations, we've got so much going on here and it's about the public engaging with that and learning about what the environment was, what is it going forward, how do we use the environment, how can we protect the environment? How can we be stewards of our environment? So it's not just about what's been before. It's about where we are now and where we're heading into the future.

Real Radio host: Thanks very much, Sasha. Good to have you on board. And we'll be talking to you in quite a bit in the future.

Geoeducator: I look forward to it. Thank you very much.

Further episodes of Geo Radio - Waitaki Whitestone Geopark

Further podcasts by Whitestone Geopark

Website of Whitestone Geopark