VolcanoFest: a public outreach extravaganza
VolcanoFest 2023 was a week-long volcano hazard scientist and public engagement event and celebration of all things volcano.
The brainchild of Prof Ben Kennedy (UC), VolcanoFest ran alongside IAVCEI, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, at their annual conference in Rotorua in January/February 2023. Over 900 scientists from 41 countries attended, and the Beneath the Waves team presented on a range of research topics (see Data & Resources).
At the public VolcanoFest event, people could meet volcanologists, ask questions, and learn more about what’s going on in the earth under our feet. There was a volcano art and photography exhibition, volcano experiments and game demonstrations.
The educational and outreach volcano game products from Beneath the Waves and the University of Canterbury (UC) were showcased as exemplars of best practice to the other international scientists and to school children and the Rotorua public.
In the Media
- Gary Farrow from radio programme WTS Waikato went along and you can listen to his story through the radio station website(external link) or as an apple podcast episode(external link).
- The event was profiled in the media; VolcanoFest brings explosion of volcano learning and fun to Rotorua(external link) (Shauni James, NZ Herald, 4 February 2023).
Hero image: Magma Pop, a computer game, was on show engaging students of all ages to learn about what magma and crystals are made of. The School of Product Design at UC and the Beneath the Waves program built and adapted this game to include coastal hazard management learning goals suitable for younger students. [Photo: Ben Kennedy]
