Núria Ripoll

This year's Madrid Geology Olympiad is coordinated by Silvia Martín, a professor at the URJC, together with teachers from the institute and university of the Community of Madrid. Throughout the last few years, different institutes and universities have hosted the competition since its inception in 2010, and in this new edition, the chosen venue will be the Faculty of Geological Sciences of the Complutense University.

“Both I and the rest of the organizers are very excited about this edition of the Olympics. On the one hand, we already have registrations closed and we are going to exceed the participation numbers from before the pandemic with 381 students, more than 50 teachers, and 40 centers. And, on the other hand, the headquarters that welcomes us is precisely the Faculty of Geological Sciences, together with the Alfonso XIII Royal Botanical Garden, and those who have turned to us in every way, both the spaces that they give us and the material on loan ”explains Silvia Martín, coordinator of the event.

The Madrid Geology Olympiad consists of several tests, all of them carried out in groups of three students. There will be outdoor tests, gymkhanas, practical exercises and real assumptions that a geologist can face in his daily work. In the afternoon, after the picnic that is offered for lunch, joint activities are programmed, such as visits to research centers or conferences of interest related to the most current topics in geology. "The idea is that they spend a pleasant day dedicated to this discipline while valuing its importance in society," says Martín. Towards mid-afternoon, the classification, prizes and appointment of the teams that will attend the National Olympics will be announced, where, with a similar philosophy, they will face the winners of the rest of the local Olympics.

'GEOLIMAD' is consolidated as a test that arouses interest in geology in students, since "due to the low curricular load of the subject, the organizing entity of the geological Olympics, the Spanish Association for the Teaching of Sciences of la Tierra (AEPECT) makes an effort to make it known, even outside the academic sphere” comments Silvia Martín. Since the first edition was held in 2010, the number of centers that decide to participate has not stopped increasing, to the point that this year, in Madrid, there have been more than 380 students.