The Year 12 Geologists were treated to a talk by Huw Richards, BSc MSc. today. Huw is an exploration metals geologist with Altus Strategies. He graduated from RBCS in 2010, having studied Geology at GCSE and A Level. He then went on to Royal Holloway and the University of Exeter, as well as completing internships with Australian Bauxite, Anglo-American and Deloitte. Huw’s presentation was insightful and entertaining as he ran through the vast opportunities that are available for Geologists. He reminded us that without geologists we would not have water, cars, oil , and disaster prevention strategies. We would also not be able to have our beloved tablets as 62 elements (which have to be mined)  go into making our mobile phones! He excited us about the ‘challenge of discovery’ and the role that exploration geologists play in finding new and useful materials that we use in every day life.

Huw enlightened us on a day in the life of a geologist and all the skills that are learned, from problem solving and analytical work to practical hands-on engineering. In addition, he showed us the many places he has visited to work on exciting mining projects, which was remarkable given that he left RBCS only seven years ago. Questions came flooding in from our keen students. Adam and Josh, Joe, Ben and Ryan all made valuable contributions to the discussion and showed a keen interest in Huw’s work. It was super to hear the advice from Huw on making the most of university life, such as getting involved with sports, societies, committees and The Geological Society, where a student membership is such good value for money. He also guided the students through how to choose the best university for them, such as looking at the links to industry, the reputation of the departments (not just the whole university) and whether to go for city or campus.

We are very fortunate to have had Huw talk to the students and we are delighted that we were able to give our Year 12s another amazing opportunity to see how they might flourish in the world of Geology.

Mrs Finucane, Geology and Geography Teacher