About this day
Welcome to our Geography in Action day!
Get ready to embark on an epic journey of discovery with Geography in Action! This unforgettable experience is guaranteed to ignite your passion for Geography and bring your classroom studies to life! Whether you’re an A-level or IB student studying with AQA, Edexcel, OCR, or any other exam board, this day is perfect for you. You’ll have the chance to immerse yourself in exciting and interactive sessions, led by renowned geographers who are experts in their field. By the end of the day, you’ll have gained a deeper understanding of some of the key topics in A-level geography and will be bursting with enthusiasm to explore these areas further. You will also have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive exam masterclass, where you’ll receive expert guidance on how to excel in your Geography exams. This will give you the competitive edge you need to achieve top marks and succeed in your academic pursuits.
Host: Lizzie Daly (Adventurer & Presenter)
“My students really enjoyed Geography in Action and found it very informative. We will be back next year!”
Geography Teacher, December 2022
Programme & speakers
A Changing Planet Lizzie Daly, Freelance
Lizzie explores how a changing climate and environments under pressure are directly impacting species around the world. As an animal movements scientists Lizzie has used tag technology to not only understand where animals are going but also how they are behaving. Lizzie will share examples of her time in the field studying species like Jaguars in the Pantanal and African elephants in Kenya. The talk will also draw on some of her most recent expeditions and shoots filming life at the extremes.
About Lizzie Daly
Lizzie, the Welsh adventurer, explorer, and wildlife biologist, is a passionate advocate for the natural world. With captivating expeditions worldwide, she has filmed wildlife documentaries, conducted research, and inspired others in the wildlife adventure space. Lizzie’s media credits include hosting BBC productions and participating in podcasting and radio. As a conservationist, she is an ambassador for esteemed organizations and has delivered engaging talks at renowned events. With a strong academic background and ongoing PhD research, Lizzie’s dedication to wildlife and conservation makes her a true force for positive change.
The Last Drop: Solving the World's Water Crisis Tim Smedley, Author and Science Communicator
Join us for an enlightening talk with world-renowned environment writer Tim on the pressing water crisis. Drawing from his latest book, The Last Drop, Tim emphasizes the urgency of managing water sustainably for ecological and human survival. Learn how we can avert disaster and address this critical issue.
About Tim Smedley
Meet Tim, a world-renowned environment writer featured in BBC Future, The Guardian, and The Sunday Times. He’s the author of two groundbreaking books, Clearing The Air (2019) and The Last Drop (2023). Tim has transformed into a captivating science communicator, surprising his old science teachers along the way!
Re-Branding Places: using media to understand a changing sense of place Richard Yarwood, University of Plymouth
Place branding is crucial for change. Urban and rural areas now compete for tourists, visitors, business people, and students. Millions are spent annually on marketing to project a specific image or brand. In this workshop, we explore using place-marketing to understand change through qualitative data analysis, including public images and media.
About Professor Richard Yarwood
Richard is a distinguished Professor of Human Geography at Plymouth University, specialising in social and rural geography. He has held visiting research fellow positions at prestigious institutions worldwide and is a respected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, with significant editorial contributions to the journal ‘Geography’.
Can we predict volcanic eruptions? Rebecca Williams, Reader in Volcanology; University of Hull
Volcanic eruptions are one of the most catastrophic natural hazards. A key challenge to volcanology is the ability to predict volcanic eruptions, to allow for better hazard management and risk reduction. But will this ever be possible? This session explores the science behind volcano monitoring and the challenges of forecasting eruptions.
About Rebecca Williams
Rebecca is a volcanologist who is interested in understanding eruptive histories of volcanoes, understanding hazardous volcanic flows, social-historical volcanology, and the communication of volcano science. All this drives towards understanding how communities may be affected by volcanic eruptions past, present and future.
Tiny Houses, Big Issues Ella Harris, Freelance Researcher
Tiny Houses are becoming a big trend around the world, especially in the USA. Many different kinds of people have taken up tiny living for a variety of personal, as well as economic, reasons. I present research my team and I have been doing in Austin, Texas, exploring how Tiny Housing intersects with local and global issues like gentrification, housing crisis, political and gender identities and environmental debates.
About Dr Ella Harris
Dr Ella Harris is an academic and freelance researcher. She specialises in ‘crisis cultures’ (cultures that emerge from, respond to and compensate for crisis conditions) and in interactive, creative methods.