Professor Sparks, from the University of Bristol, is one of the world’s foremost experts on volcanoes and is often seen on TV, most notably in the BBC programme ‘Supervolcano’.

In addition to the field trip, the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Bristol is putting on many other volcano-related events during ‘Science Week’ (10-16 March).

These include a free exhibition dedicated to volcanoes at Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery, Queen’s Road. This will be on display on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March 2008. The exhibition will feature:

hands-on activities and experiments for kids
erupting volcano model
educational displays
volcanic rocks and minerals
equipment used to monitor volcanoes

Each evening through the week (10-14 March) a public lecture on volcanoes will be given at 7.30 pm in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Road. Room G25.

These events celebrate the life of ‘Local Hero’ George Walker. Walker was an internationally renowned geologist whose discoveries underpin much of modern thinking about the function and structure of volcanoes. Walker was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Bristol and retired to Gloucester where he lived until his death in 2005.

Walker was a brilliant teacher and devoted much time to nurturing young scientists. His first love was for field geology, and he liked nothing better than to show students how to read the rocks on field classes. He trained many distinguished volcanologists and encouraged many scientists from the developing world, where most active volcanoes are located. He was supremely fit, and carried on fieldwork into his seventies.

The ‘Local Heroes’ series of events is taking place around the country to celebrate the bicentenary of the Geological Society of London, the world’s oldest geological society.

It was founded on 13 November 1807 at a dinner at the Freemasons’ Tavern, Great Queen Street, Covent Garden. Founder members included James Parkinson who first identified Parkinson’s disease, and the famous chemist, Humphry Davy.

Source: By University Of Bristol