The Society’s Learning and Leading programme, which began in 2008, has so far supported over 360 students and teachers who have faced or are facing challenging circumstances by providing access to fieldwork and overseas travel opportunities. 2016 marks the final year of the programme’s funding.
Students who have participated in one of Learning and Leading programme’s four strands report that they have both grown in confidence and acquired valuable new skills. Many have gone on to develop their appreciation of geography through academia and a range of interesting careers that they may not have considered without the experiences they obtained through the programme.
James Linighan, one of our 2015 Field Apprentices, travelled to Greenland with his lecturer Dr Carr to examine the impact of a proglacial lake and debris cover on ice loss from the Russell Glacier. Now in his second year at Newcastle University, and motivated by his success last summer, he is leading five other students on a research expedition back to Greenland, where they plan to conduct research for their dissertations. James said of his experience: “I found the three weeks in the field to be the most fulfilling, interesting and enjoyable experience of my life, and it has even greater increased my aspiration to become a glaciologist. …The opportunity to discuss the research and my future ambitions with Dr Carr was invaluable”.
The application deadline for the 2016 Field Apprenticeship grants is 5pm on Friday 19th February.
Find out more:
Email Charlie Eustace on landl@rgs.org for further information.