GeoNight 2025

7:30pm – 8:30pm AEDT, via Zoom

AGTA is pleased to be supporting GeoNight for 2025. Details can be found below, with the Zoom link available here: https://www.geonight.net/25336-2/

Program

7.30pm – 7.35pm – Welcome and overview of the Australian context
Presenter: Dr Susan Caldis (Chair Australian Geography Teachers Association; Senior Lecturer Geography Education, Macquarie University, NSW Australia)

7.35pm – 8.00pm – Getting the G into STEM: Lessons learned from a geography teacher and
research scientist partnership in the Northern Territory, Australia
Presenters: Yuliya Snoxall (senior geography teacher, AGTA Board member) and Dr Adam Liedloff
(research scientist CSIRO)

• Yuliya Snoxall is a geography and history teacher at Darwin High School, in the Northern
  Territory, Australia and a board member of the Australian Geography Teachers Association
  (AGTA). With extensive experience in both the UK and international education sectors, she
  is committed to advancing geography education and fostering critical thinking skills in
  students. Having taught in the UK and at international schools in Qatar, Yuliya focuses in
  enhancing students’ high-level thinking in geographical inquiry. In 2023, she joined STEM
  Professionals in Schools program run by CSIRO to enhance and refine Year 12 independent
  study (fieldwork) experiences, ensuring students gain valuable hands-on learning
  opportunities.
• Dr Adam Liedloff is an ecologist and systems modeller working for CSIRO in the tropical
  savannas of northern Australia. His work includes understanding the role of fire in Australian
  landscapes, predicting how native species respond to climate change, investigating how a
  wide range of farms can operate in an environmentally sustainable way, and determining the
  value the Darwin community places on biodiversity and natural places. This research requires
  explaining how complex systems function and what outcomes we can expect from changes in
  management decisions and climate change. Adam has used simple conceptual models to
  explain the fundamentals of fire around the Top End of the Northern Territory to primary
  school students and now seeks to encourage secondary students to use the scientific approach
  to answer questions and consider a STEM-based career.
  Abstract: This presentation will discuss the insights gained from a STEM Professionals in Schools
  partnership between a Darwin High School geography teacher and a research scientist (ecologist)
  from CSIRO. This partnership has significantly benefited the year 12 geography students and both
  professionals. We present some of the challenges of teaching geography in Darwin and how access
  to a STEM professional’s skills, understanding and alternate point of view can assist teachers. The
  new understanding highlights the lack of understanding of geography in Australia and how
  geography deserves a fundamental place in education where students with a strong geography
  background will provide the criteria demanded by STEM-based careers answering society’s most
  demanding questions.
  
  8.00pm – 8.25pm – Geography is more STEM than STEM in a Queensland state high school
  Presenter: Brett Dascombe (geography teacher; GTAQ Committee member)
  
• Brett Dascombe is a geography teacher at Wavell State High School in Brisbane,
  Queensland, Australia. He is also a committee member at the Geography Teachers
  Association of Queensland. He has taught geography in Queensland for over 20 years and has
  worked as a syllabus writer, lead endorser, lead confirmer and marker for the Queensland
  Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). Brett supports teachers around Queensland
  with Professional Development opportunities, assistance with project development and
  geospatial and STEM resources for their classrooms and schools to enhance geography
  teaching. Brett and his students have been recognised nationally and globally for their
  innovative use of industry standard geospatial tools and data in projects ranging from urban
  encroachment on Koala habitats to finding high levels of E.coli and Faecal coliforms on one
  of Southeast Queensland favourite beaches. Brett innovative use of technology on field trips
  including drone and 360 degree camera footage and in class teaching using interactive
  assessment platform has seen the QCAA accept new modes of field work and investigative
  assignments.
  
  Abstract: The true scope and potential of geography reaches far beyond traditional boundaries,
  placing it squarely at the heart of STEM education. In this presentation, “Geography is more STEM
  than STEM,” we explore how geography, when taught through modern technological approaches,
  powerfully integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to tackle real-world
  challenges. Drawing from firsthand experiences in classroom environments, industry partnerships,
  and collaborative projects, this session highlights how geospatial technologies and innovative
  problem-solving connect students directly to tangible career pathways. From urban planning and
  sustainability initiatives to disaster management and climate adaptation, geography provides a
  dynamic, multidisciplinary lens through which students engage with complex issues, blending
  technological proficiency with critical thinking and spatial literacy. This talk will demonstrate
  practical strategies and successful case studies illustrating geography’s unique capacity to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry readiness. Educators and STEM advocates will gain insights into leveraging geography as a central pillar of STEM education, empowering learners with the skills and mindsets necessary to thrive in an interconnected, technology-driven world.
  
  8.25pm – 8.30pm – Closing remarks and farewell until GeoNight 2026!
  Presenter: Dr Susan Caldis
  Attendees are very welcome to stay online after 830pm if they have further questions for the
  presenters.