Seequent’s new free web application Visible Geology has undoubtedly changed the face of earth science education. Earth science students, educators, and enthusiasts from 117 countries have used the app during its first year since launch.
CerebralFix, a leading game development studio known for its work with Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks, collaborated with Seequent to design Visible Geology and change the delivery of earth science education.
Seequent responded to a critical shortage of earth scientists by rebuilding Visible Geology, a well-loved earth science education tool. Universities worldwide have reported a notable decline in enrolments for earth science programs, even as the demand for earth scientists increases to address challenges like climate change and energy transition.
For instance, geoscience enrolments in Australia fell by 40 percent between 2013 and 2020. The United Kingdom experienced a 43 percent decrease in geology student numbers since 2014. According to the American Geosciences Institute, the United States expects a shortage of 130,000 geoscientists by 2030. Seequent aims to combat this crisis by inspiring the future generation of earth scientists with innovative educational tools.
Visible Geology delivers an immersive, intuitive gaming experience that revolutionizes how students learn key geological concepts. The free application empowers users to explore 3D models of earth processes, moving beyond traditional 2D and paper-based teaching methods. By enabling students to explore and experiment in unique ways, Visible Geology fosters a deeper understanding of geology.
Chief Customer Officer Angela Harvey said Seequent’s goal was for Visible Geology to become an indispensable teaching tool in every university offering earth science education.
Harvey commented: ‘We’re thrilled by the adoption of Visible Geology after only 12 months, but we have a deep commitment to doing our bit in addressing the critical shortage of earth scientists globally and have set ourselves even bigger goals for the future,”
He added: ‘We feel we have a responsibility to support the education of the next generation of earth scientists and see a tremendous opportunity to do so. The feedback from our Visible Geology community is that the tool is easy to use and that it helps them more easily understand a complex subject, which is exciting.”
Seequent highlighted Visible Geology at AGU24 in Washington D.C., the world’s largest gathering of earth scientists in December 2024. Dr Kate Pedley, a geology lecturer at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury, has incorporated Visible Geology into her courses.
‘Visualizing in 3D is one of the biggest challenges for geology students,’ Pedley said at AGU24. ‘Some of us cannot visualise in a way that a lot of us will instantly see a picture in our heads. The digital realm can help support that and give them something to see or visualise.’
‘What Visible Geology has done for us is allow us to use models at a simpler level than the more complicated ones that we might use in industry or research level. So it allows us to take simple models and simple scenarios and allows the students to then visualize those and help scaffold and support their learnings as they get to grips with those fundamentals.’
More information is posted on www.Seequent.com.
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