Interaction of geotechnics with society through education

Abstract

The Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and the University of Brasília (UnB), in partnership with the company Eletrobras Furnas, have developed research and, based on this, extension projects aimed at education in a broad sense, in which they seek to disseminate and popularise technical-scientific knowledge. This paper aims to present and evaluate educational actions carried out in the area of soil science and geotechnics applied to engineering, geography, and the environment. To do so, the educational experiences developed within the scope of two extension projects are shared. Besides that, the relevance of publishing books and primer, with language adapted to lay society, within the scope of research projects, is analysed. The results collected regarding the effectiveness of the extension actions as a tool for learning point to a positive evaluation by the students. Furthermore, social networks are an important tool for scientific dissemination and have the potential to disseminate knowledge more widely than in a classroom course. By comparing the number of citations in Google Scholar of the books and booklets with the papers arising from these projects, one can observe the reach of this type of publication, although its purpose is the popularisation of science, with reach in places not considered in the technical-scientific publication metrics. Finally, for effective scientific development, it is necessary to have public policies, effective interaction between universities, research centres and schools, and the participation of professional associations, funding and evaluation agencies, Education Departments and the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Keywords:
Teaching; Science popularisation; Extension curriculum; Soil science; Geotechnical Engineering; Social media