Simon teaches geography at the University of Salford (Greater Manchester) and also plays with mud (as a researcher in sediment-based reconstruction of past environmental change and human impact). He is passionate about making geoscience more inclusive and uses Digital Visualisation Tools (DVTs) to support students’ fieldwork.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, he has employed this approach to support geography in Ukraine’s universities, running online workshops to deliver Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) co-created by students. In Ukraine fieldwork is a substantial element of the teaching programme and yet is either impossible or highly limited by the war. DVTs can help support field-based learning, promoting student engagement and supporting the country’s Higher Education sector ahead of the challenges of the inevitable reconstruction.
Find out more about the ‘VFTs for Ukraine’ initiative:
