Engaging the next generation: High school visits to the department
Last year, the department had the pleasure of welcoming students from three high schools: MNG Rämibühl (Zürich), Kantonsschule Solothurn, and Kantonsschule Büelrain (Winterthur). With the help of Adrian Gilli and group member Gregory de Souza, the students explored the fascinating history of Lake Zurich by examining sediment cores — archives that capture both natural processes and human-induced changes.
During their time in the department, the students learned how lake sediments provide a unique record of environmental history. The sediment cores reveal past eutrophication of the lake, leading to periods of anoxia, and show the natural annual cycles of spring diatom blooms followed by high-summer calcite precipitation—a process that has received attention from the local news (links to external page 20Min and external page Zürichsee Zeitung articles). Using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data, students also saw how sediment chemistry reflects past industrial activities along the lake shore, with elevated levels of heavy metals like zinc and lead from the early 20th century.
The visits included hands-on activities, such as macroscopic examination of Lake Zurich sediment cores, light microscopy of smear slides, and electron microscope, guided by Julien Allaz from the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology. These outreach activities gave the students an insight into some of the we do as Earth scientists and a deeper appreciation for the history of the environment around them.
