ENGIE

Project Objective – To promote gender equality and diversity in geosciences, to enhance girls’ interest in geological disciplines and facilitate their integration into geological and engineering sectors, to increase public awareness of the significance of geology and geoengineering for economic development and for the protection of society from natural and anthropogenic geological hazards and to establish a platform for cooperation among international and European institutions and companies to improve gender balance in geosciences and engineering. Project website: https://www.engieproject.eu/

The international ENGIE Project (Encouraging Girls to Study Geosciences and Engineering), funded by the European Union, was implemented within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme in 2021–2022.

The project involved 26 institutions from 20 European countries.

The Ukrainian partner institution was the Union of Geologists of Ukraine.

The core project activities were scheduled for 2022. Due to the outbreak of the full-scale war, the project events were relocated from Kyiv to Lviv and conducted at the Faculty of Geology and the Yevhen Lazarenko Mineralogical Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The Museum staff organized a series of popular science lectures, practical workshops, and geological field excursions for young audiences. Participation was primarily encouraged among girls aged 13–18, as this developmental stage is critical for forming long-term academic interests and professional orientation.

Project Activities (August–December 2022)

- 30 August: A Thematic Meeting at the Mineralogical Museum: “Physical Properties Used by Geologists to Identify Minerals”.
- 10 September: Geological Excursion for Teenagers: “The History of Lviv in Stone” (walking tour of central Lviv).
- 17 September: Geological Excursion for Teenagers: “Geological Secrets of the City of the Leo” (Znesinnia Regional Landscape Park, Lviv).
- 24 September: Geological Excursion for Teenagers: “Geological Heritage of Shchyrets and Demnia” (bus tour to gypsum and limestone quarries and historic mining sites of Lviv Region).
- 30 September: A Thematic Meeting at the Mineralogical Museum: “Minerals of Ukraine”.
- 9 December: A Thematic Meeting at the Mineralogical Museum: “Pigment Minerals”.
- 17 December: Open Day at the Yevhen Lazarenko Mineralogical Museum.
- 21 December: A Thematic Meeting at the Mineralogical Museum: “Gypsum: Varieties and Applications”.

The implementation of the project by the Ukrainian team received high evaluation from the project coordinators. The Museum was awarded an official letter of appreciation for the successful execution of project objectives.