Geoscience Education, Training and Technology Transfer

The Commission for Geoscience Education, Training, and Technology Transfer, mostly known as the Commission on Geoscience Education (COGE) is a global organization operating under the International Union of Geological Sciences. It focuses on advancing geoscience education and promoting knowledge and technology transfer in this field globally.

Description
COGE was established in 2004 with the mission to enhance the quality of geoscience education worldwide through collaboration with global organisations, including the International Geoscience Education Organization (IGEO) and the European Geosciences Union (EGU), to promote geoscience education and training initiatives around the globe.

In collaboration with the Education Committee of the European Geosciences Union, COGE established the Geoscience Education Field Officer Program, as part of its mission to promote geoscience education initiatives worldwide. The program aimed to address the growing devaluation of geoscience teaching and provide innovative pedagogical proposals for non-higher education. Since its inception by professor Chris King (geologist), in 2018, the program has involved more than 400 teachers, including 120 Portuguese, in various initiatives to propose innovative pedagogical proposals and creative training for teachers in this field. As such, the field officer program is an important component of the commission's efforts to advance geoscience education on a global scale.

Other efforts of the commission are the development of an international survey that gathered data on school-level geoscience education across the globe and the proposal for an international geoscience school syllabus. In the survey it ,was revealed that geoscience is taught in various contexts, either linked to science, geography, or both. Additionally, COGE has sponsored since 2023 the Chris King Medal to feature international efforts in geoscience education.

Initiatives
COGE is involved in the following initiatives:


 * The Geoscience Education Field Officer (GEFO) Program, a joint effort with EGU Education
 * The Chris King Medal, created in honour of professor Christopher John Henry King gives visibility to efforts in Geoscience Education worldwide. The first Awardee is Professor Hector Lacreu from Argentina.
 * The GEFO Internship
 * Meetings/Sessions in Earth Science Research and Education at the International Geological Congress.
 * Workshops Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) organised by EGU Education since 2003.
 * Supporting national Olympiads on Earth Science and educational activities at national level worldwide

Current organization
The current board of the commission is formed by five members representing Asia (Elvaene James), Australia (Ian Clark), Europe (Susanna Occhipinti), North America (Scott Miller) and South America (Sandra Villacorta).

In february, 2023, the commission formed five organizational committees: International Relations, GEFO Program, Chris King Medal, Publications, and Social Media.

Today, 21 countries worldwide are represented in the commission with 23 Regular and associated members: Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brasil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Spain and USA.

COGE works closely with International organisations like IGEO, EGU, Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australasia (WOMEESA) and locally, with the Geosciences center of the National University of Mexico (CGEO-UNAM).