The EAG-GS Outreach Program is a partnership between the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, with the directive of developing outreach activities in geochemistry in under-represented regions of the world.
2019-2020 Outreach Program to Africa
2019-2020 Outreach Lecturer: Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane (Hassan II University of Casablanca)
Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane is a Moroccan scientist in the fields of Meteoritics and Planetary Sciences and Geochemistry, and is Professor at the Hassan II University of Casablanca, Director of the GAIA Laboratory and Coordinator of the Centre of Research on Geo-ressources and Environment. Hasnaa was the first woman to graduate in Meteoritics in Morocco and Arabic countries. She obtained her first PhD, in Noble Gas Geochemistry, from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, France, and defended her “Thèse d’état” on Meteoritics at the Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco. Read more
Locations and dates
Hasnaa will present a series of workshops and seminars on meteoritics and planetary sciences in universities and institutes across Africa in 2019. Dates will be announced below.
- 28 January 2019: Seminar: Morocco and Mauritania meteorites: A large contribution to meteoritics and planetary sciences download abstract
University of Nouakchott & l’Institut Français de Mauritania, Nouakchott, Mauritania - 17 March 2019: Workshop: Meteorites of Morocco and the Arab world
National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt - 29-30 November 2019: Seminars on ‘Meteorites in Morocco and Arab countries‘ and Workshop on identification of meteorites
Cité des Sciences de Tunis and Faculty of Science of Tunis, Tunisia
EAG Co-Sponsored Short Course
6th SGA-SEG-UNESCO-IUGS Short Course on African Metallogeny
“Gold Deposits: from Exploration to Mining”
Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, 28 October – 1 November 2019
This five-day short course on gold deposits, exploration and mining was held at the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Yamassoukro, Ivory Coast. It was addressed to researchers, lecturers, PhD students, geologists from exploration, mining companies and government institutions, and was composed of 2.5 days of lectures and 2 days of field excursion (Yaoure gold mine and surroundings). Grants were made available to support students and young researchers.
Past Outreach Programs
2018 Outreach Program to Africa
Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences
As part of the 2018 Outreach Program to Africa, the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG) and the Geochemical Society (GS) co-sponsored the Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences (AFIPS), whose objectives are:
- to connect African Planetary and Space Scientists with their international peers;
- to build a road map for Planetary and Space Sciences in Africa, by identifying key research areas where African scientists can make significant contributions;
- to solicit sponsors to support the development of this research domain in Africa;
- to contribute to sustainable development in Africa through research, education, and public outreach in Planetary and Space sciences.
An article on the activities of AFIPS initiative, written by the AFIPS Steering Committee, was published in the February 2018 issue of Elements Magazine.
As part of the initiative, two workshops were organised with financial support from the EAG and GS:
- 4-7 February 2019: First Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Science Workshop – Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) and Bahir Dar University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- 13-17 May 2019: Eastern Africa Global Navigation Satellite Systems and Space Weather Capacity Building – Pwani University, Kenya.
2017 Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach Lecturer: Axel Hofmann
Associate Professor, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Axel Hofmann holds a doctorate from the University of Mainz in Germany and has worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, Wits University in Johannesburg and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. His main interest and expertise is centred on the Archaean geological record of southern Africa. His research emphasizes the importance of field work and the usage of an integrated suite of petrological and geochemical tools in order to decipher the geological history of Archaean volcano-sedimentary successions. His research is undertaken at the interface between geology, geochemistry and geobiology, utilizing analytical equipment for in-situ trace element geochemistry, geochronology and (non-traditional) stable isotope geochemistry at the micro- and nano-scale, for the understanding of Archaean surface processes, early life and sediment-hosted mineral deposits.
Short course
Early Earth Life and Mineral Systems
Locations and dates
Date | Institution | Country |
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26-28 Apr 2017 | University of Ghana | Ghana |
29 Nov – 1 Dec 2017 | Addis Ababa University | Ethiopia |
5-8 Dec 2017 | University of Dar-es-Salaam | Tanzania |
17-19 Jan 2018 | Ahmadu Bello University | Nigeria |
22-24 Jan 2018 | University of Ibadan | Nigeria |
25-29 Jan 2018 | University of Lagos | Nigeria |
Photos from Ghana
2015-16 Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach Lecturer: François Chabaux
François Chabaux is Full Professor of Geoscience and Geochemistry at the “Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre (EOST)” at the University of Strasbourg, France. Since 2000, he chairs the Isotope Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry team (co-chairs with D. Lemarchand since 2014). Currently, he heads the “Laboratoire d’Hydrologie et de Géochimie de Strasbourg” (LHyGES- Laboratory of Hydrology and Geochemistry of Strasbourg), which he founded in 2009 with his colleague P. Ackerer (Research Director, CNRS). Read more
Lectures and Workshops
- Lecture: U Activity Ratios in Surface Waters as Tracers and Chronometers of Water Transfers in the Critical zone
- Lecture: Interest of U-series nuclides for dating soils and weathering profiles: Principles, applications and limitations
- Workshop: Principle of functioning and use of U-series nuclides in Earth Science
View details
Locations and dates
Date | Institution | Location |
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16-20 Nov 2015 | Département des Sciences de la Terre, University of Yaoundé I | Cameroon |
5-9 Dec 2016 | Department of Earth Sciences, University of Antanavarivo | Madagascar |
Photos from Cameroon

François Chabaux and the Earth Sciences Department at University of Yaoundé I

The very attentive audience of the Earth Sciences Department, University of Yaoundé I
2014 Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach Lecturer: Pierre Deschamps
Pierre Deschamps is Research Scientist at IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) and he is currently working in the Geochemistry and Geochronology Group at CEREGE (European Centre of Research and Teaching in Environmental Sciences).
His fields of expertise cover isotopic geochemistry and geochronology by using a large range of isotopic tracers, including U-Th and U-Pb chronometers and cosmonuclides (14C, 36Cl, 10Be). He uses this isotopic toolbox in studies ranging from Earth surface processes, human evolution to quaternary climate change. For the last years, a large part of his research has been carried out on the African continent and has focused on the past climate variability and its impact on hydrological cycle, including groundwater. Read more
Lectures and seminars:
- Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox (3-day seminar)
- Quaternary geochronology: the geochemical toolbox for Archaeology, Palaeontology and Paleoclimatology (2-day seminar)
- Sea-level variations: past, present and future (half-a-day lecture)
- Climate Change and its impact on the African continent (2 hour lecture)
Locations and dates
Date | Institution | Location | Program |
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20-21-22 August 2 Sept |
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Antanavarivo | Madagascar | Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox Sea-level variations: past, present and future |
6-7 November | Institut des Sciences Halieutiques à Yabassi, University of Douala | Cameroon | Climate Change and its impact on the African continent Sea-level variations: past, present and future |
10-12 November | Département des Sciences de la Terre, University of Dschang | Cameroon | Climate Change and its impact on the African continent Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox |
17-19 November | Département des Sciences de la Terre, University of Yaoundé I | Cameroon | Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox Climate Change and its impact on the African continent |
1-5 December | University of N’Djamena | Chad | Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox |
19-22 January | University Abdou Moumouni of Niamey | Niger | Groundwater dating: the isotopic toolbox Climate Change and its impact on the African continent |
2013 Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach Lecturer: Bernhard Wehrli
Bernhard Wehrli is Full Professor for Aquatic Chemistry at the Department of Environmental Sciences at ETH Zurich. He is a member of the directorate of Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).
The research of his group is focused on the assessment of biogeochemical processes in rivers and lakes. The group combines chemical sensors, stable isotope techniques and molecular ecology to quantify carbon and nutrient cycles in aquatic systems. Part of his research is focused on the development of interdisciplinary approaches to improve the sustainable management of water resources. Read more
Lectures and seminars abstracts:
- In search or rare elements: mining for cell phones (lecture)
- Where oxygen disappears: the deep waters of East African lakes (lecture)
- Chemistry for safer drinking water (lecture)
- Global water quality issues (seminar)
- Water and nutrient supply for agriculture (seminar)
- Stable isotope techniques for analyzing geochemical processes (seminar)
- Chemical sensors, analytical chemistry (seminar)
Location and dates
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11-12 Jun 2013 University of Addis Ababa ETHIOPIA |
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17-18 Jun 2013 University of Antanavarivo MADAGASCAR |
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02-03 Sep 2013 University of Yaoundé I CAMEROON |
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05-06 Sep 2013 University of Legon GHANA |
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10-11 Sep 2013 University of Nairobi KENYA |
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