Narratives include several characteristics that make them memorable, understandable and enjoyable. Studying how memorable different ways of presenting information can be is a fundamental task for science communication in order to evaluate materials that not only need to be understood by the general public but also retained in the long-term as a part of the knowledge-appropriation process.

Results from reviewing 15 popular video games demonstrate a combination of accuracies and inaccuracies that could impact on people’s self-learning of volcanoes. Several volcanic features are represented to varying degrees of accuracy (stratovolcanoes and calderas, lava flows, volcanic ash, and lava bombs), whereas health risks are often inaccurate. Suggested applications of the findings for educational environments are given, such as group projects in open-world games.

Earth science (rocks, soils, etc.) is often a subject area that causes concern for many primary school teachers and trainees who lack confidence in teaching it. The article describes and analyses the workshops offered by the Earth Science Education Unit led by enthusiastic Earth scientists. The reactions by participants to the appropriate level of practical suggestions, using cheap resources, shows how continuing professional development workshops provide valuable confidence-building sessions.

This work presents the use of a digital educational resource, CreativeLab_Sci&Math | Plate Tectonics, which explores the PhET^TM Plate Tectonics simulator in the context of pre-service teacher education. Results show that the digital educational resource contributed to pre-service teachers successfully achieving learning outcomes concerning the dynamics of plate tectonics.

We show that integrating evaluation tools both before and after a drop-in engagement activity enables the demonstration of change and, thus, short-term impact. In our case, young families who listened to space sounds exhibited changed language and conceptions about space in their graffiti wall responses afterwards, exemplifying the power of sound in science communication. We suggest that evaluation tools be adopted both before and after drop-in activities in general.

In this study, online entries about earthquakes are analyzed from a popular website in Turkey. The topic of several earthquakes in Turkey and its surrounding areas is the focus of the study. The experiences of the users during the earthquakes are converted into seismic intensity values, which are compared with the models that are used for the prediction of the same metric. It has been found that people's experiences are correlated with the predictions up to certain distances.

We present the results of a theatre-based project designed to promote gender equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. We use Theatre of the Oppressed techniques to promote discussions about issues concerning the access, permanence and ascension of women in exact and Earth sciences careers. The scenes are able to show that, in general, these issues relate to other causes, and the paternal culture, and reveal how all kinds of harassment can take place in academia.

We investigate the potential use of Thinglink, an interactive imagery-based web platform, for the study of rocks, minerals, and fossils under the microscope. We disseminated a prototype which allowed users to view rock samples through a "virtual" microscope and gathered feedback from staff and students. Results were overwhelmingly positive and imply real interest in this style of resource. Such resources could help to enhance accessibility and inclusivity and could complement existing teaching.

The paper brings a classical debate within the literary scholars' community to a scientific context – the sources that William Shakespeare used for The Tempest. The play is studied in the context of natural hazards, suggesting that geosciences can help to move the debate forward by adding new elements. The paper then collects all the clues that can help to place the island from The Tempest in a Mediterranean context, suggesting that the playwright was a witness to volcanism in the Sicilian sea.