Profile
Pete Webb
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About Me:
I live with my wife in Hayfield in the Peak District. I’m a semi-retired Geologist with a passion for natural history and the great outdoors!
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I’ve enjoyed my life as a Geologist in the oil and gas industry. My family and I have lived in numerous countries, as diverse as Iran, Papua New Guinea and the USA. Foreign travel has allowed me to meet people and go to some very interesting places like the Sahara Desert and the Andes Mountains. I’ve now got a huge collection of photographs and artefacts!
When I’m not doing Geology, I enjoy working in my garden, planting trees and flowers, and landscaping it with local stone. I also have an allotment where I grow fruit and vegetables – they taste so much better than shop-bought! And I’m the groundsman for the village cemetery and churchyard, so I’m out often in the Spring and Summer months, mowing and keeping things tidy.
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My pronouns are:
He and him.
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My Work:
I spent many years working in oil and gas exploration, mainly overseas in Africa, South America and in Asia. More recently, I have become a STEM Ambassador, going round schools to promote geoscience careers in the field of clean energy, such as nuclear and geothermal energy.
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As a STEM Ambassador to schools, I give talks and Powerpoint slide presentations with lots of videos on geological processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides, besides teaching about rocks, minerals and fossils. I teach about natural haards, how they are caused, what the dangers are and what we can do to reduce the risks to us. I also emphasise that we need to reduce our use of fossil fuels and instead, turn to green energy such as geothermal, nuclear, wind and solar.
I aslo do a lot of work with adult education groups, giving talks on geoscience topics and taking them on field trips to different parts of the UK.
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My Typical Day:
I don’t really have a typical day. If it’s not raining, I work outside. If it’s raining, I work inside at my laptop. My school STEM Ambassador work goes ahead as planned, rain or shine!
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A typical STEM Ambassador day is: drive to the school, set everything up in the classroom, then give my talk amd slide show for 2 hours. I’ll then do the same thing with another class in the afternoon before driving home again.
If I’m not doing STEM work, and it’s not raining, I’ll be outside somewhere, digging, planting, landscaping, doing tree work or mowing the cemetery.
If it’s raining, I’m probably at my laptop preparing for my next talk. Earlier this week, I gave a 2-hour talk on The Geology of Africa. And now I’ve just started preparing my next talk: “The Geology of Antarctica”.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would buy equipment to use in Science Club sessions: magnets, coils, LEDs, etc to demonstrate electromagnetism, and mirrors, lenses and prisms to demonstrate the behaviour of light.
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Education:
1954 – 1961: Gosport County Grammar School, Gosport, Hampshire.
1964 – 1967: Chelsea College, University of London.
1967 – 1971: Bedford College. University of London.
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Qualifications:
1959 10 O levels.
1961 A level Geography, Maths and Economics.
1964 A level Chemistry.
1967 BSC in Geology.
1971 PhD in Geology.
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Work History:
1961 – 1963. Trainee gold miner, South Africa.
1964 – 1971. Student at Uni.
1971 – 1973. University Lecturer, Nigeria.
1974 – 2004. Oil and gas Geologist with several companies.
2005 – Present: Consultant Geologist.
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Current Job:
Semi-retired but very busy as a STEM Ambassador and giving talks to adult education groups.
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Employer:
Self-employed.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Passionate geoscience ambassador.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A Geologist.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not seriously.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Anthropology.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Nina Simone.
What's your favourite food?
Haggis.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I was six again. I wish I didn't have arthritis. I wish the world was a happier place.
Tell us a joke.
Surgery receptionst: "Doctor, the invisible man wants an emergency appointment." Doctor: "Sorry, I can't see him".
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