Julian Thomson

Julian is the Geology Guy. He once was a high school teacher focusing on earth science and lots of outdoor education. For the last 15 years, Julian has been a full-time geoscience educator, bringing the geology of New Zealand to the public via workshops, field trips, TV documentaries, websites, YouTube videos and social media. In his Earth science explorations, he travelled all over New Zealand and also to parts of Europe, Taiwan, Indonesia and even Antarctica.
Facebook-f Twitter

Work with

Julian Thomson

Julian, “The Geology Guy”, has a school teaching background followed by 15 years as a geoscience communicator in Aotearoa. In 2019, he won the Science Communicators of New Zealand (SCANZ) Award, and in 2022 he was awarded the Hayward Geocommunication Award by the Geoscience Society of New Zealand.

Julian can show how the everyday world of landscapes and rocks we usually take for granted – is filled with fascinating information about powerful and wonderful natural processes. From creating an inquiry-based geology field trip to hands-on classroom activities on earthquakes, Antarctica and glaciers, volcanoes, rocks and fossils, Julian can show you how to bring earth science to life for your students. He also runs ecology field trips and even has a collection of mammal bones and skulls that reveal secrets of skeleton adaptations.

Julian’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/outtherelearning has many Earth science videos that are used in NZ schools. Also, check out his brainchild www.geotrips.org.nz where you can locate great geology sites to explore around the country.

Find out more about Julian’s activities on his website https://outtherelearning.co.nz/ and contact him if you would like a visit to your school.

Click here to find out more about

Julian Thomson

we are a team of scientists and science communicators
WE DO FIELD WORK THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE ​

Some of the things we talk about
2025 aquaculture asteroids astronomy bees biodiversity biosecurity birds bugs bush citizen science climate change Conservation diversity in science diving earthquakes Ecology fossils freshwater freshwater ecology geography geology intelligence international security kaitiakitanga Macroinvertebrates marine life marine pests identificaiton Mars Matariki Moana Moon Native Plant Restoration nature Navigation NCEA oceans Papa Taiao Earthcare Paua rocks space Underwater drone volcanoes Wairarapa water quality

We grew up outside, connected with the nature and believe that our kids should go outside too.

Here, at Field-based STEM, we are all working as a big team. Tap into our collective expertise.  

"Unlike scientific community programmes that are expensive and require lots of investment, field work is done by individuals and is accessible to anyone. The skills gained during field work open up a huge area for everyone undertaking it."

Tony Jones, Founder Tweet

what we've been up to