| Description | Track 1 [00:50:18] [Session One: 13 September 2017] Ewan Thomas [ET], born in Neath in February 1963. ET mentions going to Swansea University [SU] in 1981 and summarises his career. ET mentions his schooling in Neath. [00:01:13] ET describes his decision to study geology at SU and talks about the good reputation of the geology degree at SU. [00:03:10] ET describes the atmosphere of the Geology Department instilled by Professor Derek Ager. ET talks about lecturers, including John Cope, Peter Styles [PS] and John Barnes, and describes interactions between students and lecturers. [00:06:11] ET describes the structure of the geology degree and different specialisations in the department. ET highlights the practical aspects of the course, including field trips. [00:08:46] ET describes local field trips and international trips to Switzerland, the Pyrenees, Scotland and Ireland. [00:10:47] ET describes the timetable and workload of a geology student. [00:13:03] ET talks about socialising with course mates. ET talks about the course composition in terms of nationality and gender and discusses the gender balance compared to today. [00:15:27] ET talks about the Natural Sciences Building [today: Wallace Building] on Singleton Campus and describes the location of the Geology Department within the building. ET describes the difference between geography and geology and talks about inter-departmental interactions. [00:18:33] ET talks about his living situation while studying at SU. ET describes living in Sibley Hall [today: Kilvey Hall], Uplands and Hendrefoelan Student Village. ET talks about weekly formal dinners on campus. [00:24:51] ET talks about extracurricular activities and prioritising the course over sports. ET describes being part of the mountaineering club and talks about trips. [00:27:37] ET describes his experiences doing an individual summer mapping project in the Italian Alps in 1983. ET talks about the difference between field work at SU and other universities. [00:32:25] ET talks about his final results and describes the difficulty of final exams. ET compares the assessment and expectations placed on students in the 1980s to today. [00:37:13] ET describes his reason for doing a master’s degree at SU. ET is critical of the Thatcher government’s decision to turn polytechnics into universities at the end of the 1980s. [00:39:42] ET talks about his MSc research on locating and imaging cavities and mine workings. [00:40:45] ET describes joining Golder Associates and working on a sinkhole project in Kuwait. ET describes leaving Golder and setting up own practice in 1992. [00:44:32] ET talks about the role of SU in his subsequent career. ET criticises the University of Wales decision to close the SU geology department. ET talks about ex-SU lecturers trying to recreate Swansea atmosphere at other universities. [00:50:18] |