New field kit to make field trips safer and more comfortable for students

When students from the Department of Geoscience go on field trips, teaching often takes place on beaches, in open landscapes and in other locations where toilets are not necessarily available.

For some students, this has meant that going to the toilet during field trips has involved discomfort, uncertainty or careful planning. Some have avoided drinking water, waited for long periods before going to the toilet or tried to avoid having their period during field trips.

Associate Professors Timothy Patrick Lane and Henrieka Detlef from the Department of Geoscience have therefore taken the initiative to develop a new field kit, which will be brought along on the department’s field trips in future.

The kit includes a privacy tent for toilet visits and a backpack containing sanitary pads, tampons and other hygiene products. It also contains items such as a shovel, painkillers and electrolytes.

The aim is not only to provide students with a practical solution when no toilets are available nearby. The field kit is also intended to help break down taboos surrounding toilet visits, menstruation and hygiene during fieldwork.

The initiative was developed with input from students, ensuring that the field kit addresses the specific challenges they may experience on field trips. At the same time, it sends a clear signal that access to toilets and hygiene facilities is a natural part of planning field-based teaching.

According to Timothy Patrick Lane, an important part of the solution is also to talk openly about the need for toilet breaks and hygiene during field trips. In this way, the field kit is intended to make field-based teaching more inclusive, safe and comfortable for all students.

Read more about the field kit in Omnibus’ article and the post on Instagram.