Activities of Ibaraki University in the North Ibaraki Geopark Project: Case Study on the Role of the University in Implementing the Geopark Project

The activities of Ibaraki University in the North Ibaraki Geopark Project mainly comprise designing the framework of the geostory, planning and carrying out geotours, training interpreters for the geosites and constructing an information network system using social networking service (SNS). In this paper we present a case study on the role of the university in the geopark project. The activities of the academic staff and a project team made up of undergraduate and the graduate students of Ibaraki University using geological information for the North Ibaraki Geopark Project is explained. Ibaraki University promotes the geopark project and thus contributes to the regional development in the northern Ibaraki area.