Hélder Pereira

High School, Loulé – Portugal

I was born in Lisbon, but I moved south, to the Algarve region, to attend University. I became a teacher in 1996, after my degree in Biology and Geology. I also have a Masters Degree, from the University of Algarve, in Nature Conservation and Management. I have worked in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, doing environmental education and coastal management, for a couple of years. I went back to school in 2003 and I am teaching at Escola Secundária de Loulé since then. At my school I am also in charge of the Earth and Space Sciences Club, where we have the opportunity to organize and participate in science fairs and national contests.

Recently I attended the latest GIFT workshops, organized by the European Geosciences Union and the American Geophysical Union, in Vienna (Austria), in April 2008 and 2009, and San Francisco (USA), in December 2008.

I have been one of the «Teachers at Sea» onboard the RV Marion Dufresne during the MD168-AMOCINT (IMAGES-XVII) cruise, that aimed to recover thick marine sediment sections to better understand climate conditions during past interglacial periods. Alongside the educational activities we participated in every step of the process of core recovery – cutting, opening, labeling – and preliminary sediments analysis. It was an amazing experience! I learned a lot and I had the chance of bringing marine sediments and climate science into my classroom.

I love basketball! As a young boy I played it in Clube Atlético de Queluz. My favorite NBA team is the Boston Celtics and my favorite player of all time is the amazing Larry Bird.

I also like to cook and spend hours in the kitchen to have a nice sit-down family meal. My favorite hobbies are listening to music (my favorite group is the Dave Matthews Band) and hiking.