Professor David Pyle discusses his public engagement work for the Department of Earth Sciences with specific reference to the London Volcano and Volcano top trumps project. The Department of Earth Sciences have recently used two activities to increase awareness of their research on volcanic risk: Volcanoes Top Trumps (a card game), and London Volcano (a 5 day exhibition). Professor David Pyle will discuss how social media (blogging, facebook and twitter) has allowed the team to engage with a wider audience.