by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Learn more about the rocks and minerals that make up the planet we live on during Earth Science Week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Started in 1998 by the American Geosciences Institute, Earth Science Week is aimed at promoting a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year’s theme is “Geoscience Innovating for Earth and People.”
Earth Science Week runs Oct. 8-14. Faculty from SIU’s geology and microbiology programs and its STEM Education Research Center (SERC) will host a week of activities, including a series of brown-bag lunch presentations aimed at promoting understanding and sustainability.
Brown bag lunches run noon to 1 p.m. at the SERC in Pulliam Hall, Room 212, and include:
Tuesday, Oct. 10 – “Favorite Minerals: Exploring Rock Forming Minerals and Crystals,” by Daniel Hummer, associate professor in the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 – “Living Soil! Soil as a Living Organism,” by Amanda Weidhuner, researcher with the SERC.
Thursday, Oct. 12 – “Sustainable Earth and Our Energy Future,” by Aimee Lemrise, SIU sustainability director, and Lea Gilbertson, associate lecturer in the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability.
The week culminates with a Rock and Mineral Clinic 2-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, in Parkinson Laboratory, Room 101. Rock hounds and the public at large are invited to bring their finds in for identification by university experts.