Earth Science Week Events Scheduled Oct. 15 at UW

Several hands-on events and planetarium shows are among activities planned Saturday, Oct. 15, to celebrate Earth Science Week at the University of Wyoming.

“Wyoming Rocks: Critical Resources for a Sustainable Future” will be from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the UW Geological Museum. The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be available.

The event is co-organized with the Wyoming State Geological Survey, along with collaborations from UW’s Art Museum, School of Energy Resources and the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium.

Among events planned are hands-on activities, including a scavenger hunt in the museum’s “Hero’s Rock Collection”; making a rock identification kit of where critical minerals in Wyoming are extracted and mined; and a creative art activity.

In addition to the hands-on activities, the 58-seat Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium, located in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building, will have two free showings of “Leftovers! Asteroids, Comets, Meteors and Rings” at 10:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Earth Science Week Oct. 9-15 celebrates “Earth Science for a Sustainable World.” The theme emphasizes the essential role of earth sciences in helping people make decisions that maintain and strengthen the planet’s ability to support thriving life, according to the American Geosciences Institute, which has organized the national and international event since 1998.

For more information, call Laura Vietti, UW Geological Museum and collections manager, at (307) 314-2024 or email lvietti@uwyo.edu.