March 9-11, 2001
Greater Kansas City Area Gem and Mineral Show
One of Conservation and Survey Division's goals is to provide educational materials to the general public. The Kansas City show organizers honored us by asking us to present a display at the Greater Kansas City Area Gem and Mineral Show on March 9-11, 2001. Displays and participation at such events is important to maintaining contact with a large, diverse audience. The Kansas City show annually draws over 15,000 visitors and each year about 10 academic institutions in the mid-west are invited to participate in this event. Visitors include about 2,500 school pupils from the Kansas City area, their teachers and parents. Many professional geologists, teachers, educators, artists, jewelers and rock hobbyists from about 10 midwest states also attend this event.
Was our display and participation successful. Our display panels, constructed by Dee Ebbeka, were very popular with the school pupils and teachers. The pupils were expected to answer a few questions about agates and gems as an assignment. The pupils made great use of the display. We included the URL for the gemstone and agate pages on the display, and in the week following the Kansas City show, traffic on the site nearly tripled.
Photos by Bill White, Independence, Missouri; Text by Roger K. Pabian, CSD Research Geologist, Emeritus.
Teachers and pupils alike made great use of our poster display. Here pupils seek out answers to questions on their gem show assignment. This display was also used at a similar show in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 24-25, 2001.
Several of the pupils filled out their show assignments at the division's poster display while several others examined some actual specimens of agates in the upright case to the right.
One of about 125 teachers who accompanied her class to the show watches as her charges make use of the division's poster display.
Finally, a short break in traffic gives our camera operator, Bill White, a chance to get a complete picture of the division's poster display.
Teacher and pupils observe and study the display of invertebrate fossils and the ancient environments in which they lived. Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club of Lincoln, Nebraska, assembled this traveling display. The display is usually with Roger Pabian at Conservation and Survey Division and is available for use by teachers, scout leaders and civic groups.
Resourceful Scenes from Past and Present is always a popular handout about Nebraska's geology and geologically related resources. A couple of the Kansas City pupils make use of this.
Students and teachers take a look at the agate poster display.
