SECRETS OF DIAMOND HUNTING--AND STORYTELLING

The author of Barren Lands, a popular nonfiction book about the recent diamond strike in Canada and the continuing search for diamonds in the U.S., discusses how journalists report on the geological sciences—and how geologists themselves can tell the public of their work. Drawing from the author’s book and his magazine articles in Smithsonian, National Geographic and Science, topics will include: tapping into people’s innate curiosity about the earth; making sure they keep turning the page (or don’t turn the channel); how to demystify the complex and technical; and oddities of the journalist-scientist relationship. Illustrated with slides of exploration work in the far north and elsewhere; samples of diamond ore; and rough diamonds. In addition to the business of communication and entertainment, attendees are guaranteed to learn something about prospecting for gems (though not necessarily to find any). A book signing is tentatively scheduled after the talk.