THE ROCK DISCOVERY CENTER AT THE STERLING HILL MINING MUSEUM: SENDING 20,000 K-12 STUDENTS INTO THE FIELD EACH YEAR

Since 1989 the Sterling Hill Mining Museum (SHMM) has been involved with various education programs for both students and teachers with regard to geology, mining, and the history of New Jersey. Beginning in 1996 an option for schoolchildren is to participate in the Rock Discovery Center (RDC) at a slightly higher fee than the regular tour. The RDC introduces students to geology by having each student collect six rock specimens (basalt, garnet gneiss, marble, slate, coal and sandstone). In particular, these rock specimens represent the three major rock groups and introduce students to the many uses of rocks in our society. An “economic geology” emphasis during the RDC experience is that the collected rocks are quarried in the northeastern United States because they have practical and commercial value. This popular activity allows students to do “field work” by locating, identifying, and collecting their own specimens. It also empowers the teacher with having hands-on materials for each student when they return to the classroom.

The most fundamental educational program at SHMM is a guided tour of the mine and associated exhibit halls as part of a school trip for grades 3 through 12. These tours are also open to the general public and college students. SHMM now offers schools the option of follow-up programs to the tour and RDC through classroom visits, where either a geologist goes to the school or a videoconference is held. SHMM is in the preliminary stages of offering the virtual classroom experience on a national level, where classroom supplies of the field materials would be sent to the school.

Other programs in various stages of development that can be taught either at SHMM or in the classroom include the Fossil Discovery Center, the New Jersey Rocks and Sediments Kit, and Introduction to Fluorescent Minerals and Materials. All of these activities have hands-on materials that can be sent to the classroom in preparation for a real or virtual visit. Examples of materials used by SHMM will be on display as part of the poster session. Additional information can be found at SHMM’s website: www.sterlinghill.org.