MIND OVER MINERALOGY (Invited Presentation)

As an undergraduate student, Mineralogy can be daunting with its endless memorization of names and formulas, along with drawers and drawers of samples for visual recognition. But it doesn’t have to be a looming mountain of memorization. Such information is easily available at vocal command (e.g., Alexa or Siri). For the 21^st century, mineralogy students need to be equipped with a communication-enhanced skill set. Rather than memorizing 200 minerals, students can do a deep dive with scientific inquiry. If students are equipped with the ability to test physical properties, reasoning to understand chemical structure and variability, as well as knowledge of light technologies and mineral databases, they have the capacity to communicate scientific relationships for thousands of minerals. So how do we accomplish this task as educators? Do we still need the textbook, teaching collection and thin sections? Absolutely! What we need to shift is the why and how. For example, why are we interested in Co or Ni-bearing minerals and how they related to the environment? Or why does partial melting of the upper mantle leave residual olivine enriched in forsterite and how does water and the formation of serpentine influence plate movement? Such questions require engaging in the scientific literature and fortunately, it is more easily accessible than ever before. One strategy is through a mineral unknown project, where students identify an individualized set of minerals before seeking their relevance in a larger context. With identification complete, project questions can guide students to search relevant scientific journals for papers and establish context. Then, teach them how to communicate the mineral importance to a wider audience and engage the rock lovers, chemical engineers, economists, etc. A paper or presentation to summarize findings from the project is a good intermediate step, but taking it to the finish line through a figure, 30-second elevator pitch, or a short video is even better. The digital age provides opportunities to take video of samples or thin sections in cross-polarized light and create Instagram-worthy teasers leaving us wanting more. Isn’t that what science is meant to do; pique our curiosity? Developing a mindset willing to tackle big questions, along with strategies to communicate, will give us an advantage over the matters of mineralogy in the future.