Current students

2025 Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead and Jewellery Show

Jamie Zhang — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:13:47 +0000

2025 Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead and Jewellery Show Jamie Zhang Thu, 2025-09-18 - 11:13

Saturday, October 4th: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 5th: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Visit the University of Waterloo's Earth Sciences Museum's booth at the annual Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead and Jewellery show!

Admission information:

Day: $8.00
2 Day Pass: $14.00
Under Age 12 - Free

Parking is free!

2025 University of Waterloo Gem and Mineral Show

Victoria Van Cappellen — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:31:31 +0000

2025 University of Waterloo Gem and Mineral Show Victoria Van C… Tue, 2025-06-10 - 12:31

Friday, October 24th: 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 25th: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Visit the University of Waterloo's Earth Sciences Museum for our annual Gem and Mineral Show!

Admission is always free.

Join us on the first and second floors of the EIT building for two days of gems, minerals, fossils and jewellery. Fill out a ballot at the door to have a chance to win our door prize!

SATURDAY ONLY enjoy the Gem and Mineral show as well as the Kids Science Open House, where visitors big and small can discover science with over 50 free hands-on activities. The Kids Science Open House is held in EIT as well as the STC building.

Visitor parking is available in Lot Q. The $7 charge is payable through the  AMP mobile pay app. LRT and bus stations are conveniently close. Lot Q is marked with a green hexagon on the map below, and EIT is marked with the pink star.

No registration is required for this free event.

Ancaster Gem & Mineral, Bead and Jewellery Show

Kendra Louise Sommerville — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:12:09 +0000

Ancaster Gem & Mineral, Bead and Jewellery Show Kendra Louise … Tue, 2024-09-17 - 15:12

Ancaster Gem Show

Saturday, October 5th: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday, October 6th: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Join us for the Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead and Jewellery Show!

The Earth Sciences Museum is hosting free activities for kids. Come and try out "I Dig Fossil Fish" and "Minerals in Your Materials".

Admission is $8.00, 2 Day Pass: $14.00, Free for kids under 12.

2023 Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead & Jewellery Show

Crystal Czarniecki — Wed, 03 May 2023 19:17:12 +0000

2023 Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead & Jewellery Show Crystal Czarniecki Wed, 2023-05-03 - 15:17

The Earth Sciences Museum will be hosting kids activities at the Ancaster Gem, Mineral, Bead & Jewellery Show!

The show is running on Saturday, September 30th to Sunday, October 1st at the Ancaster Fairgrounds.

A variety of vendors will be selling rocks, minerals, fossils, beads and handcrafted jewellry. Interactive educational activities for kids will be hosted by the Earth Sciences Museum.

Free parking, food court available, and wheelchair accessible

Hours

Saturday 10:00-5:00

Sunday 10:00- 5:00

Cost

Day Pass $8.00, Two Day Pass $14.00, Kids Under 12 Free Admission

2024 University of Waterloo Gem and Mineral Show

Crystal Czarniecki — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 18:49:57 +0000

2024 University of Waterloo Gem and Mineral Show Crystal Czarniecki Thu, 2023-03-23 - 14:49

Friday, October 25th: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 26th: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Visit the University of Waterloo's Earth Sciences Museum for our annual Gem and Mineral Show!

Admission is always free.

Join us on the first and second floors of the EIT building for two days of gems, minerals, fossils and jewellery. Fill out a ballot at the door to have a chance to win our door prize!

This year our gem and mineral exhibitors and demonstrators will include:

Adventure Visuals, St. Jacobs, ON
Paleoart and sculpture
The Amber Room, Kingston, ON
Amber and silver jewellery
Cambrian Gemcraft, Waterloo, ON
Gems, minerals, lapidary supplies, books and jewellery
Canadian Chromantics, Kitchener, ON
Ammolite
Horst Fine Minerals, Markham, ON
Minerals and rock art
KW Gem & Mineral Club
Lakeside Gems, Bancroft, ON,
Minerals and semi-precious gemstones, books, geological equipment and gifts
Newark Craftworks, Niagara Falls, ON
Jewellery, minerals, rocks, gems
Mining Matters
Building mineral literacy through STEM education
Ontario Geologic Survey
Prosper Designs, Toronto ON
Rough and faceted jewellery and silver.
R.H Lapidary, Hamilton, ON
Rockhound Selective
Amethyst
Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival

Visitor parking is available in Lot Q for 7$ payable by either coin, Visa or Mastercard. Lot Q is marked with a green hexagon on the map below, and EIT is marked with the pink star.

Wally & Deanna are Online!

Corina McDonald — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 01:47:07 +0000

Wally & Deanna are Online! Corina McDonald Wed, 2020-06-17 - 21:47

Our children's book, Wally & Deanna's Groundwater Adventure, is now online through The Groundwater Project. In addition to this wonderful book explaining groundwater to children of all ages there is also an interview of the books author's and illustrator - Peter Russell, Leanne Appleby and Fortunato Restagno, respectively. See the interview below by UW alumni Everton de Oliveira!

View "" on YouTube

New campus pianos aim to open hearts and minds

Victoria Van Cappellen — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 14:40:44 +0000

New campus pianos aim to open hearts and minds Victoria Van C… Thu, 2018-09-06 - 10:40

View "Open Piano Program at the University of Waterloo" on YouTube

Music is in the air at Waterloo thanks to two new outdoor pianos in front of the Dana Porter Library and the Peter Russell Rock Garden. The pianos appeared thanks to the efforts of Max Salman, a PhD student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science.

“We’ve got a lot of talent here and it’s been wonderful to see it showcased,” says Salman. “People aren’t just playing the piano, but passersby are slowing down to enjoy the atmosphere. The response has been amazing.”

Salman was inspired by the Play Me I’m Yours exhibit by British artist Luke Jerram who has installed more than 1900 colorful street pianos worldwide, including Toronto.

“On campus, I often hear someone playing the piano in the QNC basement, in the morning. It’s beautiful and I thought if people saw more pianos out in the open, they could feel inspired to play anytime - at lunchtime or between classes,” says Salman.

Waterloo students may not be not known for their musical talent, but ninety-three per cent of STEM graduates report musical training at some point in their lives, according to a study by Michigan State University.

Salman, who himself plays improv jazz, says playing the piano offers him the opportunity to relax and to calm his mind from his busy schedule and intense research.

Salman has also been hearing a lot about the issue of mental health from his fellow students and the university administration through his roles in student government, formerly as the Vice-President of the Graduate Student Association and currently as a Grad Senator on the University of Waterloo's Senate. Students have told him they would appreciate a greater sense of community on campus.

“Music connects people powerfully and is a well-known strategy for improving mental health,” says Salman. “Anybody who may not be able to express themselves in words can do so musically in a way that brings people on campus together.”

Salman has been amazed by the number of students who are pleased with this project and wish to see it continue in the future and develop into a campus-wide initiative. In addition to the positive response from students, faculty and staff have also expressed their support for this initiative.

“I mentioned the idea to a senior member of the administration and the next thing I know I get a phone call from UW Central Stores. They were eager to provide their assistance to pick up the piano from the donor’s home and install it within a couple of days. I’m grateful for the amount of care and attention they’ve shown for this initiative. And they continue to recognize and commit to fostering and strengthening a culture of wellness on campus.”

In addition to finding the donor and organizing the move, Salman has also recruited a piano tuner to maintain the pianos. Even after four weeks with just a tarp for protection from the weather, the Dana Porter piano still plays well.

“I’m hoping the UW community will get more involved in the project as time goes on. There are all kinds of opportunities for performing and bringing in artists, musicians, bands to play at these ideal venues.”

For now though, Salman is working to bring more pianos to the open spaces on UW’s campus.

“Music is an easy way to find peace, to communicate, to make new friends and to build community,” says Salman. “These pianos are open to everyone to play. I encourage anyone who wants to take advantage of this musical opportunity to uncover the piano and to share with the community your artistic talent.”

The Dana Porter piano, which arrived July 20^th, was donated by Earth Science alumnus Peter van Driel (MSc Earth Sciences ‘02). The second piano was donated by a Waterloo resident. Salman would also like to thank Tony Bairos and his team at Central Stores, as well as Dennis Huber, Vice-President of Administration & Finance.

Walking Tour: Glacial Features of Maryhill

Quinn Noel Worthington — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 19:02:13 +0000

Walking Tour: Glacial Features of Maryhill Quinn Noel Wor… Mon, 2018-07-16 - 15:02

Join Peter Russell and Corina McDonald from the University of Waterloo's Earth Sciences Museum for a short walk around Maryhill. Drumlins, eskers, moraines and till! Learn about these and more interesting and useful glacial features. Meet at the Maryhill Heritage Park Community Centre.

Click the following link to register for this event:

http://calendar.rwlibrary.ca/Default/Detail/2018-08-02-1800-Glacial-Features-of-Maryhill-Walking-Tour

Jane's Walk: Rock Around Waterloo

Quinn Noel Worthington — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 20:18:30 +0000

Jane's Walk: Rock Around Waterloo Quinn Noel Wor… Fri, 2018-04-06 - 16:18

Explore Earth Science in the Waterloo region on this 1.5 hour walk. We will see building stones, fossils, erratics and more. Dress for the weather, and wear your walking shoes!

Find out more at www.janeswalk.org/canada/waterloo-on/

Jane's Walk: Rock Around Waterloo

Quinn Noel Worthington — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 20:14:16 +0000

Jane's Walk: Rock Around Waterloo Quinn Noel Wor… Fri, 2018-04-06 - 16:14

Explore Earth Science in the Waterloo region on this 1.5 hour walk. We will see building stones, fossils, erratics and more. Dress for the weather, and wear your walking shoes!

Find out more at www.janeswalk.org/canada/waterloo-on/