News

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.”

Over the summer the Earth Sciences Museum hosted earth science programs for the Engineering and Science Quest camp participants. We ran presentations and hand-on activities to educate campers about rocks, minerals, and fossils. Overall, we were visited by 400 campers!

This summer the Earth Sciences Museum participated in the 34th Annual Sudbury Gem and Mineral Show on July 15th-17th. We hosted hands-on educational activities for children. The Earth Sciences Museum is proud to continually be involved with Northern Ontario's largest gem, mineral, bead, rock craft, and jewellery show. 

Discovery Square is a series of weekly free events that host children's activities about science, engineering, technology, math, and the arts. The Earth Sciences Museum ran 3 activities: Minerals + Materials, Fossil Fish Dig, and Gold Panning. Other participants at Discovery Square were SheepDog Animation School, TheMUSEUM, Waterloo FIRST Robotics, ORD Solutions inc., Art Shine, Kitchener Public Library, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, and the University of Waterloo's Science Outreach team. We are proud to have participated in such a fun and educational community event!

The Earth Sciences Museum hosted interactive educational activities at the Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival this summer. Approximately 5000 students participated in the five day festival that held a variety of activities to education children about the importance of water conservation, protection, technology, and ecology.

The Earth Sciences Museum thanks all the volunteers from the University of Waterloo who helped run the Museum's activities. Collectively, they contributed approximately 300 volunteer hours.

From vibrant serpentine outside the Crabby Joe's to the crinoid fossils on the outer walls of Immigration Canada, Kitchener is home to a rich geological history. Ancient rocks and fossils can be found in the buildings and surrounding landscapes throughout the city.

On Friday, May 6^th, the Faculty of Science Outreach Team, in partnership with the Jane’s Walk initiative hosted a “Rock around Kitchener” walking tour that explored the unique history of the city as told by its buildings.