(Photo/Liza via Flickr.com)
GENESEO – National Fossil Day is coming to SUNY Geneseo, and with it are coming fossils for the public to see and touch.
According to a press release from SUNY Geneseo, the Department of Geological Sciences and the Geology Club will host an open-house at the Integrated Science Center on Oct. 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“National Fossil Day is an event that gives people the opportunity to learn more about fossils, focusing on some of the regional fossils found right in our backyard,” said Lindsay MacKenzie, visiting assistant professor of geological sciences. “There is something for everyone at this event.”
SUNY Geneseo says that not only will the celebration advocate for public awareness and protection of fossils, but it will also promote a greater appreciation of fossils’ educational and scientific value. The scheduled activities will run concurrently except during the keynote presentation at 6 p.m. by Sara Burch, assistant professor of biology at Geneseo, who will address ‘Dinosaurs: Beyond the Bones’ in Newton Hall 204.
Some of the scheduled activities will include a rock and fossil ID, touch tables and display cases. All three will focus on allowing participants to utilize their perceptions in various ways while examining the rocks, from physically seeing the rocks and fossils within the cases to actually being able to interact with them through the touch tables.
“For people who want some hands-on time with samples, we have touch tables with fossils and rocks. This will give people the opportunity to better understand how rocks and fossils are formed,” said MacKenzie. “We will also have some faculty and students ready to help ID rocks and/or fossils our guests have collected and want to know more about. So bring all those weird rocks in!”
There will also be short films airing throughout the celebration; each film will be shown several times. This will include the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes’ ‘Great Transitions’ and ‘The Day the Mesozoic Died.’ Each film illustrates just how much life has transformed in Earth’s history, as ‘Great Transitions’ examines the evolutionary shifts life has made throughout geologic time and ‘The Day the Mesozoic Died’ explores the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
“If people want to learn more about how life has changed over time, they should check out the short films we’ll be showing,” said MacKenzie.
Other activities will include a scavenger hunt and the kid’s room. The scavenger hunt will offer participants the chance to find fossils and other geological items located in the ISC. Through completing the scavenger hunt’s form, winners can collect a New York fossil prize. The kid’s room will include activities directed toward all children, as there is no age limit; this will involve board games, the National Park Service Junior Paleontologist Handbook and crafts where the children can make prehistoric masks and fossil cutouts.
In addition, the Rochester Academy of Science will be at the event, providing displays about local fossils, giveaways and more to participants. There will also be beverages and snacks available provided by SUNY Geneseo Campus Auxiliary Services.
“Events like National Fossil Day are a great opportunity for the public to come in and see what we, as paleontologists and geologists, do,” said MacKenzie. “Everyone loves fossils and they tell a great story about past ecosystems and how modern life has come to be … we hope to raise awareness about the different fossils in our area and [to] give people an idea of where they can safely—and legally—search for and collect fossils.”
According to MacKenzie, the attention the event has attracted is great enough that the Geology Club is interested in making the celebration an annual event.
“I hope this gives people a chance to learn more about fossils and the different types of life that have occurred [throughout] geologic time,” said MacKenzie. “That being said, I think events like National Fossil Day help people [to] make connections between the past and the present, giving them tools and resources to further investigate how the world has changed to what we live in today.”
National Fossil Day partners for the event include the Rochester Academy of Sciences, Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.