Dr. Thomas Hegna, at the Geology and Environmental Sciences display at the Buffalo Museum of Science’s Science After Hours: Stones & Bones event.
Geology and Environmental Sciences students and faculty connected with several thousand people at major Western New York events during March.
A display of 3D printed skulls created by students was presented at the Buffalo Museum of Science’s Science After Hours: Stones & Bones event on March 7. Associate Professor Thomas Hegna hosted the display.
Each of the 15 skulls depicted saber teeth that had evolved independently in different species groups. Several were made – 3D printed – as part of last year’s Costello Interplay Award for Science and the Arts grant awarded through the Fredonia College Foundation, and coordinated by Department of Computer and Information Sciences Adjunct Lecturer Derrik Decker and Department of Visual Arts and New Media Associate Professor Peter Tucker.
We also had 3D printed plates with images of planets, trilobites and crystal formations that were popular with the kids. I had a great time helping kids make crayon rubbings of the different images.” - Erica Cope
Costello grants sponsor projects that explore intersections between the visual and performing arts and the natural and mathematical sciences that encourage collaborative exploration, research and creativity that result in new works that enriched both academic areas.
“Saber-tooth cats like Smilodon, Hoplophoneus and Dinictis were represented, as well as saber-toothed marsupials (Thylacosmilus and Thylacoleo),” Dr. Hegna said. Also showcased were saber-toothed herbivores, such as the giant beaver, musk deer and Uintatherium, among others.
Students and faculty continued their department’s long tradition of operating a booth at the annual Buffalo Gem and Mineral Show held on March 15 and 16 at the Hamburg (NY) Fairgrounds.
About 10 students displayed a variety of earth science items, such as fossils, minerals and jewelry, and also gave demonstrations that included the department’s stream table. Adolescence Education: Earth Science students thrived at the show, working with younger children with earth science-themed crayon rubbing plates, Hegna noted. Earth science tools were also displayed.
Student Isaac Tripp, who’s pursuing a degree in that field and is from Mayville, NY, spent much of his time at the show operating the stream table that demonstrates erosion and deposition of rivers using real flowing water.
“With variable size sediment and adjustable flow rate, the stream table is able to demonstrate several properties of a flowing river as it matures,” Mr. Tripp explained.
Erica Cope, a non-traditional student pursuing teacher certification in Adolescence Education: Earth Science, also explained how the stream table functions and helped children identify the rock samples.
“We also had 3D printed plates with images of planets, trilobites and crystal formations that were popular with the kids,” added Ms. Cope, a Continuing Education student from Forestville, NY. “I had a great time helping kids make crayon rubbings of the different images.” Cope, who’s always loved science and environmentalism, is taking geology courses to earn a teaching certificate.
SUNY Fredonia students also took advantage of opportunities the show – which attracted over 4,000 children and adults – provided to visit numerous booths, exhibits and demonstrations. Tripp identified a darkroom that demonstrated the fluorescence of a variety of minerals as his favorite exhibit among those he visited.
Now in its 55th year, the show, sponsored by the Buffalo Geological Society, is a major gathering. March 15 was an especially busy day, Hegna noted, with some 1,500 to 2,000 attendees. Along with Hegna, SUNY Fredonia faculty at the event included Associate Professor Wentao Cao and Assistant Matthew Lanning, both of the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences, and Department of Biology Associate Professor Courtney Wigdahl-Perry.
DinoFEST, the third community outreach event of the month for Geology and Environmental Sciences, was held March 22, and drew some 3,800 people to the Buffalo Museum of Science. This was its second year, and there’s been a SUNY Fredonia contingent both times so it’s becoming another campus science tradition.
A skull challenge that gave children a chance to win prizes was held and the earth science- themed crayon rubbing plates that were so well-received at the gem and mineral show were also displayed.
“It was a packed event, and I think we were able to reach lot of people who were not aware of Fredonia,” Hegna said.
