VOLUNTEER WORK AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
Since deciding to pursue a degree in geology, I've enjoyed coordinating and participating in a handful of educational outreach events for children. To me, supporting and encouraging a child's curiosity in the physical sciences is one of the most rewarding experiences. For more information, simply click on the title of each event.
Working the Houston Geological Society Booth (HGS) at AAPG - 2019
Working the booth for the Houston Geological Society (HGS) at AAPG! My colleague and I were responsible for representing HGS and signing up new members into the society. HGS also has a group for young professionals working in Houston (NeoGeos), and so I helped spread the word about NeoGeo events and professional outreach programs. I'm still an active member of HGS and look forward to working more events in the future!
Explaining the concept of "chatoyancy" in labradorite to a few curious young girls.
Setting up the LSU Geology booth the day before the event.
"Super Science Saturday" is a STEM oriented educational outreach event for over a thousand K-12 children. I coordinated the LSU Geology Departments involvement in the event by hosting a "minerals of our lives" table. Our group taught children about various minerals that people use in every day lives. We also made sure to show them fossils and fascinating properties of various minerals. Our table was a hit and we made it into the Louisiana Newspaper, the Advocate! (Link to article)
A brother and sister who were excited to learn about (and actually hold) salt cores!
Explaining how salt domes form due to density differences between the salt and the overlying sediments. The kids, and their parents, were all surprised to hear that these domes exist all over the Gulf of Mexico!
The "Energy Day" event at the New Orleans Children's Museum involved multiple groups from LSU. We taught K-12 children about different types of energy and how each is produced within the earth. I was in charge of explaining how salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico are able to store large volumes of oil and gas. I also showed them what a salt core looks like to show how salt looks when it naturally forms (before it reaches their dinner tables).
Working the mineral table and explaining where, how and why different minerals are able to form where they do.
At the "Rockin' at the Swamp" event, I volunteered to work the mineral booth with the LSU Geology club. I even brought some of my own minerals to the event. The purpose of this event was to explain all types of geological concepts to childrens. There was a geode breaking table, a mineral scavenger hunt and even an outdoor rock wall! This event featured over 500 K-12 children from the greater Baton Rouge area.
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