Thunder Struck

Last Sunday, Devin went out to the Oklahoma City Thunder game to show off some specimens from the Oklahoma Geological Foundation's Rock, Mineral and Fossil kit.  The rocks were a hit with Thunder fans who got an up close look at the museum quality pieces.

The Foundation was invited out to the game to receive the Devon Thunder Explorers Award which celebrates organizations that encourage outreach and education on STEM topics.  Devin and his fellow OGF board member Jason Hamilton were on the court after the first quarter to receive the honor.

They were joined by Christine Berney from the Thunder, Jeremy Humphers from Devon Energy and, of course, Rumble the Bison to raise awareness for the need to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering and math.

The rock kits are donated to Oklahoma schools and are frequently on display at events like this so keep your eyes open and maybe it you'll get a chance to see, touch and even taste the rocks!

Dig Dug

The 30th Annual World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig in Mount Ida, Arkansas was this weekend.  Diggers come from all over the country to compete to see who can dig up the best quartz crystal point or cluster.  A few years back we shot a portion of our documentary "RockHounds: The Movie" there and this year Devin was one of the guest speakers!

Saturday morning was the Kids' Dig and tons of kids signed up to dig in the dirt to try to discover crystal treasures, have fun and just get dirty.  There's also the possibility that they might learn something...but don't tell them that.

              

Afterward Bill Prior from the Arkansas Geological Survey and Devin spoke to the kids about rocks, science and other fun stuff and the winners of the Kids' Dig were awarded their tophies.

This future scientist won Best Quartz Cluster (3rd grade and under category).  The World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig is a yearly event so if you missed it this year start planning now for next year.  See you at the dig!

More Rocks in Your Head

Today the Oklahoma Geological Foundation and Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society hosted another of their "More Rocks in Your Head" workshops for Oklahoma public school teachers with the goal of helping teachers incorporate earth science into their curriculum.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to attend and interact with the teachers.  Devin gave a brief presentation about our new project "Every Day Earth" and we got some great feedback.

The OGF also donated two of their Rock, Mineral and Fossil Kits as prizes for the teachers.  The workshop instructor, Edmond public school teacher Dick Opalka, and Devin pulled out some names for the lucky winners.

Congratulations to the two teachers who won!  Devin also gave a way a few copies of his book, "My Book of Rocks and Minerals."  Hopefully the materials and knowledge passed along will directly benefit the next generation of earth scientists!

Geology Candy Part 5

Previously:

Part 1 - - Part 2 - - Part 3 - - Part 4

From time to time the ol' sweet tooth demands satisfaction.  But just because it's "cheat day" on the diet doesn't mean your snack can't be educational.  With that, we dive into another installment of our "Geology Candy" series!

Oil may be "Texas Tea" but it looks like it can also be "Texas Oil Drops", A.K.A black licorice jelly beans.  Black licorice can be a divisive issue so this one might not be for everybody.

This one takes the rock candy concept and mixes in crystals and caves to create "Crystal Cave Candy."  They look like they'd make a great addition to your pack during field work.

The holiday season is always good about providing a new round of coal candy.  Unlike past versions we've seen before, these are cinnamon flavored.  What's the connection between cinnamon and coal?  Maybe coal burns and sometimes cinnamon does too?  Maybe?

People like to eat rocks in North Carolina as much as they do everywhere else.  And it wouldn't be a list of Geology Candy without candy rocks making an appearance.  Here you get your choice of jelly bean rocks or gold/silver chocolate.  Bon appetite!

Devin's Book Signing

Devin's new book "My Book of Rocks and Minerals" is out and is currently the #1 new release in Children's Rocks and Mineral Books on Amazon.  We recently had a book signing at the Piedmont Library where Devin gave a talk about Oklahoma geology.

At the event we also had one of the Oklahoma Geological Foundation's rock kits with great, museum quality, specimens that the crowd was excited to see and touch:

After the talk and the rocks, plenty of folks picked up copies of the new book.  We had lots of great discussion about earth science and made plenty of new friends.

The book is now on sale anywhere you buy books so pick up your copy today!

Dino Sighting(s) #5: The Sinclair Dinosaurs of Oklahoma

Previously:

#1 Exposition Street - - #2 No Limits - - #3 Dino Dance Party!  - - #4 Chromosaurs

 

 Years ago, in Route 66's prime, the roads were packed with vacationers, salesmen and entrepreneurs who drove up and down the back roads and highways chasing the American experience.  Gas stations and motels were in fierce competition to get the attention and patronage of these weary travelers so many of them got creative.

Sinclair Oil had a dinosaur theme in their advertising and so it was only natural to have some dinosaurs at their stations welcoming the empty tanks of road weary wanderers.  The bright green statues are few and far between these days but lucky travelers can still find a few at select Sinclair stations.  And the great state of Oklahoma has several you can spot on your next road trip like this one in Tahlequah:

This is a pretty standard example but seek and ye shall find some more colorful examples.  One of the best places to stop on an Oklahoma road trip is Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies in Davis along I-35.  You can pick up lunch, dessert and a selfie with a red version of the dinosaur that stands watch on their roof:

Further north up the interstate you can find an even more colorful guy in a very colorful place.  The Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley has pretty much every super hero, cartoon character and scifi monster you can think of.  And among the heroes and villains you can find this guy:

Even farther north is an example of another dino with a dramatic story.  You wouldn't know it to look at him now but a few years back, this dinosaur in Norman lost his head:

As you can see, he's made a full recovery but for a while he was completely headless.  How did this happen?  How did it get resolved?  News 9 reports:

Now, of course, you can find these guys outside of the Sooner State.  You just have to keep your eyes open on the road (which you should be doing anyway).  But if you're lucky, you can see the balloon version from the comfort of your own home.  After a long absence, the Sinclair Dinosaur Balloon returned to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade last year:

So if you want to find a couple of these guys then consider your next road trip to be a dinosaur hunting expedition.  You never know what you'll see on the back roads.

Rocks at the Library

We recently helped out with showing off some of the Oklahoma Geological Society's rock kits at the Piedmont Library.  Below are some pictures of Larry Lunardi explaining the origins of many of the impressive rock, mineral and fossil specimens. 

Northwest Arkansas Chert Outcrop

We recently got to tag along on a field trip for students and professionals in northwest Arkansas.  We shot some video of geologists taking a look at an outcrop of limestone and chert to learn more about how to find and drill in hard rock to find oil and gas reservoirs.  Check it out:

STEM Education at the Ballpark

Recently Devon Energy and the OKC Dodgers celebrated STEM education by working with local schools and teachers for MVP Day!  Devin was there showing off rock and fossil specimens from the Oklahoma Geological Society.  Here's some video we shot during the event:

We Found the Best Vending Machine in the World

Previously:

 The Geology Vending Machine  - -  Jurassic World Fruit Snacks

The Houston Museum of Natural Science has everything you want in a natural history museum.  Fossils, rocks, interactive displays, rotating exhibits...and all the dinosaurs you stare at.

But it was when we were on our way out that we discovered something truly unique.  Near the gift shop is this unassuming vending machine:

Sure, it looks like the average treat dispenser but if you take a closer look you'll see a menu of science specific snacks and borderline gross grub.  Let's start with some of the more traditional fare.  And what's more at home at a museum than dinosaurs?

Gummi bears are replaced with Gummi Dinosaurs but the real find here is the top row.  Choc-o-saurus is a combination of two museum staples: dinosaurs and freeze dried ice cream!  It's chocolate with chocolate chips and, while eating it, you have the option to pretend like you're an astronaut or a extinct predator who loves dehydrated food.

Larvets!  Wondering if these things are what they look like?  Well, here's the explanation directly from their website: "Real larva, deliciously seasoned. Offered in three flavors: BBQ, Cheddar Cheese, or Mexican Spice."  And that's not enough bugs to satisfy your appetite, then good news...

Here we've got "Crick-ettes." which are, you guessed it, real crickets.  These are Bacon & Cheese flavor but they also come in Salt N' Vinegar and Sour Cream & Onion.  And if you're still hungry for bugs, you can also grab some Ant Wafers!  It's essentially what it sounds like: "Real ants in chocolate flavored round wafers."

Have you ever eaten hard candy and thought to yourself, "I wish this had ants in it."  Then you should have picked #56 or #57 from this vending machine.  You get the option of either Cherry or Apple flavor, both with Black Ants of course.

For our final selections we head to outer space for Alien Ice Cream.  This another freeze dried ice cream and is your standard Neapolitan flavor but it's either made by or eaten by Aliens.  Or maybe there's just one on the package.  Or you can have a Moon Pie!  Get it?  "Moon"

So the next time you head out to the museum, bring some change and an adventurous appetite.

Talkin' Rocks

Recently, EMI's own Devin Dennie did some Earth Science outreach with some young Oklahoma students/aspiring scientists.

Here's what Devin had to say about it:

"I had the opportunity to show off the fantastic rock kits provided by the Oklahoma Geological Foundation last Friday, March 10th 2017, at the Piedmont Intermediate School in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Special thanks to Ms. Rebecca Tyberg for her invitation to come speak to about 300 of Piedmont's finest up and coming students!"

"We talked about the history of Oklahoma, the Rock Cycle, and many other fun facts about the Earth in their lives. I even showed them a Geology Kitchen video or two!  It was a great experience and a lot of fun!"