Rochester Academy of Science Mineral Section

Since 1884 members of the Rochester Academy of Science Mineral Section have enjoyed collecting and learning about minerals, as well as exploring related geoscience topics.

We are a Charter Member Club of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies.

Contacts

Program Coordinator: Jutta Dudley (juttasd@aol.com)

Treasurer and Mineral Curator: Paul Dudley 

Representative to the RAS BOD:

Jutta Dudley substitute for Stephen Busschaert

Librarian: Brian McGrath
Apparel: Kathy Henrie   

Our By-laws

MEETINGS 2024-2025:

Meetings are on the 4th Tuesday of most months during the academic year (Sept-May) starting at 7 PM with time to socialize prior to lecture or activity at 7:30 PM.  Meetings may be held via Zoom only, in-person only, or as a combination.  The Pittsford Community Center at 35 Lincoln Avenue in the village of Pittsford is our new meeting site this year.  Members are notified by email of meeting events and other news. The RAS Bulletin Calendar announces our meeting dates and topics as well.  

UPCOMING MEETINGS:

April 29

 Dr. Nick Warner presents

"Using Small Impact Craters to Explore the Stratigraphy and Surface Processes of Landing Sites on Mars."  Note: Date has been changed due to the RAS Annual Meeting on the 22nd.   Hybrid meeting. Room 19.

May 27

Melissa Hartwig discusses and shows asbestos minerals. Hybrid meeting.  Room 19.

June  3 

Joint Fossil-Mineral picnic. Farash Observatory, Ionia.  

PAST MEETINGS: 2024-2025 

March 25

Howard Heitner:  Minerals in 19 th Century America: Scientists, Dealers and  Collectors. Zoom only.February 25, 2025

Derek Yoost: Gems of Ancient Egypt. Zoom only.

January  28, 2025

Tourmalines of New York State by Dr. Steve Chamberlain. Zoom only.

November 26, 2024

Paul Fitzgerald, PhD described how glacial erratics in Antarctica led to inferences about the tectonic history of the interior continent hidden below the ice. Zoom only.. 

October 22, 2024

Presentation by Fred Haynes, PhD : Geomorphology on Postage Stamps..Hybrid meeting. 

September 24, 2024

Presentation by Van King entitled "How to Sell A Mineral Collection."  Hybrid meeting. New venue-Pittsford Community Center.

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PAST MEETINGS 2023-2024:

May 28, 2024: Hybrid meeting NEQALS Community Room. Howard Heitner presented (Not so) Rare Earth Elements and their Role in the 21st Century.   

April 23, 2024: . Hybrid meeting.  Dr. Dori Farthing presented “The history of tin mining and smelting in the UK.” 

March 26, 2024: Zoom meeting.   Dr. Steven Chamberlain  discussed the book that he and Dr. George W. Robinson published: New York State, A Topographic Mineralogy.   GPS locations, photos and sketches of minerals from every county are listed in this compendium, which is available for free in 3 downloads by  contacting mineral.hosta@gmail.com. 

Watch the recorded talk here.

February 27, 2024 Zoom meeting.  Dr. Christian Schrader, Assistant Professor Earth and Environmental Sciences at the State University of New York at Potsdam, presented "The Search for Antarctic Meteorites: A Scientific Travelogue."    Watch the recorded talk here.

January, 2024 postponed

October 24, 2023: Hybrid meeting . 1030 Jackson Rd, Webster.  Van T. King spoke about garnets. 

September 26, 2023: 

In-person only. Howard Heitner spoke on the causes of color in minerals .  Samples of fluorite and quartz from the collection of Paul Dudley demonstrated a range of colors.

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PAST MEETINGS 2022-2023: 

May 30, 2023: (postponed from 5/23)  In-person only. Howard Heitner spoke on fluorescence, its history, mechanism, and application.  Jutta Dudley gathered samples for display and with UV lights it was a colorful evening!

21 Fri – 23 Sun, 2023: Virtual Rochester Mineralogical Symposium.  This was online only with a number of sessions over the weekend, including "What's New in Minerals," special lectures, and short talks.   Friday evening there was a talk about the Sudbury Basin, a metal rich impact site.  The last session at noon on Sunday celebrated 50 years of RMS.  Sadly, 2023 marks the final Symposium as there are no plans to continue.   

March 28, 2023: Dan Robertson spoke about the relation between minerals, mining and alternate energy.  Hybrid meeting.  Link to the recorded talk here.

February 28, 2023: Dr. John Jaszczak, curator of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Technical University, spoke about its history and the amazing collection of minerals there. Zoom only.  Link to the recorded talk here.

January 24, 2023: Potsdam College professors Page Quinton and Michael Rygel discussed  the value of “Field Experiences in Geoscience Education.”  Zoom only. Watch the recorded talk here.

November 22, 2022:  Dr. Nick Warner, planetary scientist, shared information about Mars based on the Insight Mission.  See the recorded talk here.

October 25, 2022. Collecting in the Grenville Geological Province is presented by Canadian David Joyce.  See the recorded talk here.

September 27, 2022. Hybrid meeting.  Garnet-Rich Sands of Northeastern North America by Dr. Fred Haynes.May 24. Dr. Howard Heitner  presented Pseudomorphs, Trickster Mineral Specimens.  

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PAST MEETINGS Spring 2022 sample recordings

March 22, 2022.  Dr. Timothy McConnochie discussed the past and present climate of Mars.  See the recorded talk here.

February 22, 2022.  Derek Yoost on Microstructures in Meteorites and their Relation to the Formation of the Solar System.  See the recorded talk here. 

To see a listing of more past meetings and field trips, click here.

The symposium became a world-renowned gathering of people interested in minerals since 1973.  It is held under the aegis of the Rochester Academy of Science in Rochester, New York. Over several days in April,  the event featured technical sessions, special lectures, workshops, auctions, an exhibit hall, and a dealers hall.  Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the symposium became a virtual event featuring oral presentations. An effort to arrange an affordable in-person event for 2023 was not successful, so an online event occurred again. This was the last Mineralogical Symposium! It was a grand finale that  celebrated 50 years!

Past archives are saved on this website and elsewhere.  More information will be forthcoming in the future.

Archive of Rochester Mineralogical Symposium Programs.

We have books, field guides, DVDs and collections of magazines.  Most are stored with the librarian, who brings a selection to meetings.  Feel free to borrow items you are interested in.  Click here for the complete list.

Magazines: 

Rocks and Minerals

Mineralogical Record

Samples of Books:

Nature's Garden of Crystals, edited by Vandall T. King
Rockhounding New York - A Field Guide, Robert Beard, 2014

Guide to Bancroft, Ontario District  

DVDs of Meeting Lectures (these may no longer be available):
October 2012: David Joyce, Collecting at the Engineer Mine in British Columbia.
November 2012: Vandall King, Understanding Pegmatites so you can find Tourmaline and its Friends
Other:
Field Trips for Snowbirds. Special Issue of Rock & Gem magazine 2013/2014 Snowbird Issue

The Kimberlitic Rocks of New York 

A summary by Paul B. Dudley, based on a Mineral Section presentation by Dr. David Bailey of Hamilton College in 2007.

Barton and Hooper Garnet Mines Field Trip 

by Paul B. Dudley

Garnet is the New York State mineral.  The Gore Mountain area in the Adirondack Mts is noted for its garnet amphibolite (a metamorphic rock), which is rich in a variety of garnet types. 

Amazing Pyrite Shapes of Huanzala, Peru

by Bob Morgan

A detailed look at the myriad crystal shapes exhibited by pyrite from Huanzala.  The beautiful crystals are a feast for the eyes.  Enjoy, even if you don't understand the descriptions!

                         Monroe County Winterfest

In midwinter, several sections of the Academy participate in this popular county event at  Mendon Ponds Park.  Mineral club volunteers display local and NYS minerals along with a poster of the glacial geology of the park.  We join with  the Fossil and Astronomy section volunteers in the Cobblestone House.  See  Monroe County's Winterfest webpage. The Cobblestone House has not been available recently so participation at the Winterfest is less likely in the future.

                              ADK Outdoor Expo

Another community event in Mendon Ponds Park that the Mineral Section participates in, occurs in the summer.  It is organized by the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.  We share covered tables and space with Fossil and Astronomy sections along the path to the beach and use our displays to share stories about natural history with the visiting outdoor enthusiasts.  See ADK's Expo FaceBook page.

                          Science Exploration Days 

Organized by the Central Western Section of the Science Teachers Association of  NYS, this event occurred annually in May at St John Fisher College from 1971 through 2019.  It halted during the pandemic and has not resumed.   The event featured workshops for students during the day and the exhibit hall was open to the community in the evening.  All of the Academy sections were represented in the exhibit hall and in addition, some members gave presentations during the classroom sessions.  Volunteers at the mineral table enjoyed giving demonstrations, answering questions, and giving away samples.