Welcome back! And welcome to the latest issue of Learning Earth, our educator newsletter! Five times a year, Learning Earth brings you news about resources and programs from The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI). Utilizing its unique collections, staff, physical facilities and digital presence, we pursue and integrate education and research. We interpret the history and systems of the Earth and its life to increase knowledge, educate society, and encourage wise stewardship of the Earth.
PRI is a national leader in Earth systems science education programming. We offer a diversity of programs and resources on Earth and environmental sciences, including climate change and energy, paleontology and Earth science, evolution and biodiversity, and conservation of natural environments.
Check out all the great events and resources we have going on below and in our future newsletters, which will go out each school marking period, as well as one edition during the summer.
Each issue includes news about new and continuing exhibits and events at The Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center, and associated educator resources, upcoming workshops, the schedule of upcoming talks in Science in the Virtual & Actual Pub, and special features.
In this issue of Learning Earth:
See our archive a past issues here.
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New on Earth@Home
Regional Earth Science Guides, Teaching Science with Grasses, and New Climate Content!
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Midwestern United States now on Earth@Home
And the Northeast Guide is coming in October!
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We recently launched a guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern United States on Earth@Home: https://earthathome.org/hoe/mw/. The newly added pages cover the rocks, fossils, geologic history, glacial history, topography, energy, mineral resources, climate, and Earth hazards of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. New geologic and topographic maps for each of these states have also been created for free educational use. Finally, new Earth Science Quick Facts pages have been added for the seven Midwest states so that students can learn about official state fossils, rocks, and gems, points of highest elevation, and places to visit. A free online workshop about these new resources will be offered Tuesday, October 3 at 7pm Eastern (register here).
This workshop will also include the Guide for the Northwest-central United States includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
The Guide for the Northeastern United States will be completed by October, and a workshop for the Northeast will be offered on Tuesday, October 24 at 7pm Eastern (register here).
Regions of Here on Earth that are now finished include:
Regions of Here on Earth that are currently in development include:
- Northeastern United States - to be completed this October!
More information on the workshops is below.
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Finger Lakes Geology and Natural History on Earth@Home
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We’ve added a “one-stop-shop” page on Earth@Home for most of our online resources related to the geology and natural history of the Finger Lakes Region of New York State: https://earthathome.org/finger-lakes-geology/. Resources include overviews of the geology of popular gorges, information about local biodiversity, and 3D models of Devonian-aged fossils.
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Workshops for Using Earth@Home Regional Guides:
Each issue of Learning Earth is followed by at least one free online workshop. This issue's workshops focus on the Regional Guides to the Earth Science of the United States.
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Join us for guided exploration of the newest regional guides.
The above images are from the Guides. Clicking on each one will take you to the relevant page. Take a peek, and then join us for a closer look! The images are free to use in educational settings!
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The Science of Grasses
It's not just plant physiology! You can teach evolution, climate action, ecology and so much more!
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Earth@Home's Evolution pages are under active development, and Grasses, the first major section is now complete.
The grasses pages are extensive, beautiful, and engaging. Explore the sections of Grasses on Earth@Home:
- Introductory topics
- Grass ecology and evolution
- Grasses and people
- Tribe Andropogoneae (Bluestem/Sorghum Tribe)
- Teaching with grasses
- Glossary
Our ecosystems, our societies, and our very lives depend on grasses in a wide range of ways. If we’re on land, chances are some kind of grass is nearby, and, no matter where we are, grasses have profound influences on our lives and on our environment. Grasslands cover over 40% of the planet’s non-polar land area and 70% of the world’s agricultural area. Grasses feed us and feed the animals many of us eat or otherwise depend upon. They sequester carbon, prevent erosion, and make our picnics pleasant. They provide habitats and food for animals from the smallest insects to massive bisons and apex predators. Grasses play important nutrient cycling roles within ecosystems. They regulate water flow and reduce runoff.
Grasses matter profoundly in our lives, and to our planet.
Development of the Grasses part of Earth@Home is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (1822330) and by content developed during previous grants, NSF 0820619 and 1238014. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.
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New Climate Content on Earth@Home
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We've taken content from our award-winning Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change updated it, and made it student-friendly! (And friendly to general readers too!) On the Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change page, you'll find these updated chapters as well as the original guide.
The newest additions are:
- Obstacles to Addressing Climate Change How do we talk about climate change with our students, families, colleagues, and friends? How do we help the people we interact with become more comfortable having meaningful dialogues about climate change? How can we begin to productively relate to, and talk with people with diverse and different views? How do people change their minds and envision new systems? This chapter addresses these questions.
- Perspective This chapter addresses perspectives that go into teaching and talking about climate change—our own perspectives and emotional responses as well as those of the people we're communicating with, cultural and historical perspectives, and the balancing act between hope and fear.
New content is added regularly. Take a deep dive and check back regularly at Climate on Earth@Home!
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Climate Change Videos
Are you ready to Teach Climate Change?
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PRI has the resources you need. Visit the PRI YouTube channel for hands-on activities and demonstrations of key climate change concepts:
In the Greenhouse
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpy9BsvPOjw-K5_aQtqsH6X9VK_iZbxlB
Shorts: Climate Solutions
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpy9BsvPOjw_i_ZGCT2dXfWYEY-r19m7J
Climate Change
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpy9BsvPOjw8uTLe3wz-L-RI0hhQ3HZUA
Look for lesson plans and additional activities on the Teach Climate Change pages of Earth@Home Climate:
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PRI Blog Posts on Recent Climate Events
Bring Earth science in the news into your classroom with our posts on this summer's smoke and the devastating fires in Hawai'i.
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This summer's extreme weather events affected an unprecedented number of Americans. Some of these events were addressed on PRI's blog. Where There’s Smoke, There’s AQI, by Dr. Alexandra Moore, and Dr. Ingrid Zabel, published in June addresses the smoke from Canadian wildfires that severely impacted the Northeastern US this summer. Hawai`i Wildfires: At the Intersection of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, by Dr. Alexandra Moore published in August addresses the devastating fires that destroyed most Lahaina on the island of Maui.
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PRI at STANYS
Join us at the Science Teachers Association of New York State Annual Conference in Syracuse, NY November 3 - 6, 2023!
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PRI staff will be staffing our booth, leading workshops, and our hosting our first STANYS-PRI Institute!
The Monday morning event, "NY Rocks! and The Science of Energy," is a half-day institute using the Museum of the Earth’s NY Rocks! exhibit as a launching point to explore the science of energy. Along the way, we’ll explore the ancient life of the Empire State; how ancient life tells us about ancient ecosystems and climates; look into how that ancient life gave us fossil fuels; how fossil fuels changed both our shared history and our shared future; and how newer Earth science understandings are moving us away from dependence on fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.
Cornell University’s efforts to both decarbonize and show the world how it is doing so will feature prominently in the institute, especially through the Deep Geothermal Heat Research project and its Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO).
This is an in-conference institute and is a separate registration. Find registration information on the Special Events Page of the conference website.
We're looking forward to seeing you in Syracuse!
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Happenings in Ithaca
There's a lot going on in Central New York!
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20th Anniversary of Museum of the Earth!
Sat Sep 30th 10:00am - 5:00pm
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For over 4 billion years, the Earth has been a source of wonder and fascination. From the tiniest microbes to the mighty dinosaurs, our planet has teemed with life for eons. In just 20 short years, the Museum of the Earth has become a leading destination for those who wish to explore the Earth's natural history.
Come join us Saturday, September 30th between 10 am & 5pm to learn about the history of Museum of the Earth through 20 interactive stops withing the Museum. Discover what drives the Museum every day and the back story of the Mastodon, North Atlantic Right Whale, and Stegosaurus. Meet some publication and collection staff and learn what they do behind the scenes. Happy Birthday Museum of the Earth! Admission free all day!
To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are offering free admission to the museum and a host of special activities.
We invite you to join us in celebrating 20 years of the Museum of the Earth. Come explore the treasure that is buried in our planet and learn about the amazing stories that it has to tell.
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Teacher Resource Day
Saturday, October 7, 2023, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
at the Museum of the Earth
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PRI's annual Teacher Resource Day on Saturday, October 7th, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, at the Museum of the Earth has tables full of free fossil and geological specimens and other educational materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. The event is free and exclusively for teachers.
See the working agenda here.
This year's giveaways includes the usual - hundreds of rocks, fossils, other natural history specimens, and an array of publications - plus drill cores from Central New York.
In addition to the resource giveaway, there are tours of the Museum of the Earth, our current temporary exhibit, NY Rocks! Ancient Life of the Empire State and PRI's extensive collections.
This year's keynote presentation, "Fossils: Storybooks in Stone," will be given by Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director, Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve. Phil will also give the talk the general public the night before. More information on Phil and the talk are below in the newsletter.
We'll also hear about the Autumn BioBlitz in a short presentation. This BioBlitz begins on Friday, October 6th and runs through Monday, October 9th intentionally surrounding Teacher Resource Day.
The first 50 registrants receive a gift bag! If registration exceeds 50, we will maintain a waiting list. If you register and find yourself unable to attend, please let us know.
Register here.
The Museum of the Earth is at 1259 Trumansburg Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.
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Fossils: Storybooks in Stone
An evening with Penn Dixie's Dr. Phil Stokes
Friday, October 6, 2023 at 7:00 pm
At the Museum of the Earth
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Join Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director of the Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Preserve for a journey back in time to the Devonian Period! Long before Ichabod the turkey vulture's ancestors -- the dinosaurs -- first appeared, primitive amphibians crawled alongside the true forest primeval. Hungry trilobites scoured the seafloor, while giant cephalopods and armored fish patrolled open water. This ancient ecosystem was never observed by any living human, but we know a lot about it from the rocks and fossils that were left behind in New York State.
About Penn Dixie:
Penn Dixie — a global geological treasure — is ranked as the #1 fossil park in the U.S. in a 2011 scientific study. In 2018, Penn Dixie claimed the Guinness World Records™ title for the World’s Largest Fossil Dig. Thanks to 905 fossil diggers who participated, Penn Dixie is now the inaugural record holder for this category! Earlier this year, an important scientific discovery was made at Penn Dixie. Read about the important discovery of the Penn Dixie carpoids, a ‘Lazarus taxon.’ A Lazarus taxon is an animal that disappears from the fossil record, then reappears much later.
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Sensory Friendly Hours
At the Museum of the Earth
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Join us for a sensory friendly Museum experience for visitors of all ages and abilities. Sensory Friendly Hours at the Museum of the Earth provides an opportunity for visitors with Sensory Processing Disorder, or other developmental disabilities to enjoy a more sensory-friendly experience at the Museum.
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Fossil Mania 2023
Sunday, October 8th 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
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Museum of the Earth celebrates fossils on Sunday, October 8th 10 -1pm. We combine Earth Science Week, Teacher Resource Day, & the National Fossil Day into one celebration for our Museum visitors. This year we will be exploring and Celebrating NYS fossils and the Carboniferous Period, specifically the Mississippian sharks found in Mammoth Caves. We will be exploring cave paleontology during the event for little visitors and sift through North Carolina Matrix for shark teeth. Learn about Fossil formation and how paleontologists sort out ancient oceans. Lastly there will be a fossil and rock give-away during the event in the classroom. Bring your boxes and take away some fossils while they last! Regular Admission for this event.
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Museum in the Dark 2023
Tuesday, October 24th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Our spooky space costume night this year will be Tuesday, October 24th from 6 -8 pm. That evening we invite the students of Cornell’s Astronomy Graduate Network to come and put on space related activities in the Museum. Visitors get to interact with these budding astronomers and learn about the world they study. Come in costume and eat some Ice Cream made with dried ice. Complete a space passport as you travel to each activity. Admission for this special event is $8 each. A family of 4 can participate for $30. Members are always free!
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PRI's Fall Bioblitz
October 6 – 9, 2023!
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Join us to count as many species as we can around the East Finger Lakes region! The Cayuga Nature Center is continuing our series of seasonal events to document the biodiversity of our region, starting on Friday, October 6, 2023 and going through Monday, October 9, 2023.
Join us from wherever you are and contribute to our understanding of seasonal change in the biosphere of our region. We are calling all nature observers to photograph plants and animals in your neighborhood using the iNaturalist app (available for your smartphone—visit your favorite app store).
iNaturalist is a crowd-sourced online application, so if you don’t know what your species is, no worries, someone else will! If you make observations in our region using iNaturalist during the 4-day period of the event, your observations will automatically be added to this BioBlitz. All ages, all experience, all locations are welcome – please join us!
iNaturalist project page:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/autumn-2023-east-finger-lakes-bioblitz
New to iNaturalist? Here are some tutorials: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials
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New York Rocks! exhibit open through December 2023
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NY Rocks!: Ancient Life of the Empire State opened March 13, 2023, and it will be on display through December 2023 at the Museum of the Earth.
The exhibit introduces you to the ancient world and life of the Devonian Period, and show you how the Earth history of 380 million years ago continues to impact our world today. You’ll learn more about how Devonian rocks have been used for building stone, how Devonian bedrock affects wine production in the Finger Lakes, and how regional tourism relates to Earth history events. You will also meet some of the people who have studied the Devonian of New York and how large “behind the scenes” museum collections are used to make sense of the Earth’s history.
All exhibits at the Museum of the Earth opened since 2020 also include a companion online exhibit. See the virtual exhibit here.
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Science in the Virtual Pub returns September 28th at 7:00 pm Eastern with a panel of science education professors discussing how future teachers are and should be prepared to teach about climate change. Register here.
On October 12, Patricia Rodríguez, International OGI Analyst and Advocate @ Earthworks will describe ‘optical gas imaging’ and advocacy to stop the harm from the oil and gas industry at an international setting. As we will get to see the air pollution, what can we learn from frontline Indigenous, Black and small farmer communities in Latin America about the impact of resource extraction and contamination on their lives, livelihoods and health, and what are some alternatives to the presence of oil giants in their communities?
Register here for any Science in the Virtual Pub session.
View descriptions of all sessions with links to recordings of almost every session on the Science in the Virtual Pub page. Check there too for what else is coming in Fall 2023.
The program now runs on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7:00 pm Eastern from late September to early May, excepting holidays.
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Shop to Support Science Education
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Shop the PRI gift shop online or in-store at Museum of the Earth to support science education at PRI! Shopping our store funds our educational programs throughout the year. Find a unique, science-themed gift for your loved ones, and help a great cause!
And, yes, trilobite slippers are back in stock! And you need a pair!
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There's More! Check the PRI Events Calendar!
There's always a lot going on at the Museum of the Earth, the Cayuga Nature Center and with our online programs! Check our events calendar for a full listing! And please come visit in person!
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We gratefully acknowledge funding from:
Their support and your membership dollars makes climate change education from PRI possible.
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