Hi All, I've enjoyed the discussions on public perceptions of mineralogy, much of which has centered on the utility of minerals, as well as their intrinsic appeal as beautiful objects. I agree. But we should also share the power of minerals to tell stories of our planet's origin and evolution. Minerals are rich in information--they provide vivid evidence for billions of years of eventful history, preserving the saga of Earth's ancient origins, of the violent birth of the Moon, of shifting continents and emerging oceans. Rocks and minerals reveal Earth as a dynamic planet--a world that continues to change beneath our feet. Minerals also hold compelling clues to life's origins, and subsequent dramatic transitions in the evolution of the biosphere--the formation of atmospheric oxygen, the invention of multicellularity, the rise of life on land, and the transformative innovation of biomineralization. We would know little of our own origins were it not for the testimony of the rocks. So, as much as I love minerals for the richness of their forms and colors and properties, both useful and aesthetic, I treasure them at least as much for the knowledge they give us about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Wishing the best to all, Bob -- Robert M. Hazen Carnegie Institution for Science Senior Staff Scientist, Earth and Planets Laboratory 5251 Broad Branch Road NW Washington, DC 20015 phone: 202-478-8962 <(202)%20478-8962> e-mail: rhazen@ciw.edu Personal web site: http://hazen.carnegiescience.edu 4-D Initiative website: http://4D.carnegiescience.edu <http://4d.carnegiescience.edu/> Keck Deep-Time Project website: http://dtdi.carnegiescience.edu

This has been a great conversation!  The topic of how the public understands mineralogy, petrology or anything as measured by a google search brings together a number of very different questions.  The first, which we tend to focus on is what the message should be (the present conversation). The next is who controls the message?   Right now Google seems to be picking winners and losers, and MSA is among the losers. Carnegie STEM (https://carnegiestemgirls.org/stem-resources/careers/mineralogist/) is right up there (not bad!). Another group who is doing well in defining us is: https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/mineralogist They appear in the 'snippet box', Google's favorite choice for the correct answer to all your questions. They helpfully explain that: "A mineralogist studies rocks, gems and other minerals, including their chemical and crystalline structures. They may performing chemical, heat, and other tests on samples to identify them or determine their properties." My guess is that some of this is image driven, and images are the domain of groups like shutterstock and others who are looking to drive traffic rather than pass on valuable information. So below is an example of another Google winner (from: http://mineralsareawesome.weebly.com/who-is-a-mineralogist.html). A mineralogist is a scientist who works on minerals - scientists are the same as doctors. So this is clearly a mineralogist: Picture As a Society we have greatly improved the front part of our website over the years.  However, it could be quite useful for us to pay more attention to our web presence in searches. A little further down the Google search for 'mineralogist' (one has to scroll) is: which leads to: Here is our message on the topic, but the page won't come up in an image search and evidently its not competing for the public attention very effectively.  I think this is something that MSA could take on even if we have to throw some money at it. Pamela On 5/5/2020 12:11 PM, Robert Hazen wrote: > Hi All, > > I've enjoyed the discussions on public perceptions of mineralogy, much > of which has centered on the utility of minerals, as well as their > intrinsic appeal as beautiful objects. I agree. > > But we should also share the power of minerals to tell stories of our > planet's origin and evolution. Minerals are rich in information--they > provide vivid evidence for billions of years of eventful > history, preserving the saga of Earth's ancient origins, of the > violent birth of the Moon, of shifting continents and emerging oceans. > Rocks and minerals reveal Earth as a dynamic planet--a world that > continues to change beneath our feet. > > Minerals also hold compelling clues to life's origins, and subsequent > dramatic transitions in the evolution of the biosphere--the formation > of atmospheric oxygen, the invention of multicellularity, the rise of > life on land, and the transformative innovation of biomineralization. > We would know little of our own origins were it not for the testimony > of the rocks. > > So, as much as I love minerals for the richness of their forms and > colors and properties, both useful and aesthetic, I treasure them at > least as much for the knowledge they give us about who we are, where > we came from, and where we are going. > > Wishing the best to all, > > Bob > > -- > Robert M. Hazen > Carnegie Institution for Science > Senior Staff Scientist, Earth and Planets Laboratory > 5251 Broad Branch Road NW Washington, DC 20015 > phone: 202-478-8962 <tel:(202)%20478-8962> e-mail: rhazen@ciw.edu > <mailto:rhazen@ciw.edu> > Personal web site: http://hazen.carnegiescience.edu <http://hazen.carnegiescience.edu/> > 4-D Initiative website: http://4D.carnegiescience.edu <http://4d.carnegiescience.edu/> > Keck Deep-Time Project website: http://dtdi.carnegiescience.edu > <http://dtdi.carnegiescience.edu/> > > > _______________________________________________ > MSA-talk mailing list > MSA-talk@minlists.org > http://lists.minlists.org/mailman/listinfo/msa-talk -- Please reply to Burnley@physics.unlv.edu

This has been a great conversation!  The topic of how the public understands mineralogy, petrology or anything as measured by a google search brings together a number of very different questions.  The first, which we tend to focus on is what the message should be (the present conversation). The next is who controls the message?   Right now Google seems to be picking winners and losers, and MSA is among the losers. Carnegie STEM (https://carnegiestemgirls.org/stem-resources/careers/mineralogist/) is right up there (not bad!). Another group who is doing well in defining us is: https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/mineralogist They appear in the 'snippet box', Google's favorite choice for the correct answer to all your questions. They helpfully explain that: "A mineralogist studies rocks, gems and other minerals, including their chemical and crystalline structures. They may performing chemical, heat, and other tests on samples to identify them or determine their properties." My guess is that some of this is image driven, and images are the domain of groups like shutterstock and others who are looking to drive traffic rather than pass on valuable information. So below is an example of another Google winner (from: http://mineralsareawesome.weebly.com/who-is-a-mineralogist.html). A mineralogist is a scientist who works on minerals - scientists are the same as doctors. So this is clearly a mineralogist: Picture As a Society we have greatly improved the front part of our website over the years.  However, it could be quite useful for us to pay more attention to our web presence in searches. A little further down the Google search for 'mineralogist' (one has to scroll) is: which leads to: Here is our message on the topic, but the page won't come up in an image search and evidently its not competing for the public attention very effectively.  I think this is something that MSA could take on even if we have to throw some money at it. Pamela On 5/5/2020 12:11 PM, Robert Hazen wrote: > Hi All, > > I've enjoyed the discussions on public perceptions of mineralogy, much > of which has centered on the utility of minerals, as well as their > intrinsic appeal as beautiful objects. I agree. > > But we should also share the power of minerals to tell stories of our > planet's origin and evolution. Minerals are rich in information--they > provide vivid evidence for billions of years of eventful > history, preserving the saga of Earth's ancient origins, of the > violent birth of the Moon, of shifting continents and emerging oceans. > Rocks and minerals reveal Earth as a dynamic planet--a world that > continues to change beneath our feet. > > Minerals also hold compelling clues to life's origins, and subsequent > dramatic transitions in the evolution of the biosphere--the formation > of atmospheric oxygen, the invention of multicellularity, the rise of > life on land, and the transformative innovation of biomineralization. > We would know little of our own origins were it not for the testimony > of the rocks. > > So, as much as I love minerals for the richness of their forms and > colors and properties, both useful and aesthetic, I treasure them at > least as much for the knowledge they give us about who we are, where > we came from, and where we are going. > > Wishing the best to all, > > Bob > > -- > Robert M. Hazen > Carnegie Institution for Science > Senior Staff Scientist, Earth and Planets Laboratory > 5251 Broad Branch Road NW Washington, DC 20015 > phone: 202-478-8962 <tel:(202)%20478-8962> e-mail: rhazen@ciw.edu > <mailto:rhazen@ciw.edu> > Personal web site: http://hazen.carnegiescience.edu <http://hazen.carnegiescience.edu/> > 4-D Initiative website: http://4D.carnegiescience.edu <http://4d.carnegiescience.edu/> > Keck Deep-Time Project website: http://dtdi.carnegiescience.edu > <http://dtdi.carnegiescience.edu/> > > > _______________________________________________ > MSA-talk mailing list > MSA-talk@minlists.org > http://lists.minlists.org/mailman/listinfo/msa-talk -- Dr. Pamela C. Burnley Department of Geoscience University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4010 Phone (702)895-5460