MSA Centennial Logo

Mineralogical Society of America Centennial (1919-2019)



The MSA Centennial Ambassador Program
to celebrate a century of public outreach

As an MSA member, YOU can become an official MSA Centennial Ambassador!! Here's what you need to do:

  1. Volunteer to give a talk to a non-academic audience about your favorite subject in mineralogy, geochemistry, and/or petrology. There are lots of possible venues: K-12 classrooms, mineral clubs, retirement centers, and local museum or library lecture series.

  2. You must include an MSA Centennial logo slide in your talk (see the selection of slides below) and tell your audience that MSA is celebrating its 100th birthday. You are also welcome to use in your presentation the MSA description slide that offers a bit more about MSA and its activities today.

  3. AFTER YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR LECTURE, visit this page [Email and Member ID required] and fill in the following information:


  4. Your information will then be listed on the MSA Centennial web page for everyone to see!!

  5. At the Phoenix GSA meeting, you can visit the MSA Booth and receive an MSA Centennial Ambassador badge, which you can wear proudly in the knowledge that you have contributed to our 100th birthday celebration.

Let's celebrate MSA's birthday by reaching out to our communities and letting them know the important things we do!!


Need an MSA Centennial logo for your presentation? Download one as a B&W jpg or as a MicroSoft PowerPoint slide with a either B&W, green, tan, Am Min yellow, or blue background.

MSA_Centennial_Ambassadors_logos.jpg


MSA's Centennial Ambassadors

John Jaszczak, Michigan Technological University. Title of his presentation: Magnificent Microminerals of the Merelani Hills, Tanzania at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show lecture series, Tucson, AZ on February 14, 2019

Kim Tait, Royal Ontario Museum. Title of her presentation: Making Mineral Collections Relevant in the 21st Century at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Society of Mineral Museum Professionals (SMMP) Meeting, Tucson, AZ, USA on February 14, 2019.

Carl Bowser, University of Wisconsin (retired), Tucson, AZ. Public Ambassador for MSA at its booth at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson, AZ, USA February 14-17, 2019.

Robert M. Hazen, Carnegie Institution for Science / George Mason University. Title of his presentation: The Story of Earth: How Life, Rocks, and the Carbon Cycle have Co-Evolved at the Geological Society of London Public Lecture Series 2019, London, England, UK on February 27. 2019.

Ernst A. J. Burke, Haelen, The Netherlands. => Download "Mineralogical Society of America 100 jaar", from the April 2019 issue of the Belgian mineral magazine Geonieuws, v. 44, n 4, pp. 95-100.

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio). Title of his presentation: Forensic Mineralogy: Examples in Gold & Silver at the Friends of Mineralogy Midwest Chapter 7th Annual Mineral Symposium, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA on March 9, 2019.

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio) and Barb Dutrow, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Assembled an MSA Centennial Display that occupied a case on the main floor of the 2019 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. It showcased MSA publications and awards and had mineral specimens belonging to founder Kraus, major benefactor Roebling, minerals named after founder Kraus, and Roebling Medalists Helen Megaw and Alexandra Navrotsky.

This MSA Centennial Display is now set up in the Limper Geology Museum, Miami University, Oxford, OH. It will remain on display through the early summer (with a hiatus when set up at the Cincinnati Mineral Society Geofaire in May, and possibly at the Rochester symposium in April). It will also be on display at the Midwest Friends of Mineralogy Symposium, Oxford, OH.

Mark Van Baalen, Harvard University. Title of his presentation: Emeralds, Birthstones, and Salt at Harvard Alumni Office, Bogotá, Colombia on March 9, 2019.

Michael Velbel, Michigan State University. Title of his presentation: Minerals, Meteorites, and Water in the Solar System at Okemos (Michigan) High School Earth Science class, Okemos, MI, USA on March 26, 2019.

Elizabeth Johnson, James Madison University. Title of her presentation: Demystifying the Expert: Hilarious Interactions of Mystery Guest Scientist with JMU's comedic improvization troupe at the James Madison University Student Union, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA on March 28, 2019, as part of JMU's Demystifying the Expert series.

Peter J Heaney, Penn State University. Title of his presentation: From Coal to Diamonds? at the Junior Education Day -- Nittany Mineralogical Society, State College, PA, USA on March 30, 2019.

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio). Title of his presentation: Crystal Growth - A Primer at the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, Rochester, NY USA on April 11, 2019.

Elizabeth Johnson, James Madison University. Title of her presentation: Learning to Identify Minerals and Rocks at the James Madison University Student Union, Harrisonburg, VA, USA on April 12, 2019. This was to forty 8th graders participating in JMU's Valley Scholars Program for potential first-generation college students.

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio). Title of his presentation: Forensic Mineralogy: Examples in Silver and Gold at the Columbus Rock and Mineral Society meeting, Columbus, OH, USA on April 17, 2019.

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio). Title of his presentation: New insights into the nature of wire silver and gold at the Cincinnati Mineral Society meeting, Cincinnati, OH, USA on May 10, 2019.

William O. Nachlas, Syracuse University. Title of his presentation: Rare Earth Elements: Rare in Nature, Everywhere in Technology for the Liberty Partnership Program at the Public Service Leadership Academy, Syracuse City School District, Syracuse, NY, USA on May 15, 2019.

William O. Nachlas, Syracuse University. Title of his presentation: Rare Earth Elements: Rare in Nature, Everywhere in Technology for the Gem and Mineral Society of Syracuse, Syracuse, NY, USA on May 20, 2019.

Jinny Sisson, University of Houston. Title of her presentation: Geology careers to the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Middle School, Houston TX on May 21, 2019.

Brittani McNamee, University of North Carolina Asheville. Title of her presentation: Microscopy and Mineralogy to the Southern Appalachian Mineral Society, Asheville, NC, USA on June 3, 2019.

Roberta L. Flemming, Western University (London, ON, Canada). Title of her presentation: Exploring Mars Mineralogy and Geology using in situ X-ray Diffraction (ISXRD) to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) - Hamilton Chapter on June 6, 2019.

Michael Velbel, Michigan State University. Title of his presentation: A Comet's Tale: A story of the Solar System, told from the minuscule minerals sampled by NASA's Stardust mission, which was the invited keynote address, Michigan Microscopy and Microanalysis Society 2019 Meeting on October 31, 2019.

Wentao Cao, SUNY College at Fredonia. Title of his presentation: Partial melting in root of mountain belt: an example of anatectic eclogites from western Grenville Province at a meeting of the Buffalo Geological Society, Buffalo, NY, USA on November 1, 2019.

Peter J Heaney, Penn State University. Title of his presentation: Making the Case for Celestine as the Pennsylvania State Mineral at the Annual meeting of the Friends of Mineralogy-PA chapter at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA on November 2, 2019.

Michael Velbel, Michigan State University. Title of his presentation: Recent meteorite recoveries in Michigan at the Central Michigan Lapidary and Mineral Society monthly meeting, Lansing, MI, USA on November 21, 2019.

Jane Gilotti, University of Iowa. Title of her presentation: Eclogite - the Poster Child for High-Pressure Metamorphism at the Cedar Valley Rock and Mineral Society, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA on November 19, 2019.

David Vanko, Towson University. Title of his presentation: The Local Impacts of Climate Change to the Wiltondale Garden Club, Towson, MD on January 13, 2020

John Jaszczak, Michigan Technological University. Title of his presentation: Unexpected Treasures of Micromineral Graphite at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show lecture series, Tucson, AZ on February 13, 2019

John Rakovan, Miami University (of Ohio). Title of his presentation: Forensic Mineralogy - New Insights into Wire Silver and Gold Formation at the 2020 Tucson Gem and Mineral Society Show Symposium, Tucson, AZ, USA on February 14, 2020.

Luca Bindi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Title of his presentation: A Short History About How Impossible Crystals Came to Earth From Outer Space at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show lecture series, Tucson, AZ on February 14, 2019

MSA Centennial Ambassador sticker