|
BY HEATHER FRANTZ
Public Relations Coordinator
 |
Rock On
Geoff Harding, Geol.I.T., tries out his hosting skills
in the SciQ Rock 'N' Fossil Road Show.
|
Get out your autograph books. One of your fellow APEGGA members
is now a star — and a rock star at that.
Even with no formal acting credits on his resumé,
Geoff Harding, Geol.I.T., was picked by producers to host
the three sessions of the new SciQ Rock ’N’ Fossil
Road Show. The shows took place Oct. 16 at the Odyssium in
Edmonton and Oct. 23 at both the Canmore Geoscience Centre
and Museum and the Crowfoot Library in Calgary.
The Rock ’N’ Fossil Road Shows, loosely based
on the popular Antique Road Show television series, gave the
public a chance to bring in rock and fossil samples and have
them analyzed by geoscience members of APEGGA. An ACCESS TV
production crew was on hand to tape all three clinics.
As part of his hosting duties, Geoff chatted with fellow
APEGGA rock experts about samples the public brought in as
well as some from their own collections.
At the Canmore event, 10-year-olds John and Hubert brought
some of their fossils to be analyzed and were pleased that
the APEGGA experts knew so much about their special finds.
The boys also thought Geoff did a great job as host —
and that the experience of being on television with him was
pretty cool.
Geoff jumped at the chance to host these unique events. “With
the treasures we have out there, I felt we needed to make
them more available in a safe and interactive way for the
learning public. Alberta has a great treasure chest here and
everybody should have a chance to see what is inside, so that
they may continue to contribute to it,” says Geoff.
Currently with Norwest Mines Corporation in Calgary, Geoff
is no stranger to rocks or volunteering with APEGGA. He was
an Outreach program volunteer in Edmonton for two years and
is now part of the program in Calgary. He has also worked
at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
“I’m excited to be involved with the educational
opportunities that APEGGA provides to schools, as I feel there
is just not enough geology-related science in the classroom,
and what is there is not always as exciting as I find the
science to be.”
“He’s the kind of guy who is earnest about making
a contribution to volunteer programs he joins. He is a great
classroom presenter and loves his chosen career,” says
Jeanne Keaschuk, APEGGA Senior Outreach Coordinator in Edmonton.
Together with ACCESS TV and others, APEGGA is a proud partner
in SciQ. SciQ’s mandate is to promote science learning
for K-12 students in Alberta. The Rock ’N’ Fossil
Road Show will be just one of the many events webcast on the
SciQ website at www.sciq.ca. The site also features Q Zones
on various science topics, including engineering and geology,
as well as information on careers in science.
Watch for Geoff and many other APEGGA volunteers who helped
out at the Rock ’N’ Fossil Road Show when it is
broadcast on ACCESS TV and webcast on the SciQ website during
Engineering & Geoscience Week, Feb. 25 to March 6, 2005.
|
