Nittany Mineralogical Society

05/09/2026

The Nittany Mineralogical Society May meeting will be this week, on May 13 (the second Wednesday this month, instead of the usual third Wednesday). The featured talk this month will be "From Alchemy to Atoms: Ordering Minerals Through Time," a fascinating talk on the history of mineral classifications, and their scientific meaning, by Dr. Peter Heaney, Professor Emeritus of Mineral Sciences, Penn State. Social "hour" starts at 7, announcements at 7:45, and featured program at 8 PM. The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking (lot just east of Fire Hall along East Pine St.), and is open to all; parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors.

04/12/2026

This Wednesday, April 15, will be the monthly meeting for the NMS. Our own president, Dave Glick, will tell a geological story about the implications of Central Pennsylvania karst, focusing on his own story with a car-size sinkhole on his land, and the process of getting it remediated. Dave is a knowledgeable and entertaining speaker. The meeting will be at Boalsburg Fire Hall as usual, with social hour starting at 7 PM, announcements at 7:45, and featured program at 8 PM. The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking (the lot just east of the Fire Hall along East Pine Street), and is open to all; parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors. Bring your friends!

03/11/2026

Registration is now open for Minerals Junior Education Day, to be held Saturday, March 28. This is a lot of fun for kids, and a great way to learn about science and nature. They also get specimens to take home! Please register at https://www.nittanymineral.org/juniored.htm by March 24.

02/14/2026

Our monthly NMS meeting is coming up this Wednesday, February 18. Our own Dr. Andrew Sicree, a master science teacher and geology expert, will give a talk on how amateur rockhounds can learn to identify minerals, titled "How to look at a mineral." The meeting will be at Boalsburg Fire Hall. Social time starts 7 PM, announcements 7:45, and featured program at 8 PM. We hope you can be there -- it will be worthwhile!
The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking, and is open to all. Parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors.

01/18/2026

This coming Wednesday, January 21, our own vice-president, Dr. Robert (Bob) Altamura, will give a talk on plagioclase feldspar crystals, their iridescence, and their use in his hobby of lapidary (gem polishing). Bob is an interesting speaker who makes lovely jewelry, and he will explain the chemical and physical properties that make plagioclase feldspar shiny and pretty.
As usual, the meeting will be at Boalsburg Fire Hall. Social hour starts at 7 PM, announcements at 7:45, and featured program at 8. The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking, and is open to all; parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors.

11/15/2025

We hope you can make it to our November NMS meeting, this coming Wednesday (November 19). This month's presentation will be by Chris Oest, senior geologist at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. He will discuss mapping and stratigraphy of the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Broad Top coalfield region of south central Pennsylvania. It will be at Boalsburg Fire Hall. All are welcome to attend our meetings; parents must provide supervision of minors. For more information check out our website!
This will be our last regular meeting of the semester. As usual, the December meeting will be a celebratory holiday dinner at Quaker Steak and L**e.

10/22/2025

Our president and vice-president were mentioned by Discovery Space!

A big thank you to Dave Glick and Bob Altamura from the Nittany Mineralogical Society for helping organize our rock and mineral collection! We truly appreciate your support!

10/13/2025

We hope you can attend at our NMS meeting this Wednesday, October 15!
Our guest will be Dave Curulla, a consultant with Russell Stone Products, and a 40-year veteran of the mining industry. He will provide a history of the discovery and mining of sandstone near Curwensville, Pennsylvania, with historic photographs from various eras.
The meeting will be in person at Boalsburg Fire Hall. Social hour starts around 7pm, announcements at 7:45, and the featured program is at 8PM.
The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking and is open to all; parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors. For more information see our website!

09/14/2025

We hope you can come to the monthly meeting this Wednesday, September 17. Penn State graduate student and researcher Emilee Fortier will present on ferroelectric minerals, which can become electrically charged and polarized in an electric field. This is something like ferromagnetism and has important applications in electronics and computers. Our meeting will be in person at Boal Hall (Boalsburg Fire Hall), with social hour 7-7:45 PM, announcements 7:45-8pm, and featured program beginning at 8. The event has free admission, free refreshments and free parking (lot just east of Fire Hall along East Pine St.), and is open to all; parents/guardians must provide supervision of minors. We hope you'll be attracted to come!

08/17/2025

Our first meeting of the fall semester is this Wednesday, August 20th, at Boal Hall (Boalsburg Fire Hall).

Our first meeting of the semester is this coming Wednesday, August 20. As customary, we'll open the academic year with a show and tell evening. Admissions and parking are free but minors must be accompanied by parent or guardian.