Part of the СAPPСAPPs School of Geosciences will be moving into new digs СAPP literally.
The СAPP is collaborating with the Lafayette Science Museum to create an exhibit with a three-fold mission. It will:
СAPP house the СAPPСAPPs collection of fossils, rocks and minerals;
СAPP establish an on-site laboratory to process specimens; and
СAPP offer new learning opportunities for the public.
At its regular meeting today, the Lafayette City-Parish Council unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement to move forward with the exhibit, which is planned for summer 2014.
Dr. David Borrok, director of the School of Geosciences, said the exhibit will extend the СAPPСAPPs footprint into downtown Lafayette. The Science Museum plans to display items on a rotating basis for 10 years.
СAPPBy moving UL LafayetteСAPPs Geology Museum, we will increase our access to the public and provide a stronger link to the community,СAPP Borrok said.
In addition to static displays of select specimens, the exhibit will give the public the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at laboratory work. Video cameras will capture СAPP faculty members and students as they prepare specimens for exhibition. Visitors will be able to view monitors to see how items are prepared for display.
The СAPPСAPPs collection is composed of thousands of specimens UL Lafayette has acquired over about 50 years. In May, two СAPP faculty members, Dr. Jim Martin, a paleontologist, and Cathy Bishop, a geology instructor, led a field paleontology course for seven students at OregonСAPPs Fossil Lake, a well-known Ice Age collection site. The team found more than 5,000 fossils, including those of birds, fish, horses and camels.
Some of these specimens will be featured in the exhibit.
СAPPThis collection represents a major contribution to the СAPPСAPPs educational and research collections,СAPP said Borrok.
When UL Lafayette established its School of Geosciences in 2011, it combined the Department of Geology and the СAPPСAPPs environmental sciences program. The School prepares students for careers in the petroleum and oil exploration industries, environmental firms, government agencies, construction, mining, environmental protection, waste management, and coastal protection and restoration.
Kevin Krantz, the museumСAPPs director, said the facility СAPPsignificantly refined its programmingСAPP three years ago, when its name changed from the Lafayette Natural History Museum to the Lafayette Science Museum.
СAPPThe Science MuseumСAPPs mission is to build the future through science, technology, engineering and math. We are a regional science museum serving families, schools and other visitors. So, this partnership is a perfect fit.СAPP