MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE

*** LIMITED IN-PERSON & ZOOM MEETING ***

Thursday, February 17, 2022 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time.

"Hidden Treasures at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHMLA)"
Presented by Mr. Stan Celestian

* February 17th meeting is on 3rd Thursday. 

* Registration required to receive Zoom Link

* RSVP required as seating limited to (60) members

* Masks Required

* No Refreshments

Our February 17th program “Hidden Treasures at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHMLA)" will be presented by MSA Board Governor and Field Trip Chairman Stan Celestian.

Like most museums, every item in their collection cannot be put on display.  This is certainly true of big museums like the Smithsonian, The Natural History Museum of New York, The Chicago Field Museum, as well as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

Stan has been volunteering at a part of the Museum called the "Gem and Mineral Hall".  His primary mission there is to photograph many of the interesting specimens that are not on display.  Stan has been given permission to access all the specimens that are tucked away in boxes, cabinets, cupboards and dusty corners of their storage area.  Within the myriad of specimens many unique and unusual specimens have come to light on his photography table at the museum.  Given Stan's Geological background and keen interest in rocks and minerals, along with his skills as a macro photographer, (and the fact that he works for free), he has been able to supply the curator of the Gem and Mineral Hall with over 1200 high resolution images, and hopes to add thousands more in the coming years.

This presentation represents some of Stan's favorite "Hidden Treasures at the NHMLA."

Mark your calendars for February 17th as Mineralogical Society of Arizona is delighted and honored to host Stan Celestian for a very special program!

Stan was born and raised in the small town of Oswego in upstate New York, right on Lake Ontario. He recalls that as a child he noted the many rocks that his father would remove from the garden every year, and how he would break many open to get a fresh look at their colors and textures. As it turns out, his house was on the crest of a drumlin that was created by the last advance of the glacial ice tens of thousands of years ago. Many of the rocks originated in the Canadian Shield area which provided the wide assortment to be found in the drumlin deposit. Encouraged by his parents he majored in Geology at the local university, and after his BA in Geology he ventured west to Northern Arizona University, where he obtained a combined Master of Science degree in Geology and Education.

Stan then went on to teach Geology, Physics, Astronomy, Earth Science, and even Golf (!) at Glendale Community College. He also taught Geology for Wayland Baptist University, and Geology and Astronomy for Embrey Riddle University. While at Glendale, he was instrumental in creating their Science and Technology Expo and served as the state directory for the national Science Olympiad. Currently, he still teaches Geology part-time for Arizona State University at the West Campus. The texts used in his classes are those that he authored, and that emphasize the Geology of the southwestern United States.

Stan was NASA’s first Ambassador to Jupiter (during the Galileo Mission) in Arizona, and later became NASA’s Arizona Ambassador to the Solar System, with duties that revolved around providing presentations of NASA’s Solar System exploration missions to adult groups and schools.

Most importantly, Stan, along with his wife Susan, is an avid Rockhound and loves getting out to see “Geology.” They are dedicated collectors and have their own museum room in their house. They also have been contributing displays at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. Along with Geology as a hobby, they both are enthusiastic photographers and have many photos on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/usageology/albums

Thank you, Stan, for your outstanding contributions to Earth Science, educating the next generation of scientists and Rockhounds and for serving MSA as a Board Governor and as Field Trip Chairman ensuring MSA continues to offer exciting and educational field opportunities for our membership!

This will be BOTH a virtual event via Zoom and Limited In-Person. Link to the meeting will be sent in email when you register for the event.

Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.