Visiting journalist gets close-up look at Geology Museum’s treasures

On March 12, Sharon Dunwoody Science Journalist in Residence Kallie Moore visited the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum, where she toured exhibits and got up close with the museum’s many rocks, minerals and fossils held in collections off display. The museum contains over 150,000 geological and paleontological specimens.

Moore is a professional paleontologist who manages the University of Montana’s fossil collection and co-hosts the PBS Digital Studios channel “Eons.” She’s on campus March 12-14 to visit classes in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, tour museums and labs and share her insights as a professional science communicator with students and others.

On March 13, Moore gave a public lecture at the UW Discovery Building where she provided a behind-the-scenes look at the production of “Eons” and described the channel’s successful approach to science communication. “Eons,” which has nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers and is gearing up for its seventh season, employs narrative storytelling techniques to share paleontological insights about the history and evolution of life on Earth.

Two women stand between tall shelves, with one open drawer full of rocks between them, and talk.

Geology Museum curator Carrie Eaton, left, discusses trilobites, the Wisconsin state fossil, with Moore. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Moore, left, looks at collection samples with Eaton. Photo by: Jeff Miller

A photo from behind showing two women handling rocks in a drawer.

Eaton and Moore look at samples of marine fossils from the Silurian period. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Two people, seen through an observation window, talk. A large stone is on the desk between them.

Geology Museum scientist David Lovelace, right, leads Moore on a tour of the Geology Museum’s specimen preparation room. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Two women stand in front of a glass display case containing a large fossil.

Moore looks at a fossilized colony of free-floating Crinoids from the Cretaceous period with Eaton. Photo by: Jeff Miller

A woman holds up a smartphone and takes a photo of a large mastodon skeleton.

Moore snaps a photo of a mastodon skeleton at the Geology Museum. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Dark silhouettes of two people are shown in front of flourescent rocks that glow.

Eaton and Moore enjoy the fluorescent minerals exhibit. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Moore looks at rocks and minerals on display. Photo by: Jeff Miller

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Photo gallery Visiting journalist gets close-up look at Geology Museum’s treasures