Last Saturday, October 14, almost 2,000 visitors braved the elements—pun intended—for a rainy Open House at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. It’s a yearly tradition that stretches back over half a century, and an opportunity for adults and children of all ages to learn about our planet. Lamont’s scientists share their research with the public via hands-on demonstrations, discussions and lectures, and interactive exhibits and videos. It’s a great place to get your hands dirty—and many kids did with the Oobleck-filled bathtub, sticky glacier goo, and a delicious “earth-cake” demonstrating how subduction zones lead to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. There was also a soil-testing station, spooky glacier art, rocks from the bottom of the ocean and the surface of the moon, a rambunctious polar bear, and exploding volcanoes. Below are some highlights from a messy and wonderful time at Lamont this year.
Nearly 2000 people came to @LamontEarth Open House although it rained continuously all day. Amazing science: tree rings, volcanoes, plankton, earthquakes… Students from my @ColumbiaSUMA class came too. They took a forest hike with me despite the rain. Thank you for coming by! pic.twitter.com/ahmRWc3tAD
— Nguyen Tan Thai Hung @ntthung.bsky.social (@Hung_TT_Nguyen) October 14, 2023
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My son, a second grader, was so inspired by @LamontEarth Open House that he wanted tell his friends about tree rings. He even made a worksheet for his friends. We just got this photo from his teacher. Here he is showing a tree core sample with a digital microscope. #ScienceParent pic.twitter.com/NQHPHl0WPE
— Nguyen Tan Thai Hung @ntthung.bsky.social (@Hung_TT_Nguyen) October 17, 2023
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The weather didn’t stop us from enjoying @LamontEarth Open House 2023! It was so fun to talk with so many folks of all ages + backgrounds about #AI #data #clouds #ice #oceans #heat #physics #climateadaptation — thanks for coming out today!@columbiaclimate @Columbia @NSF pic.twitter.com/vom5s7UVgG
— LEAP-STC (@LeapStc) October 14, 2023
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🗺️ The Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regional Center Team made waves during @LamontEarth’s Open House on October 14th!
The team was excited to share their excitement about #ocean mapping with Open House attendees including kids, high schoolers, parents, and educators. pic.twitter.com/YxAeMzVpVm
— Seabed 2030 (@seabed2030) October 17, 2023
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