Last weekend, on a brisk but beautiful autumn Saturday, over 2,500 visitors traveled to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for the 2026 Open House—an annual tradition that dates back as early as 1949.
Guests of all ages got to explore the expansive campus in Palisades, NY, and partake in a variety of hands-on activities, demonstrations and installations, including an augmented reality sandbox, a “warming stripe” walkway showing climate change through the decades, drone footage from an active volcano, and annual favorites like bathtub science, trashcan volcano explosions, glacial goo and rocks from space. There were lectures on timely topics such as AI for scientific research; the August 2026 Nepal-China landslide; flooding, micro- and nanoplastics; NYC congestion pricing; this historic el Niño year and much more.
This daylong celebration of knowledge represented an opportunity for the wider community to learn from Lamont researchers about the many tools they are using to better understand our planet and see some of the evidence they’ve gathered firsthand!
Check out some of the day’s highlights below.
Guests stream in through the Open House welcome tent. Photo: Bruce GilbertA map showing Lamont’s campus and the many Open House events. Photo: Tara SpinelliBudding geologists learning about rocks and what they can teach us about the planet. Photo: Bruce GilbertLamont’s Core Repository is a treasure trove for scientists of all ages. Photo: Bruce GilbertThe Lamont Core Repository is the most extensive collection of marine sediment and rock samples from around the world. Over 20,000 samples are available to researchers and educators worldwide to learn more about the planet’s climate history. Photo: Olga RukovetsA goo made out of glue and Borax simulates the flow of glaciers. Toothpicks illustrate how ice flows faster in the center due to lack of friction. Photo: Adrienne Day A device that can test your “personal cloud of microscopic particulates.” (The winner? A Lamont post doc, not a kid!). Photo: Adrienne DayUsing ping pong balls and liquid nitrogen, the crowd-favorite trashcan volcano simulates a Plinian volcanic eruption. Photo: Bruce GilbertSpectators stand back at a safe distance and wait for the blast! Photo: Bruce GilbertA “chocolate volcano,” courtesy of Lamont volcanologist Terry Plank. Photo: Adrienne DayAttendees get their hands dirty with “oobleck” (cornstarch and water) to learn about rheology, a branch of physics that deals with the deformation and flow of matter. Photo: Bruce GilbertLamont geophysicist Marc Spiegelman performs his signature “oobleck dance” and runs across its surface to demonstrate its properties. Photo: Bruce GilbertA surprising variety of aquatic animals call the Hudson River their home. Photo: Adrienne DayWarning sign on lab door: Enter and you will be eaten by a crodeadile. Photo: Adrienne DayYou can learn about the many secrets trees have to share at Lamont’s Tree Ring Laboratory, which uses tree rings to study climate and climate change in the past. Photo: Bruce GilbertVisitors walk the “warming stripe,” which shows long-term temperature trends by decade from blue (cooler) to orange (warmer). Photo: Bruce GilbertTemperatures are heating up. Photo: Olga RukovetsLamont scientists celebrated Marie Tharp’s pioneering contributions to seafloor mapping. Photo: Olga Rukovets Participants could also try their hands at “mapping” the seafloor using an augmented reality sandbox, with each color representing a different underwater depth. Credit: Tara SpinelliBotanist and climate scientist Dorothy Peteet (right) has been studying wetlands and sediments of various kinds for more than 40 years. Here she is accompanied by post doc Clara Chang. Photo: Adrienne DayMany attendees were spotted wearing tote bags with Marie Tharp’s iconic map—on the very campus where she left a lasting mark on our understanding of the world and our oceans. Photo: Tara Spinelli
October 28, 2026 is Columbia Giving Day! Your gift to Columbia Climate School helps advance interdisciplinary research, educate the next generation of leaders, and transform bold ideas into real-world solutions for climate, Earth, and society.
This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors’ experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Columbia University’s usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Columbia University Website Cookie Notice.
