These are our featured presentations for 2011.

FRIDAY at 1:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Currently the leading researcher of Mineralogy at the Moscow State University, Dr. Igor Pekov specializes in numerous mineralogical topics from crystal chemistry to the geochemistry of rare elements. He is the author or co-author of more than 500 scientific publications. Dr.Pekov is a discoverer of 100 new mineral species, serving as the senior author or co-author. His personal mineral collection includes more than 10,000 specimens.

FRIDAY at 3:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Michael Leybov holds a PhD in geology, and since 1971 has been the senior scientist of the Geological faculty of Moscow State University. Michael, together with Ludmila Cheshko, publishes Mineralogical Almanac magazine. He is a well-known mineral photographer, and author of popular-science articles, historical reviews and videos on Russian minerals and gems.

SATURDAY at 1:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Dr. Peter J. Modreski has worked as a geochemist at the U. S. Geological Survey for over 25 years. Pete's work has included the study of mines, caves, volcanoes, and geology in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, Poland, and Russia. He is the USGS' geologic resource specialist for gemstones, as well as abrasives, quartz, beryllium, cesium, and rubidium. Pete is a co-author of the book, Minerals of Colorado, published in 1997. Pete is presently responsible for public communication and educational outreach for the USGS.

SATURDAY at 2:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Dr. Anna Turchkova received her PhD in mineralogy (1998) and serves as a science researcher in the Mineralogy Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Dr. Turchkova is a specialist in experimental mineralogy, the mineralogy of zeolites, and mineralogical history. She has authored or coauthored more than 60 scientific publications. Her main research areas are alkaline complexes of the Kola Peninsula and the Eifel Mountains.

SATURDAY at 3:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Star van Scriver was born March 25th 1964 in Long Beach, California, and is a third generation mineral dealer. In 1991 he left the United States to pursue an interest in acquiring minerals from Russia. He and his father Brad moved to Prague, Czech Republic and opened their current business. He has traveled extensively through Russia, including places most Russians haven’t been.

SATURDAY at 8:00 PM - Saturday night Special Event Lecture in the Palm Court of the Denver Merchandise Mart's Main Building

Jolyon Ralph is the founder and maintainer of the website mindat.org, the web’s largest site of minerlaogical information. Jolyon has worked as a computer programmer since the late 1980s and has combined this experience with his passion for mineralogy to create mindat. As a frequent visitor to Russia (he is currently engaged to Katya, a Russian geophysicist) he has visited many of Russia’s mineral museums and institutions - public and private. Recently, he gave up his “day job” to manage Mindat full time.

SUNDAY at 1:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Maria is a PhD mineralogist and gemologist; at present she is a curator and gem expert at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum. Previously, Maria was a researcher at the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia and lecturing gemologist at the Moscow State University. Maria has extensive experience in gemological fieldwork in Russia, Europe and the USA.

SUNDAY at 2:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Steve Nash is Deputy Chief Curator and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. His research focuses on the history of archaeology, museums, and tree-ring dating, or dendrochronology. As Curator of Archaeology, he has taken a special interest in the Museum’s mineral sculptures by Vasily Konovalenko.

SUNDAY at 3:00 PM - In the Lecture Room

Amber, although not technically a mineral, is one of the most precious ancient gem stones in Russia. Liubov Tarasova, who with her husband, Roger Reynolds, owns homes on the Baltic Sea coast in Kaliningrad Russia, source of 92% of the world’s Baltic amber, is a major designer and dealer of elegant Baltic amber jewelry. Professor Reynolds, a Senior Research Fellow and Professor at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the University of Toronto, will present an illustrated lecture dealing with various ancient legends about the origins of amber, the nature and sources of amber, the production of amber jewelry in Russia, types of Russian amber jewelry, and finally a summary history of the creation, theft, loss, and recreation of the fabled Amber Room.

Events for other years can be seen here:

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004

 

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