The Rausch Mineral Gallery hosts more than 250 stunning mineral specimens from the Mineral Collection donated to the campus in May, 2008, by the family and colleagues of Chemistry Professor Dr. Marvin Rausch, who was a leading researcher in organometallic chemistry. What makes this collection so spectacular is the size of the mineral specimens, the beautiful crystal forms, and their natural colors. The Gallery has recently been expanded to include superb specimens collected by the late Professor Joseph Goldstein, former Dean of Engineering and longtime researcher in material science. In addition to beautiful mineral specimens, the new collection includes iron meteorites that originated in the cores of asteroids (small planets) and date to the origin of our solar system, 4.56 billion years ago. In addition to the beautiful minerals and meteorites, the Gallery features a diversity of marine and terrestrial fossils donated by Lawrence Osborn that span the past 500 million years, including Silurian Eurypterids, an original cast of the earliest described bird fossil Archaeopteryx, dinosaur eggs, and a Mammoth tooth. In addition, you can explore posters discussing how we are increasingly dependent on rock and mineral materials to create consumer products that support our way of life, our health, and the global economy. Imagine the minerals just in your cell phone! Earth’s resources are intricate to our lives; we need to manage them for a sustainable future! Come and explore!