The aggregates industry supports programs to improve public understanding of mining and the use of mineral products. The NC Aggregates Association is actively developing means to provide educators, especially those in the elementary, secondary, and high school levels involved in the earth sciences, with teacher and student resource materials.
Current programs include:
(1) Rock and Mineral Giveaway Exhibit at the NC Science-Teachers Association Annual Conference.This exhibit, sponsored every other year (next exhibit is November 2019), allows teachers to collect a wide variety of North Carolina minerals in a take-home rock kit. Literature, videos, posters and other materials about mining and minerals are also available – and it’s all free! The exhibit is jointly sponsored by the NC Aggregates Association, the Carolinas Section of the Society of Mining Engineers, and other geologic and minerals societies, including the NCSU Asheville Minerals Research Laboratory.
(2) Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year is awarded annually in conjunction with the NCSTA Annual Conference. Sponsored by the North Carolina Aggregates Association and the Carolinas Section of SME, the awards program is coordinated by the NC Chapter of the National Association of Geology Teachers. Cash awards are given to a Teacher In A Classroom setting and a Teacher In A Non-Traditional setting (industry, museum, research facility, etc.)
(3) Earth Science. The earth science educational material presented on our site was prepared by Ms. Lynn Tran, NCSU. The Association is grateful to Ms. Tran for providing this excellent material.
To learn more about Geology click here.