Editors note: A complete list of activities follows this release

Visitors enjoy activities during the 2015 "Can You Dig It?" program. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
Visitors enjoy activities during the 2015 “Can You Dig It?” program.
Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History visitors will have the opportunity to discover Earth’s ever-changing landscape through immersive activities including a virtual reality headset, erupting volcanoes and more during the 11th annual “Can You Dig It?” event March 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This free, fun-for-all-ages geology program includes hands-on activities and demonstrations to provide visitors with a better understanding of the Earth’s environment and the role its processes plays in our lives.

“There are many interactive activities that are geared for a wide range of ages,” said program coordinator Matt Smith, a senior lecturer and undergraduate adviser in the University of Florida department of geological sciences. “We really try to engage visitors.”

New activities added this year include a fossil dig and screen wash, as well as the 53-foot WaterVentures Bus, which offers multiple educational lab station activities about Florida’s diverse watersheds, water conservation and recycling.

In addition to the erupting-volcano demonstrations, other returning popular activities include the augmented reality sandbox, oil spill and cleanup, ocean acidification and the geologic time tunnel, providing participants a look into Earth’s origin, history and structure. The virtual reality headset allows guests to “sail” the waters off the coast of South Florida and learn about marine science research.

“Guests will gain a better understanding and appreciation for earth science and have fun while doing it,” said Florida Museum educator Chelsea Collison.

Participants may also receive stamps at each station on their “passport,” redeemable for a prize at the end of the program.

“Can You Dig It?” is sponsored by the UF department of geological sciences and Florida Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the Gainesville Gem and Mineral Society, Creative Environmental Solutions and EAM2 Services.

Food from High Springs Orchard and Bakery will be available for purchase. For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/canyoudigit or call 352-273-2062.

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Writer: Claudia Perez Brito, PRintern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Sources: Chelsea Collison, ccollison@flmnh.ufl.edu, 352-273-2062; Matt Smith, mcsmith@ufl.edu, 352-392-1554
Media Contact: Paul Ramey, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu, 352-273-2054

Can You Dig It? Activities List
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
March 18, 2017
Florida Museum of Natural History
3215 Hull Road, Powell Hall on the UF campus
Activities occur throughout the day unless noted

Augmented Reality Sandbox: Understanding topographic maps
This sandbox combines real sand with virtual reality to show how 2-D topographic maps show the 3-D shape of the land. Make your own surface in the sandbox and watch as the virtual reality projection mirrors your model. Then, make it rain in the sandbox and see how virtual water flows in your model.

Deep Ocean Drilling
Discover how scientists study the bottom of the ocean and sample your own “drill core” from our tasty ocean floor model.

Fossil Dig
Sift for fossils alongside Florida Museum paleontologists.

Fossil Screen Wash (new)
Sift sand for microfossils using screens and water.

Gainesville Gem and Mineral Society: Experience Rocks and Minerals
Learn about rocks and minerals through touch, experiments and games.

Gainesville Gem and Mineral Society: Making Cabochons
Watch as a gemstone is shaped and polished from a rough stone to a smooth gem.

Gainesville Gem and Mineral Society: Gems and Crystals
See the variety of crystal shapes that occur in nature and learn how gems can be faceted to bring out their brilliance.

Geologic Time Tunnel
Explore the “Tunnel of Time.” Take a journey back through time and explore our planet’s geologic history.

Hands on Gainesville: Minerals in Your Home (new)
What minerals are in your home? What do they look like before you make them into walls, appliances and wires? How can you turn the earth around Florida into a necklace? Explore minerals and how we use them in our everyday lives.

Investigating Ocean Acidification
The Earth is a big interconnected system. Discover how increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can threaten the ocean’s coral reefs.

Make Your Own Earthquake
Learn about how, why and where earthquakes happen, and then make your own earthquake to find out how you measure on the Richter scale.

Oil Spill and Cleanup
Investigate how chemistry is used to clean up these environmental catastrophes.

Paleobiology and Fossils
See fossils of amazing prehistoric life forms and explore Florida’s fossil heritage.

Paleomagnetism
Rocks contain their own compasses, and they don’t always point north. See how scientists use Earth’s magnetism to reconstruct how the continents have moved through time.

Passport Prizes
Grab a passport and collect stamps as you explore    then receive a prize for your completed passport.

The Power of Water: How the Land Gets its Shape
Use wave tanks and other interactive models to explore water’s power in shaping our ever-changing environment.

The Rock Cycle
Discover how rocks are continuously recycled on Earth into new rocks and learn about the different environments in which they form.

Science-at-Sea VR with ANGARI Foundation (new)
Put on a virtual reality headset and set sail for the South Florida coast where you’ll learn about the marine science research and education efforts of the ANGARI Foundation. Tour the foundation’s research vessel and explore the underwater world of the area’s coral reefs while diving alongside marine scientists.

Secrets of Sand
Take an up-close look under a microscope to see the secrets of sand revealed.

Tools of a Geologist
Learn why geologists are the real “Inspector Gadgets” and bring your minerals and rocks to be identified.

UF Department of Geological Sciences
Learn about the UF geological sciences department, how to become a geologist and why geoscience is an excellent career choice.

Volcanoes (periodic eruptions scheduled on the hour and half-hour starting at 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.)
Participate in ongoing interactive demonstrations and investigate why some volcanoes erupt explosively while others often do not, but watch out – ours is ready to blow.

WaterVentures Bus (new)
Learn about Florida’s diverse watersheds, water conservation and recycling.

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