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The field of Geosciences has long been hesitant to incorporate conversations surrounding social justice in the lab and between scientists. In caring for the collections and researching specific objects, I learned the interconnectedness of nature and human history. This podcast may also be an audio guide for exploring the Smith College Rock & Mineral Collection in Burton and Sabin-Reed. The goal is to allow listeners to connect the dots between scientific specimen and intercultural relationships. Podcast features interviews with Professor Luce Ward and Isabel Espinosa (Class of 2025).
One of the main intentions for the outcome of this project was to begin shifting the mindset that currently exists within the field, which majorly ignores the beneficial aspects of maintaining collections maintenance. By shifting attention towards the resources we do have, we can begin to find reworked solutions to modern day problems such as decrease in available resources. However, I struggled a lot with managing or anticipating the possible reactions to the statements I make in this podcast. I tried to evaluate my main arguments from various possible perspectives encountering it. I spent a lot of time engaging with my material and reflecting on how it made me feel, as well as further ideas that sparked.
The shift towards a focus in digital pedagogies for the Capstone experience of the Museums Concentration allowed me to take a step back in understanding the collections maintenance practices I have been learning about and applying these past three years. Approaching the topic from a different angle permitted a more full-scale evaluation , especially when paired with my extensive background knowledge. Conversations between individuals of different backgrounds sharing their ideas allow for continuous progression of the field as the world is ever-evolving, as opposed to the current reflections of past Geoscientific ethical practices. I feel grateful for the experience of analyzing what I am taught from an interpretive lens rather than the scientific analysis I am most comfortable with.
Works Cited
“Collection: Benjamin M. Shaub Papers | Smith College Finding Aids.” Accessed May 8, 2025. https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/4/resources/369.
Gross, Terry. “How ‘modern-Day Slavery’ in the Congo Powers the Rechargeable Battery Economy.” NPR, February 1, 2023, sec. Goats and Soda. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara.
“The DRC Mining Industry: Child Labor and Formalization of Small-Scale Mining | Wilson Center,” September 1, 2021. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/drc-mining-industry-child-labor-and-formalization-small-scale-mining.
Wyse Jackson, Patrick N., Mary E. Spencer Jones, C. V. [editor] Burek, and Bettie [editor] Higgs. “The Quiet Workforce; the Various Roles of Women in Geological and Natural History Museums during the Early to Mid-1900s.” The Role of Women in the History of Geology 281 (January 1, 2007): 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP281.6.