Explore Deep Time at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums During the Wisconsin Science Festival

PLATTEVILLE, Wis., October 6, 2023 — Unleash your curiosity with an exploration of deep time at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums during a weeklong festival October 16-22 celebrating the wonders of science throughout Wisconsin. This year’s theme is “An Exploration of Time in the Driftless” — and a special guided experience that extends from exhibit galleries to 50 feet below ground welcomes all to explore this fascinating topic through fun, hands-on activities. Special content will be offered all week Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 22 — and admission will be free of charge on Saturday, October 21.

Each year, the Wisconsin Science Festival highlights a specific aspect of the world around us — and this year’s focus is time. As part of the festivities, the Museum will provide a hands-on immersive experience for all to delve into concepts of relative versus absolute time, climb a geologic stratigraphic column from the Bevans Mine to the surface, use a Geiger counter to learn about measuring time through radioactive decay, and discover the Household Objects That Glow Under Ultraviolet Light exhibit. Key ideas presented within the program will include the Geologic Time Scale, plate tectonics and continental drift, changing environments, and early forms of life. It will present radiometric dating for a general audience, measuring radioactivity in minerals and household objects, and identifying materials using fluorescence.

“We are proud to open the Museum collections and underground mine as part of this statewide celebration of science and the pioneering spirit,” said Museum Director Erik Flesch. “This program is one more opportunity for the Museum and the Driftless Area landscape to inspire and engage Wisconsin citizens in discovery, curiosity, knowledge and creativity.”

Sam Mulrooney, director of the Wisconsin Science Festival, says, “Time is one of our most precious resources and one of the most mysterious forces in our universe. It's all around us, but many of us take it for granted. From Norwalk to Belleville, Marinette to Madison, we’re holding a number of events around the state that highlight the importance of time.”

The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. The mission of the Museums is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museums are commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region; as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin. The Museums are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday from May to October. Cultural programs, special events, and virtual tours are offered year-round. Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For information and registration, visit: www.mining.jamison.museum/programs or call (608) 348-3301.

The Wisconsin Science Festival is a weeklong, statewide celebration with more than 300 in-person and virtual activities in communities across Wisconsin. Most events are free, including hands-on activities, talks with scientists and authors, films, performances, nature hikes, take-home science kits and much more. “The festival creates a unique gathering of events that celebrate science, art and technology across our entire state, highlighting the vast amount of expertise and curiosity we can be proud of as Wisconsinites,” says Sam Mulrooney, director of the 2023 festival. Check the Wisconsin Science Festival website for the full festival schedule: www.wisconsinsciencefest.org.