ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT
“Rocking” Science Theater
BY DIANE HANDZEL
The miners examine their nuggets and find they are metallic and shiny.
“So far, so good,” Miss Diane continues, “Hold your nugget to the light,
does it reflect the light?” The miners are dazzled by the reflections as
Miss Diane introduces the concept of luster, one method of identifying
a mineral by its quality of reflecting light. “Ooh that’s real good, you
might be rich!” Miss Diane exclaims as the miners frolic and celebrate
their big payday.
“Now hold on,” Miss Diane interrupts, “I said you might be rich. You
cannot judge the nugget by just luster alone,” she explains. “Gold is a
soft metal so you must do a hardness test. If you can scratch your
In their oversize cowboy hats reminiscent of Yosemite Sam,
nugget with a penny, you all struck gold.” Holding their collective
the miners are panning for gold in the Sierras when
breath the miners scratch the nuggets, but the pennies have no effect.
suddenly they hold out their nuggets and exclaim, “We’re
“No Siree, Bob,” Miss Diane announces to the miners, “I’m afraid you
rich, we’re rich!” They click their heels and dance with their
found fool’s gold, also known as pyrite.” “Oh, nooo!” cry the miners
partners in front of an engaged audience before they are
with their cowboy hats askew as they sob on their neighbor’s shoulder,
stopped by Miss Diane, the grizzled old prospector who
ending the scene in applause and laughter from the audience of their
says, “Hold on little doggies, you need to investigate the
peers.
physical properties of those nuggets to determine exactly
what you found. Is your nugget glassy or metallic looking?
A grizzled prospector named Miss Diane? That’s Diane Handzel,
Is it dull or shiny?”
Executive Director and Teaching Artist of Get in the Act, a non-profit
32