Current Year Schedule
GSM seminars with slide show presentations are free and open to the public. They are presented by leading professionals in their fields and are aimed at learners from high school to adult. A question-and-answer session concludes each seminar. The labs, also free and open to the public, allow a hands-on learning experience and demonstrate the ideas and principles of geology and earth science. Live lectures and labs require no registration; just show up a few minutes early on the evening of the lecture.
Click on date of any seminar for attendance information and other details. For a printable version of our schedule of seminars and labs, click here.
Except as noted, in-person lectures are Mondays at 7:00 PM CT on the University of Minnesota campus, building & room Tate Hall, Room B20. A lecture with (V) following its title is an online virtual lecture. For these, free registration is required by non-members; the instructions are supplied with the lecture description.
Our schedule is planned over 6 months in advance, so changes may occur. Always check this website shortly before each lecture for the latest seminar information.
Winter weather will come and snow might impact our lectures. The GSM will make any decision about cancelling or postponing a lecture due to inclement weather no later than 3:00 PM the day of the lecture. This information will be posted on the GSM home page (http://www.gsmn.org/). So, check our home page shortly before each lecture in case there is a cancellation or a last-minute change. Also, we will e‐mail lecture postponement and cancellation information to our members.
Past seminars marked with * were recorded and the recording is available on the Geological Society of Minnesota YouTube channel. Subscribe to this channel for updates.
Seminar Details
Seminar Lab Date: November 4, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: The Hope Diamond and Other Stories from the Smithsonian Gem & Mineral Collection
Seminar Lab Presenter: Jeffrey Post, Ph.D., Curator of Gems & Minerals (emeritus), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Seminar Lab Location:
In-person only at University of Minnesota, Tate Hall, Room B20
Time: 6:00 PM CT (note earlier time)
Seminar Lab Detail:
Summary: The Hope Diamond is one of the most famous gemstones in the world. It is familiar to most people because of its fascinating human history that includes kings and thieves and perhaps a curse or two, but it is also a rare blue diamond, the largest and finest of its kind known. Despite its long history in the public eye, the diamond still prompts many questions. The United States National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian Institution is also well-known for its many other world-class gems and jewelry pieces. Curator-emeritus, Jeffrey Post, will explore the science and lore behind some of the famous and lesser-known gems in the National Collection.
Biography: Dr. Jeffrey E. Post received Bachelor of Science degrees in geology and chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, and his Ph.D. in geochemistry from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History in 1984, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University. He was Chairman of the Department of Mineral Sciences 1989-1994 and 2014-2019, and from 1991 to 2023 served as Curator-in-Charge of the National Gem and Mineral Collection. Dr. Post was the lead Curator for the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals that opened in 1997. In May 2023 he was appointed research curator, emeritus. He is on the Board of Governors for the Gemological Institute of America.
He has published more than 150 scientific articles and is author of The National Gem Collection, and the recently published: The Smithsonian National Gem Collection—Unearthed: Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels.
