From a report submitted to the Endowment Committee by Samantha Aravena Gonzalez, University of Chile.
This work was supported by a Meteoritical Society Community Grant. Visit the Grants webpage for more information about the program and see previous news stories for information about other funded Meteoritical Society Endowment Grant efforts.
The Atacama Desert in Chile is unique because it has a high density of meteorites. This particularity of the north of the country is not recognized in other parts of Chile, which has a great variety of landscapes and climates. The objective of this project was to create an itinerant exhibition on meteorites, which could be assembled and disassembled in university institutions throughout the country. The exhibition consisted of 10 to 15 infographics on the origin, formation, petrographic and chemical characteristics, general classification of meteorites, along with a small showcase with some characteristic samples.
This project aimed to promote meteorite research, make visible the relevance of their protection and encourage the recognition of this item as part of the Chilean identity.
The funds from the Meteoritical Society were used to work with designers who developed the infographics and resized the material for the media available at different locations. They were also used for the printing of support material for divulgation, purchase of tickets and travel expenses for meals and lodging during the exhibition weeks for a maximum of one week in Antofagasta, Puerto Varas and Valdivia, where guided tours were given to visitors and groups of students coordinated by the co-organizing institutions. All expenses were accepted and reviewed by the Geological Society of Chile, the sponsoring institution of this project and considers the contribution of several institutions that also contributed resources for this project, supporting the printing of material and financing the launching activities of the exhibition with cocktails, shipments and merchandising.
At least 3500 people benefited from this project.
-Santiago (Museo Interactivo Mirador): All public (more than 2000 visits during the first 2 days of the exhibition).
- Antofagasta (Universidad Católica del Norte): Open to the general public, students and academics of the geology career. 140 visits registered during the first week of the launching.
-Puerto Varas (Sernageomin): Open to the general public, 454 people registered and 11 guided visits to a total of 280 school children.
-Valdivia (Universidad Austral): At least 300 visits between undergraduate and graduate students, academics, officials from the Earth Sciences Institute and external visitors. Thanks to the outreach department, it also received visits from groups of students from 8 schools, approximately 120 students.
-Santiago (Universidad de Chile): Undergraduate and graduate students, academic researchers and officials from the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Also a total of 7 guided visits, benefiting 153 school students who scheduled guided visits to see the exhibition.
Another achievement of this exhibition was the incorporation of two meteorite finds to the national repository of Pelom Kura, thanks to an external person who approached the exhibition to resolve doubts about possible samples, which turned out to be meteorites found 20 years ago and were finally confirmed thanks to the opportunity to bring experts closer to the community, with this project. Finally, the meteorite and planetary science specialist group also benefited from increased media visibility and the interest of 6 new members who seek to join this group of specialists to promote this area of research.