The Minerals Education Coalition, the K-12 Education and Public Awareness and Outreach Program of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration has just launched its new website, www.MineralsEducationCoalition.org.
The website structure is audience-based so that resources can be easily found. For example, a teacher would click on “K - 12 Education” to find lessons and activities grouped by grade levels K-5, 6-8, or 9-12 for their instructional needs. All of MEC’s online resources are available at no cost to all visitors. There is also an on-line store where anyone can purchase supplementary materials such as posters, CDs, DVDs, gold panning kits, and other items at a very low cost. Anyone can access materials from any section of the website to find the exact resources to fit their needs. New items are featured in the “MEC Spotlights” column to alert viewers to the site’s most recent updates and new products. It is envisioned that the Minerals Education Coalition will help to create an enlightened and supportive public that appreciates the importance of mining and minerals to their lives and their lifestyles.
The first featured item in “MEC Spotlights” is Copper in Our Electrical World, MEC’s first original content video. The video was produced in collaboration with the Edison Tech Center of Schenectady, NY. It tells the story of how copper deposits were formed, copper’s unique properties which make it so versatile and valuable, how it is mined and processed, and the variety of electrical products which contain copper.
SME’s core purpose, as stated in the SME Strategic Plan, is to be the resource and advocate for the mining community. A critical component of this overall plan is to establish, maintain, and fund a comprehensive mining and minerals education program.
The Minerals Education Coalition’s mission is to provide direction and oversight of SME’s fact-based K-12 minerals education activities from development to distribution and to inform and educate the general public about the importance of mining in their everyday lives.
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