Lecture Program 2026
Jul 28, 2026
The Denver Gem and Mineral Show Speaker Program brings science, history and collecting expertise to Hardrock Summit 2026.
During the Indoor Show (September 10–13), visitors can enjoy four days of expert lectures covering mineralogy, mining history, paleontology, geology and collecting. The diverse program ranges from Colorado rhodochrosite, silver mining and the San Juan Mountains to fluorescent minerals, Maine pegmatites, Stegosaurus discoveries and the hidden role of water within mineral structures.
Presented as part of the 58th Denver Gem and Mineral Show, this year’s lecture program also reflects the theme “Red, White and Blue Minerals and Fossils,” celebrating Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Meet leading scientists, curators, collectors and mining experts and discover the remarkable stories behind minerals, fossils and the landscapes in which they are found. The talks will take place in the Library of the Westin Westminster, accessible through the hotel lobby.
|
Thursday, Sept 10th |
Speaker |
Theme |
|---|---|---|
|
11.00 am |
Jeff Scovil |
Stars and Stripes: Red, White and Blue Minerals Album |
|
12.00 pm |
John Jasczcak |
Jewel of the Copper Country — History and Highlights of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum |
|
1.00 pm |
Ed Raines |
Mining the White Metal in Colorado |
|
3.00 pm |
Catia Scarpelli |
|
Friday, Sept 11th |
Speaker |
Theme |
|---|---|---|
|
11.00 am |
Jasper Bertisen |
Mineral Collecting Adventures in the San Juan Mountains |
|
1.00 pm |
David Krause |
Science with a Social Conscience: Discovering Dinosaurs in a Land of Poverty |
|
2.00 pm |
Les Presmyk |
Arizona's Red, White and Blue Tribute to the USA's 250th Birthday, Made in America since 1853. |
|
3.00 pm |
John Rakovan |
Pleochroism in Minerals |
|
Saturday, Sept 12th |
Speaker |
Theme |
|---|---|---|
|
11.00 am |
Bryan Lees |
The Detroit City Mine Rhodochrosite Project |
|
1.00 pm |
Markus Raschke |
An Ocean Within - Water in Minerals |
|
2.00 pm |
Erin Lacount |
Colorado and the Weird (in a good way) Stegosaurus |
|
3.00 pm |
Phil Persson |
A Review of the Minerals, History and Future of the Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller County, Colorado |
|
Sunday, Sept 13th |
Speaker |
Theme |
|---|---|---|
|
11.00 am |
Brian Walko |
Introduction to the World of Fluorescent Mineral Collecting |
|
12.00 pm |
Ryan Roney |
"Gold, Gems & Clay" Georgia's Mineralogical Contributions to America's Economy |
|
1.00 pm |
Mark Ivan Jacobson |
The Gem Pocket (miarolitic) Pegmatites of Maine |
