UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — June is National Pride Month in the United States, and in support on Saturday, June 8, the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) will participate in the State College Pride Parade and Festival, hosted by Centre LGBT+.
The Pride Parade will start at 10 a.m. and the Pride Festival will begin at noon. EMS has been a supporter of State College Pride for several years and this year will have a classic car in the parade. Many members of the EMS community will walk in the parade and host events at the festival. Walkers will join the parade near South Allen Street and Foster Avenue.
“EMS has supported State College Pride for several years, and this year we are excited about increasing our presence and participation with these fun activities,” said Victoria Sanchez, associate dean of educational equity in the College of EMS.
The EMS Museum & Gallery will feature a Pride-themed exhibit developed in collaboration with Denali Kincaid, a graduate student in geosciences. The museum is located in 6 Deike Building on the University Park campus. The museum will be open Saturday during the Pride Festival, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Normal summer hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This new museum exhibit celebrates Pride Month using rocks and minerals to explore the impact of LGBTQIA+ scientists on the growth of Earth Science disciplines, and as a vehicle to show how pride has evolved throughout history, both in terms of symbology — like Pride flags — and through historical events such as the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a series of events between police and LGBTQ+ protesters, which stretched over six days,” Kincaid said.
There also will be an “Ask a Scientist” stream table activity, hosted by EMS graduate fellows who are members of WE ARE for Science, a science advocacy coalition formed by Penn State students and faculty. The EMS Graduate Student Engagement group will host a “Make your own pet rock.” Both of these activities will be hosted in the hallway outside the Museum & Art Gallery.
The State College Pride Festival will be held in Sidney Friedman Park and on South Allen Street from noon until 4 p.m. There will be entertainment, sponsor booths and food trucks. EMS will host an “Ask a Scientist” hands-on display of 3D-printed large hail stones and a fun and family-friendly make your own pet rock activity. The EMS table will be on South Allen Street near the State College Municipal Building.
Many EMS student groups and units have been involved in organizing the events, including: WEMS – Women and Gender Diversity in EMS; MEMS – Minorities in EMS; Undergraduate Student Council; Graduate Engagement Program; Graduate Fellows for Science Advocacy and Diversity/ WE ARE for Science; Diversity Council; Museum & Art Gallery; Office of Development and Alumni Relations; and Office of Educational Equity.
“We’ve gotten lots of support from student organizations and units in EMS, as well as from our faculty and staff, to make this happen,” Sanchez said. “We look forward to seeing lots of folks from EMS and their families and friends stopping by to enjoy the parade, the activity booths, and the Museum & Art Gallery exhibit.”