museum news

Worker in hard hat at mine site.

Jeff Parshley Joins the Board

Board of Directors, News /

Jeff Parshley has been a mineral collector since early in life—a penchant that increasingly crystallized during his 40-plus year career in the minerals industry.  He is a registered professional geologist in seven states and certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Jeff’s work has included mineral exploration, research geology, geochemistry, and environmental stewardship, with a particular emphasis in sustainable mine closure over the past 35 years. His career has taken him to mining districts throughout the world.   Over three decades ago, Jeff began working for SRK Consulting, an employee-owned global engineering and scientific firm specializing in support for a responsible mineral resource industry. He served on the boards of SRK’s North American and global companies including five years as chair and continues to serve on the board of SRK Chile. In addition, Jeff has served for a total of 10 years on the board of trustees of the American Exploration & Mining Association based in Spokane, Washington. He serves on several advisory boards for the Mackay College of Science at the University of Nevada Reno.  Jeff has won several awards and accolades including the 2014 AIME/SME Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award for his work in mine closure. He was featured on the Mining Journal’s list of mining’s 50 most influential people in 2020 and 2021.   Jeff was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but grew up in Portland. He now lives in Reno, Nevada, and still prefers to self-collect minerals when he can. 

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Summer Steam Camps! Mountain image.

Summer Camps 2024

Education, Science /

Fill your kids summer days with fun sports and games on our 22 acres of property. Let them experiment with many different parts of STEAM including chemistry, biology, engineering, technology, physics, geology, math, and even fine arts in our air conditioned classroom! Led by experienced teachers, along with special community guests and experts, with exclusive time reserved for touring and studying our Museum. Learn more here.

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Blue Star Museum logo and website.

Blue Star Museum 2024

News /

We are again joining museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.  The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, 2024, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024. Learn more and find the list of participating museums at  arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.  Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America. The program includes children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow over the summer as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer. The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members.  Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card  (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum. Follow #bluestarmuseums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily. 

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New Museum Exhibit: “What’s inside a rock?”

Exhibits, News, Science /

Have you ever picked up a rock and wondered about what might be inside? This new exhibit puts everyday rocks under the microscope to show the beautiful secrets inside ordinary stones. This exhibit sheds light on some of the science behind the gorgeous minerals displayed at the museum. It’s great for families and people of all ages! Come visit to discover the humble ingredient in over half the rocks on Earth’s surface and find out what, exactly, makes something a crystal. You can even check it out during the museum’s upcoming Summer Fest, taking place this year on August 6 & 7 from 10 AM through 5 PM.

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Rice Rock and Mineral Museum Rated #1 on TripAdvisor

News /

The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals has earned a Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor and is rated the #1 attraction in Hillsboro. Read the reviews on TripAdvisor to find out why, out of 52 things to see and do in Hillsboro, they said: “You absolutely need to take time to see this museum if you are in the Portland area.” Visitors were impressed with the “unbelievable collection and friendly staff,” and said it’s “perfect for all members of the family.” “Birdguy” wrote: Our group of six visited here because two of us are very interested in rocks and minerals. Well, it turned out to be a trip favorite for everyone. The collection is simply amazing and very well displayed. The history and architecture of the house are interesting as well. The staff was very welcoming and the grounds are beautiful, with some local wildlife making appearances. It’s hard to describe how surprisingly fascinating this place turns out to be. Like many of us rock lovers, we have families who tolerate our enthusiasm. Read this from “maxpaste:” Being the only rockhound in the family, my suggestion of visiting this museum was greeted with a healthy bit of skepticism by the family. However, when we were done everyone agreed it was well worth the stop. This is an amazing collection of rocks and minerals. In fact I can’t recall another museum I have visited that contained anything close to this. The fact that it’s all maintained in a house from the 1950s adds to the charm. We spent an hour here, which was the right amount of time for non-rockhounds. I could have spent another hour. Better yet, come visit the museum and see for yourself! Thanks to all who’ve taken time to give us such great reviews. If you’d like to join the chorus, you can review us on TripAdvisor, Yelp, or Google Reviews.

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Rice Northwest Museum Featured on Carl in the Morning on XRAY.fm

News /

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals’ executive director, Julian Gray, was interviewed on XRAY.fm radio’s “Carl in the Morning” show by Carl Wolfson and Kate Bush on Friday November 6, 2015. In the interview, Carl noted that the Rice NW Museum was highlighted in a recent New York Times article. During their lively conversation they talked about the diverse, beautiful exhibits at the museum including petrified wood, gemstones, thundereggs, and more. They also talked about the museum’s educational programs and events. Have a listen: https://soundcloud.com/carl-wolfson/julian-grey-exec-director-rice-museum-11615

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Image of the New York Times article featuring the Rice NW MUseum

New York Times article calls attention to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals

News /

In a November 1, 2015 article in the New York Times, Quentin Hardy calls attention to five noteworthy museums around the United States.  The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is one of the museums highlighted in the article.  Other unique museums mentioned include the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York; the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Ringling in Sarasota, Florida; the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota; and Walt’s Barn in Los Angeles, California.

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Support the Rice NW Museum with Amazon Smile!

News /

Do you already like to shop with Amazon.com? You can now use Amazon Smile to have Amazon donate money to the Rice Museum each time you make a purchase. It’s easy! Just follow these three simple steps: Go to Amazon Smile and sign in with your usual Amazon username and password. When prompted, type “Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals” into the charity search box. Select our museum as your preferred charity. Use smile.amazon.com to log into Amazon every time you shop. And that’s it! Each time you make a purchase using Amazon Smile, the Rice NW Museum receives a small donation. Sign up now and support our museum by using Amazon Smile!

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Sneak Peek: Find out “What’s In The Box?”

Behind the Scenes, News /

Join us for a new, online feature and discover “What’s In The Box?” with curator Leslie Moclock. Leslie will take you behind the scenes to see some of the beautiful and interesting specimens currently off display. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Instagram to see photos and learn a little about each one as we dig deeper into our rock and mineral inventory. We are in the midst of a massive Collections inventory project that, when completed, will allow us to start rotating some of these back room beauties into the galleries for display. “What’s in the Box?” gives YOU a sneak peek here first! Discover our hidden treasures as Leslie makes her way through Collections storage. Curious to know more about a particular object? Simply reply to the original post on your social media platform of choice with your questions. And don’t forget to share these finds with your friends! Check out #RiceWITB and find out “What’s In The Box?” along with Leslie as she uncovers these treasures and shares them with you! If you want to see even more photos of collections items, don’t forget to join us on Facebook for Mystery Mineral Mondays, too.

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Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
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