Rutgers University's Geology Museum Holds Open House

The Rutgers University slogan of "Jersey Roots, Global Reach" has a bit of a different meaning for the faculty and students of the college's Geology Department, according to professor Kenneth Miller, of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department.

In the Geology Museum at Rutgers, located on the College Avenue campus, Jersey roots go back millions of years in displays of fossils, minerals, dinosaur and mammal bones, and other ancient artifacts dug up in New Jersey and around the country.

On Saturday, the public got a first hand look at the museum during its 44th Open House.

Families filled the museum's two floors, examining gemstones and rocks and fossilized creatures. In nearby Scott Hall, Rutgers staff held lectures on different topics, such as oil drilling, the paleocene era in New Jersey, and evidence of cannibalism in the South Pacific.

Additionally, visitors browsed a mineral sale, and had a visit from a 12-foot tall, growling animatronic t-rex puppet from the new Field Station Dinosaurs park, slated to open in May in Secaucus.

Were you there? Check out our gallery of photos from the event!

For more information on the Rutgers University Geology Museum, including weekly special events and hours of operation, visit http://geologymuseum.rutgers.edu.