I've been going to counselling services Laurentian University - Université Laurentienne for the past year and a half. My counsellor suggested decorating one of my walls with a timeline for my PhD to keep me accountable for the goals that I set, including the most daunting one—finishing on time.

Did you get a 3D printer for the holidays? Try printing TotBlocks! TotBlocks are a series of 3D-printed building blocks that can be used to construct the crystal structures of many common minerals. #TotBlocks #MineralMonday #3DPrinted #Geology #SciComm youtu.be/pNsD5MDUdqU 1/4

There’s quite a few modules and parts for TotBlocks. To make things easier, we made a video to showcase the different components and how to assemble the modules. youtu.be/JqNwlT4ukXY 2/4

Ready to 3D print TotBlocks? Get started here: youtu.be/GAaxp7R7IAs 3/4

Over the next few weeks, we’ll feature some of these different minerals and their crystal structures through a series of tweets and videos. Check out our TotBlocks playlist on YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=… 4/4

Muscovite (mica group) rosette from Mina Jose Pinto, Conselheira Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 4.5 cm across. Harquail School of Earth Sciences Reference Mineral Collection, Laurentian University (ex Irwin Kennedy). #TotBlocks #MineralMonday #Rocks #Minerals #SciComm 1/6

What a beautiful specimen of spodumene variety kunzite!

I don't think I will EVER use this pickup line unless I want to get unmatched😂. But read more about the amphiboles while you're at it!

Just a slight bit jaded that they didn't have the time of day to respond to my request for my study on curling stones, but I understand that one of these things is not like the other

Did you know? This was the predecessor to our TotBlocks project! It takes about an hour or two to 3D print the same structure, rather than 2 weeks of non-stop cutting, scoring, and gluing/taping (a lot of questionable fumes were inhaled in those two weeks...) sound on for ASMR 😉

I had an "enlightening" experience at the brightest light in Canada last year! We did CT scans and micro-XRF maps of samples containing gold and green micas to better understand their spatial relationship. Thanks CLS for the feature tweet!

Researchers from Harquail School of Earth Sciences @laurentianu are using the CLS to study why a mineral called green mica is often found in close proximity to gold deposits. This work could help inform more effective mining exploration strategies Derek Leung More: bit.ly/3KJXJ8H

📣#NewPaper Alert 📣Paige dePolo and I used 3D-printed crystal structures (TotBlocks) in an optical mineralogy lab. We found that TotBlocks were useful in helping students to learn the relationships between crystal structures and cleavage/pleochroism. doi.org/10.5194/gc-6-1…

Our Annual Report is available now! 📰 Check it out for the latest MERC and Metal Earth updates & subscribe to our Newsletter in 2024! mailchi.mp/laurentian/mer… LUL Research|Recherche Goodman School of Mines Laurentian University - Université Laurentienne Harquail School of Earth Sciences

Congrats Ian - I'm very thankful to be part of this contribution! Really great work.