Quizzing Quartzes: Researching the Environmental and Human Impact of Minerals Sold in the Museum Shop

3 August – 4 September (five weeks)
supervised by Laura Ashby

Project summary

34’ the Museum’s 2026 temporary exhibition, will explore human dependence on minerals, including exploring the impact of mining. In addition to holding an extensive historic mineralogy collection, the Museum also actively participates in the mineral trade, buying stock to sell in its shop, from fragments of minerals for children to collect, such as tumblestones, to semi-precious stones in the jewellery ranges. The placement student will investigate the Museum’s commercial stock of minerals, compiling information about provenance to help us understand the environmental and human impact of this significant income stream.

Project details

During their placement, students will:

Analyse sales data to understand purchasing patterns and visitor appetite
Contact suppliers, instigating probing conversations to find out more about the provenance of mineral stock
Research the impact of mining for each type of mineral on sale in the Museum
Put together a report to show research findings for the Museum commercial team, and for possible submission to the Museums Journal.

The student will be trained as required, and will be supported by the Head of Operations, the Exhibitions Manager and the Mineralogy Collections Manager in shaping and managing their research.

Selection criteria

Essential

Tenacious approach to research, including cold-calling suppliers
Organised and self-motivated
An interest in commercial, operational and exhibitions activity in museums

Desirable

An interest in mineralogy, geology and natural history

Outcomes for students

The student will produce a comprehensive report on the current sales of minerals in the Museum shop, and any ethical issues that the Museum might consider when deciding on what mineral material to stock during the Critical Minerals exhibition. The student will develop experience and confidence in investigative work, as well as discovering more about minerals and commerce in Museums.

Reasonable adjustments

The museum is committed to making reasonable adjustments to its summer placements to make sure that students with disabilities or health conditions are not substantially disadvantaged. If you are concerned about meeting the selection criteria for a project of interest, or completing relevant tasks, please get in touch with Hannah Betts before submitting your application to discuss possible adjustments to the project: summerplacements@oum.ox.ac.uk.