This presentation is an overview of EarthDate, a public service radio program and accompanying website with a mission to engage listeners in Earth science and connect them to the wonders of their world. Each EarthDate radio episode tells captivating a two-minute story that remind listeners how science can enlighten, educate, and entertain. Every topic is accompanied by an article, educational PDFs for classroom or home use, and links to further reading on the EarthDate website.
EarthDate was conceived of and is hosted by Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin. Each episode is written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Harry Lynch and researched by Juli Hennings, a career geoscientist.
Unsolicited letter sent during COVID-19 school closure in April, 2020: “Just wanted to let you know that you have helped HUGELY with our homeschooling. Our kids are thankfully pretty self-directed, but having www.earthdate.org to point them to has been amazing. [Our son] is tearing through the episodes, and we are having some pretty interesting dinner and hike conversations. When [my husband] slipped on ice while we were out on Sunday, [our son] explained to us all why ice is slippery. He also warned us about avalanches, rattled off some rare earth elements, and taught us a bit more about [Hurricane] Harvey 🙂. You have a big 9-year-old fan! Anyway, what a fantastic podcast series!"
About the presenters
Scott W. Tinker
EarthDate Host and Creator
Scott Tinker works to bring industry, government, academia, and nongovernmental organizations together to address major societal challenges in energy, the environment, and the economy. Dr. Tinker is Director of the 250-person Bureau of Economic Geology, the State Geologist of Texas, and a professor holding the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Tinker coproduced and is featured in the award-winning energy documentary film Switch, which has been screened in over 50 countries to more than 15 million viewers and is used on thousands of K-through-12 and college campuses. Dr. Tinker formed the nonprofit Switch Energy Alliance and is working on two new films: Switch On, addressing global energy poverty and released in January 2020, and Making the Switch, focused on the energy transition. He is the voice of EarthDate, a two-minute weekly program that focuses on remarkable stories of Earth. EarthDate is produced by the Bureau of Economic Geology and is featured on nearly 400 NPR and public radio stations in all 50 United States. Dr. Tinker has served as president of the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), the Association of American State Geologists, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS). Dr. Tinker is an AGI Campbell Medalist, AAPG Halbouty Award winner, GCAGS Boyd Medalist, and a Geological Society of America Fellow. In his visits to some 65 countries, he has given over 800 keynote and invited lectures.
Mark W. Blount
Mark W. Blount, CFRE, promotes the innovative and trusted energy, environmental and economics research of the Bureau of Economic Geology, and seeks to attract new friends, partners, and supporters to its work. External & Governmental Affairs roles include marketing and communication, media relations, outreach to the Texas Legislature, industry engagement, event coordination, land management, donor cultivation, and educational outreach.
Mark has extensive experience in public relations, resource development and non-profit management, and was a petroleum landman for over 10 years. He received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Radio-TV-Film and History from The University of Texas at Austin, and has enjoyed his more than 20 years of service on the staff of UT.
