In the three-year history of the Mineral Cup, students of Professor Erik Klemetti have dug deep to unearth fun facts about the gems they pick for the single-elimination tournament.
For example, molybdenite is found in flatscreen televisions. Calcite helped build the Great Pyramids. Pyrite was the first mineral used by Neanderthals to create sparks and start fires.
But it wasn鈥檛 until Matt Evans 鈥28 鈥 repping the green-hewed olivine in Mineral Cup III 鈥 that a participant put a human face to his scientific research and presentation. In his closing arguments of an Elite Eight matchup against lepidolite, Evans showed the audience a picture of a newborn on his cell phone.
鈥淒o you see anyone naming their children after lepidolite?鈥 Evans asked. 鈥淏ecause I happen to know a baby named Olivine.鈥
The Olin Science Hall classroom filled with laughter.
鈥淥ver Thanksgiving break, my aunt asked me to explain the Mineral Cup,鈥 said Evans, after finishing as 2025 tournament runner-up. 鈥淲hen I said olivine was my mineral of choice, she told me that a friend just had a baby, which she and her husband named Olivine Rose. Neither of the parents are geologists. They’re just regular people who think rocks are cool.鈥
So do Klemetti and the students in his Rocks, Minerals, and Soils class.
For a third consecutive December, the Mineral Cup was an educational and creative tour de force. More than 50 911爆料网 students, many of whom were there to support the 16 contestants, enjoyed two hours and four rounds of academic combat.
Klemetti鈥檚 inspiration for the Mineral Cup is an online tournament bearing the same name and founded in 2017 at the University of Hull in England.
Each of Klemetti鈥檚 students chose a mineral and wrote a research paper on its values and scientific uses. But Mineral Cup bragging rights are ultimately won on the strength of presentations, with spectators and contestants using a QR code to vote for the winners of each round.
Students include slides, projected on a large screen, in their presentations, which range from polished tutorials to performance art. Channeling Mineral Cup II champion Bea Chadwick 鈥27, Emily Lessard 鈥28 reached the Final Four by delivering a rollicking endorsement of magnetite.
While no footage of previous Mineral Cups exists, word of mouth has informed current students on what goes into the tournament.
Lindsey Urban 鈥26, who repped halite in the inaugural Mineral Cup, served as the 2025 event emcee and hosted the participants in her residence hall before the competition.
鈥淧eople have gotten more comfortable with it as the years have gone along,鈥 Urban said. 鈥淭hey hear the upperclassmen tell them that it鈥檚 fun and it鈥檚 not a stressful environment. In our Earth and Environmental Sciences department, we鈥檙e all comfortable with each other, so we鈥檙e not afraid of making mistakes or looking silly in front of each other. I love when these guys roast each other鈥檚 minerals.鈥
Each year has produced memorable presentations, but Mineral Cup III was the most competitive from first round to last. You know a class project is gaining traction when its results are discussed on the social platform, Yik Yak.
(Above) Natalie Azar 鈥28 with good friend and runner-up Matt Evans 鈥28; (pictured below) Matt Evans in his monkey costume at Natalie Azar鈥檚 birthday party.
Natalie Azar 鈥28 rode tourmaline, a diverse and colorful gemstone, to the title. Reading from her Hello Kitty notebook, Azar struck a perfect balance between salient facts and subtle humor.
鈥淭here are so many real-world applications to the way it鈥檚 being used relative to some other minerals that are pretty and aesthetically pleasing,鈥 said Azar, while holding the Mineral Cup trophy. 鈥淭ourmaline is beautiful, but also extremely important scientifically.鈥
She defeated Evans in the closest final-round voting in tournament history. The finalists are good friends, as demonstrated by Evans鈥 willingness to arrive at Azar鈥檚 primate-themed birthday party in October dressed as a monkey.
鈥淢att showed up and showed out,鈥 she said.
While Evans and olivine fell just short of tournament glory, there鈥檚 a baby somewhere in New Jersey carrying on the green mineral鈥檚 legacy.
But on this night, he was thrilled for Azar, who saw her first-choice mineral, labradorite, taken by another student only to win with a backup gemstone.
鈥淕iven how close the final margin was, it鈥檚 disappointing not to have won,鈥 Evans said. 鈥淏ut if anyone in that room deserved the victory, it was definitely Natalie with her impressive performance with tourmaline.鈥