This collection consists of over 500 (and growing) sand and rock samples from around the world. Some of these samples are common, others quite rare (including olivine sand from Hawaii and star sand from Guam). The collection began as a way to remember my world travels, and each sample has been documented meticulously with the latitude and longitude of its point of collection, the nearest major town, and the country from which it was collected. Additionally a description of the sand’s color, grain size, mineral content, and the type of feature it was collected from (such as beach, dune, river bar etc.) has also been documented. The sand is displayed in 50 milliliter clear plastic containers housed in custom made cherry display cases.
The sand collection is available for viewing by appointment. Extras of most samples are available to universities or individuals conducting research related in some form or fashion to geology or to school teachers conducting projects related to the natural sciences. Any requests for samples must include a proposal detailing the reason for the request (the question to be answered by the research), the methods and the expected outcomes of the research. The sample number(s) and amount must also be included in the request. Additionally, a copy of the final research paper must be submitted for inclusion in the collection archives. The Mary Hemmerly Hecker Memorial Sand Collection should be mentioned in the acknowledgements section of your paper.