Recap of the 43rd Annual Atlantic Micromounters' Conference, April 22-23, 2016 

2016 Speaker: Tony Nikischer, Excalibur Mineral Corp., Charlottesville, VA

Tony’s topics include:
1. "How New Minerals Are Discovered &          Named” (example nikischerite)
2. “Minerals of the Kola Peninsula”
3. “Rocks from Space”

Tony’s interest in minerals was stimulated by an early visit to Franklin, NJ in the 1960s. Today, he is founder and president of Excalibur Mineral Corp., arguably the largest provider of systematic minerals in the United States. The company has specialized in rare minerals for researchers, museums and private collectors worldwide since 1974. He operates an in-house analytical laboratory and is also the publisher of the monthly periodical, Mineral News.
He is the founder and chairman of The Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a not-for-profit foundation devoted to study, preservation and public education pertaining to the mineral kingdom. The Institute is now the parent organization of Mindat.org, the most prolific and widely viewed mineralogical website in the world. Tony has served as a director of the Friends of Mineralogy and is a Life Member of the Mineralogical Society of American, and is also a member of both the Mineralogical Association of Canada and the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain.
In 2001, the new mineral “nikischerite” was named in his honor. Tony has contributed over 200 articles to publications such as Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, Mineral News and Applied Spectroscopy, and he has co-authored descriptions of a number of new mineral species. He was awarded the Salotti Earth Science Education award in 2013.