Progress In the Lab-November 10, 2009

 Scholors views of the trip to the Wind River Basin in Wyoming:

What were you suprised to discover on the Summer Scholor Expedition?

-"I was surprised by the shear volume of fossils, everywhere we went there were fragments of fossil long bones or turtle shell just sitting on the surface." Nolan Trenchik

What was your favorite part about the Summer Scholor Programs?

-"I really enjoyed working with everybody, normally I am really shy but after a while grew to love everyone." Hannah O'Neill

What did you gain from your experience in the field?

-"I gained a new understanding of science; it is not simply lab work in the fields of physics and chemistry. There are a lot of different sciences that are just as useful and important which aren't just lab based." Breanna Dodge

In The Lab 

Once the Student Summer Scholars got back from the field in June the scholars visited the lab 3 days a week until Augest.  The activities they participated in was: washing, dry sifting, picking and catologing specimens. 

These are the key procedures to identify the findings from the Wind River Basin in Wyoming.  The students took turns and experienced the steps Paleontologists take to make discoveries.  It was a great opportunity to be able to do "hands on" work with Curators.  The Curators helped students know what to recognize in order to identify the species.  

 

Curently, Hannah O'Neill and Olivia Verma are studying part of what is presumed to be owl foot bones.  They were found at the Buck Springs Quarry and were surrounded by fragments of fossilized eggshells.   

We, (Breanna Carpenter and Breanna Dodge: AKA  B squared) are currently acting as the Web Masters of the Eocene webpage. Our goal is to create an updated webpage and expand to a high school level audience as well as the scientific community.

Stay tuned for the next entry on what we learned from our discoveries about the fossil record of the Eocene Period, 50 million years ago.

 

Research Updates