MERGING THE ANCIENT PAST WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY: A LATE CAMPANIAN FLORA FROM THE KAIPAROWITS FORMATION, GRAND STAIRCASE–ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH, AND A SUCCESSFUL MODEL FOR HIGH-IMPACT OUTREACH

Current understanding of North American Campanian (Late Cretaceous) vegetation is based on small survey collections, historical collections, and unpublished theses. A new Late Campanian mega- and palynoflora from the Kaiparowits Formation (~76 to 74 Ma) in Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument has yielded ~750 fossil plant specimens and productive pollen samples from multiple quarries in channel, overbank and pond deposits. The megaflora is among the most diverse found in the Late Cretaceous, with more than 60 species of angiosperms and approximately 25 species of non-angiosperms. The dicotyledonous leaves in the Kaiparowits flora indicate moderate precipitation and a megathermal (≥20 °C) climate. Our initial analysis of this flora, combined with a literature review, shows that Campanian floras were diverse and contained significant percentages of non-angiosperm species relative to younger floras (i.e., Maastrichtian and younger). Communicating this kind of information in real time and generating genuine interest, particularly in school-age children, is a challenge because this research doesn’t focus on dinosaurs, much of the analysis occurs behind the scenes, and the really engaging aspect occurs in the field when the fossils are found and quarried. One of the ways in which the Denver Museum of Nature & Science has approached this issue is the Scientists in Action (SIA) program, which is designed to promote critical thinking, build technology and communication skills, foster general scientific literacy, and allow students to see firsthand what it’s like to be a scientist. With a target audience of middle school students and their teachers, SIA “fieldcasts” a live broadcast of scientists in the field using IP-based communications over a satellite transport to participants in the classroom. Using this technology, students can interact with the scientist by asking questions, creating a more meaningful learning opportunity. The average fieldcast reaches 400 students and SIA will serve more than 3,500 students in 2009.