EVOLVING THE ROLE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RESEARCH AT THE RAYMOND M. ALF MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY

Because major discoveries can be made by individuals with comparatively little formal training, paleontology provides an ideal teaching tool for the process of science. The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at The Webb Schools is the only nationally accredited fossil collection located on a secondary school campus, allowing high school students to collaborate directly with professional paleontologists through all aspects of collection, curation, and research. Although field collection and exhibit provided the initial focus of the museum at its founding in the 1930s, the Alf Museum has further emphasized primary research on its collections during the past 25 years. Following a 9th grade evolutionary biology course, interested students may take classes in museum studies and introductory research. Successful students (around 20 annually) can enroll in an advanced research course, collaborating on original research with Alf Museum scientists. Nearly all students present their work at regional or national conferences, and many publish co-authored papers in peer reviewed journals. Although aspects of the program are unique to the Alf/Webb partnership, we identify four broadly applicable factors that contribute to successful projects: 1) hands-on access to original specimens; 2) selection of projects that are genuinely novel and of interest to the broader scientific community; 3) frequent feedback and advice from research supervisors; and 4) tightly defined research objectives with discrete checkpoints along the way. Well defined research goals are particularly important; this ensures that most students can finish their projects within the 1–2 years available to them and helps them to more quickly see major results. Additionally, a tight focus keeps the necessary background reading and technical vocabulary to a manageable level (particularly because students may have other significant academic and extracurricular obligations). Separate but related projects by multiple students can be used to build towards a larger scale, long-term research goal. Beyond its contributions to general scientific knowledge, the Alf Museum program allows students to experience the "real" scientific process as well as gain a deeper understanding of how museums and museum collections function.