JUMPING INTO THE FISHBOWL: OPEN FOSSIL PREPARATION LAB AS A MEANS OF PALEONTOLOGY EDUCATION

While it’s common for large museums to encourage visitors to peer into the “fishbowl” windows of a working paleontology lab, direct communication with the public is limited. Communicating how fossils are collected, cleaned, and put on display for public view is best done in an open fossil preparation lab. The Morrison Natural History Museum paleontology lab invites the public to step inside and develop a better understanding of how fossils are prepared and what information can be gleaned from the endeavor. Well-trained volunteers are vital to communicating with the public. Museum workers undergo a series of training clinics and an extensive mentorship period. Training involves basic sedimentary rock identification, basic bone tissue recognition, an introduction to lab workstations and equipment, safety, ergonomics, and microscope usage. Next, new preparation interpreters work with an experienced preparator as they learn basic air-scribe techniques. As the new workers become more competent and their skill threshold can be assessed, they are assigned a project commensurate with their new skills and natural talents.

New prepartors are also trained to interpret the activities and object within the lab for the public, to allow workers to directly answer questions from the visiting public. Ultimately, the public is encouraged to use a pneumatic tool to remove matrix on a section of hard sandstone matrix near a fossil with the help of the volunteer preparator. Through visitor involvement and discussion, visitors can learn about various geoscience themed topics, such as how fossil bone is identified from rock. This process of inviting visitors to participate with fossil preparation allows for a direct connection into paleontological investigations.

Additionally, when interested visitors, aged 16 and older, volunteer with the museum, we provide educational opportunities and experiences that include laboratory preparation, field collection and observation, and encourage them to actively engage with the public as educators themselves. We have found that this exposure to the earth sciences increases interest in fields related to geology, paleontology, ecology, and biology.