OLD BONES AND NEW TOOLS: ENGAGING FAMILY AUDIENCES IN THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW CRETACEOUS CROCODYLIAN THROUGH ORIGINAL FOSSILS AND TOUCH SCREEN ACCESS TO CT SCAN DATA

The Natural History Museum of Utah's Past Worlds Exhibition provides multiple modes of engagement to tell the story of change through time. With original fossil material, mounted skeletal casts, and sculpted reconstructions of animals and ecosystems our exhibits encourage visitors of all ages to observe, compare, assemble, evaluate, and discover what paleontologists are learning from Utah's rich fossil record. Interpreters share knowledge and specimens on the gallery floor, our outreach team delivers 3D scans and prints of original fossil material to classrooms, digital media invites critical thinking and problem solving, and simple puzzles and drawing activities invite hands-on exploration by our youngest visitors. As we continue to build new exhibits and display new species, we aim for platforms that will engage audiences in the scientific process and provide expanded access to the fossil collection.

A forthcoming exhibit on a new species of crocodylian from the Late Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation (~76 million years old) of southern Utah, U.S.A. will build on the deep engagement that is a hallmark of our Past Worlds Exhibition. The display will include two key elements: 1) the fully articulated original fossil skeleton of the specimen, mounted by one of us,which has been prepared for public display and is readily accessible for further research; and 2) an “Inside Explorer” touch table from Interspectral, a Swedish visualization company whose touch tables have been used in Museums worldwide to display CT scan data, primarily of human and animal anatomy. Our touch table will display the entire CT scan of the specimen, inviting our visitors to virtually remove the rock matrix surrounding the skeleton and filling the skull cavities, and then begin to explore the fossil further. With the touch of a finger they can manipulate, slice cross sections, measure, enlarge, and investigate. These CT scans were initially made at the University of Texas High-Resolution X-Ray CT Facility and University of Utah South Jordan Health Center Radiology lab for the research team’s studies of the specimen. Therefore, these 3D data serve research, exhibit, and outreach purposes; the touch table brings the research experience to our audiences and will encourage close examination of the mounted original fossil alongside its digital facsimile.