THE PALEONTOLOGY IN THE PARKS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AND MENTORS THROUGH THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY & NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Paleontological resources are known from 283 National Park Service (NPS) units across the United States. These fossils span all of geologic time and encompass a wide variety of microfossils, invertebrates, vertebrates, plants, and ichnofossils. Specimens are documented in situ, maintained in museum collections, and recorded in cultural contexts. Research on NPS fossils is important for the management and preservation of these non-renewable resources as well as for their scientific value and opportunities for interpretation in communicating science to the public. A new initiative between the National Park Service and Paleontological Society is presented here to help address these needs through collaborative research with mentor-student pairs in this unique fellowship program.

The model of the program seeks applications from mentor-student pairs whereby the mentor has expertise to contribute to a specific NPS research need that they can do by guiding a student in leading that research with the NPS. Students supported by this fellowship program are additionally expected to participate in several education and outreach endeavors to foster their professional growth in learning more about federal careers and in doing service to help promote the discipline.

Fellowship projects supported by this program are best suited to align with independent studies, summer research experiences, Honors theses, and Masters capstone projects. Two funding models are available depending on the scope of the work. Smaller/shorter-term projects might involve researching or drafting a chapter for a park inventory report, identifying/documenting specimens for a park, or developing education/outreach materials and programming for a park. Larger/longer-term projects might involve completing a comprehensive paleontological resource inventory report for a park or a thematic inventory report that focuses on a specific taxonomic group across all NPS units. Research opportunities may involve on-site fieldwork or could be entirely remote. The success of pilot projects supported by the program have yielded impressive results both in regards to the research completed and the benefits to all collaborators involved. We’re excited to officially launch the program this year and are presently seeking applications for new projects posted.