INCREASING ACCESS TO PALEONTOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: EXPANDING HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FOSSIL RECORD AND DEVELOPING MORE BILINGUAL RESOURCES

Paleontology, and geology in general, have historically been inaccessible to the majority of society for much of history. This is partly due to the relative paucity of pedagogical resources readily available in languages other than English, as well as the lack of diverse representation in books often used for paleontological education. The development of these fields has likewise suffered a diversity crisis whereby the lack of varied perspectives has limited accessibility and public understanding of the fossil record, as well as avenues by which science can search for new solutions to questions of Earth’s past and future. Developing resources that expand our view of who has contributed to the discipline as well as creating materials that go beyond offerings only in English are critical to expand the reach and relevance of paleontology.

To raise awareness and contribute to resources in working to address this diversity crisis, we share updates here on a variety of completed and in progress work. 1) Textbook analysis revealed that an overwhelming majority of paleontologists acknowledged for their contributions to the discipline are white men from Europe and the United States. Thus, developing resources that emphasize more inclusive narratives at the intersection of culture and paleontology in learning about the fossil record are a focus of ongoing efforts. 2) Providing greater linguistic accessibility for a wider audience that includes native Spanish speakers is another focus. Projects have included a Spanish translation of the online 2020 Earth Science Week “Fossil Use Cards” from the Paleontological Society. This resource explores how fossils have been used or studied in different cultural contexts and includes NGSS alignment for K-12 educators. In addition, a Spanish version of a National Park Service (NPS) story map on fossil tracks from across U.S. national parks was developed. New endeavors currently underway in collaboration with the NPS include translation of paleontology activity books for youth and guided programs created for Spanish speakers at Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas. These initiatives serve as examples for how to produce or build off of existing materials in approaching education and outreach in ways that are more inclusive and culturally responsive for all ages from a local to national level.