Camps for middle school or high school students.
Field Paleontology for high school students: students investigate the paleontology and ecology of ancient ecosystems, prospect for and dig up fossils. Participants will encounter a wide variety of fossil vertebrates and invertebrates during their fieldwork. Students will learn how to find and collect fossil material using the same tools and techniques as professional paleontologists. This will include learning to take field notes, setting up a campsite, using GPS units, map and compass skills, and proper methods of fossil collection and transport to preserve as much information as possible. Collected fossils will return to the Sternberg Museum to be added to the research and education collections. Evening group discussion sessions will explore topics such as applying to college, starting a research project, and working with professors.
Fossil Preparation Methods for high school students: Students will be introduced to a wide variety of professional tools and methods used to clean and stabilize fossils in the Sternberg Museum’s fossil prep lab facility. All the work done in the fossil prep lab is important to the science and work done on collected fossil specimens.
Paleontology Explorers for middle school students: explore the fossils of Kansas including sharks, ammonites, giant clams, ancient sea turtles, and giant mosasaurs are only the beginning of the incredible diversity of fossil organisms found here. In this camp, students will be introduced to paleontology field work, using small hand tools, they will prospect for surface fossils, document sites, and learn how to correctly and safely hunt for fossil material. Along the way, students will learn how to identify fossils, and be introduced to the basics of sedimentary geology.