July 24th-29th, 2016

 

Established in 2007, the Big Horn Basin Foundation’s Dinosaur Academy is a program designed to give high school students an opportunity to experience one of the most interdisciplinary fields in the natural sciences. Why paleontology? A paleontologist must be well versed in biology, anatomy, geology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

This week long program explores the many aspects of paleontology, from discovery to display. Participants will spend most mornings and some afternoons digging in the quarries, making observations, and recording data. Students will also participate in discussions and hands-on learning in areas such as molding and casting, preparation of bones, and of course, all about dinosaurs! As a nation we are falling behind much of the world with regards to our scientific literacy. The Dinosaur Academy engages students as they learn the process of discovery. By the end of the program each student will have learned enough to build a scientific story of the life, death, and burial of their discoveries. The skills they learn will let them evaluate and answer scientific problems in the future. Each student will have the opportunity to earn two earth science college credits from Central Wyoming College. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I remember; Involve me and I learn.”  Franklin’s philosophy is at the heart of this program. We seek to involve students in the science of paleontology as a springboard to foster lifelong learning.

 

What to Expect About the Dinosaur Academy

Paleontology as a science is both lab and field based. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is one of the rare places where the lab is only two miles away from the quarries. You can literally discover a bone, survey and measure it, extricate it, and prepare it in the state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, all in one day. The Dinosaur Academy takes advantage of this by allowing students to work side by side, and learn from, the paleontologists and scientists of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and Big Horn Basin Foundation. You will also be required to keep a journal and take notes which will be useful for the final exam.

There is nothing more exciting than discovering a bone and excavating it yourself. As you dig in the quarries, there will be discussions on dinosaurs, their life and death, their habits and the environment in which they lived. Like a fingerprint, each quarry has its own qualities and characteristics that tell the tale of the animals entombed within. Literally, this is CSI: Jurassic, and you are the investigators.

Time in the laboratory will be spent “learning by doing.” You will be trained on the instruments used in the laboratory, such as dental picks, pneumatic air scribes, diamond cutting tools, and abrasion machines. The laboratory is where teeth marks are found on bones that were chewed by predators, where injuries sustained during the life of the animal are identified, and where the bones are stabilized for research and display.

At the end of the Dinosaur Academy you will have learned about the life, death, burial, and environment of the dinosaurs in the quarries you worked. The science you learn will be based on your experience and observations during the week long adventure. There is no telling what you might discover. It may be a new dinosaur, evidence of a dinosaur’s injury or death, or maybe a life-long passion for learning and exploring. You will also be required to take a written final exam in order to earn the two earth science college credits from Central Wyoming College. This is a pass or fail course. There is not a letter grade that is earned.

 

What is the Cost and What does that Include

The Dinosaur Academy costs $1,050.00 per participant. Students must be in high school, ages 15-18. (Other ages may be accepted upon approval of the Director)

Two earth science college credits are included in the price.

All lunches for the week are included in the cost of the program, along with two dinners.

A field notebook will be issued to each participant.

 

** Space is limited! Only 10 participants are accepted each year for the Dinosaur Academy **

 

**A deposit of $200.00 is required to hold your space in the Dinosaur Academy. Registration requires a Minimum Deposit which is part of the Dinosaur Academy Fee. The $200.00 deposit is non-refundable, non-transferable. The remaining $850.00 is due 14 days before the start date of the Dinosaur Academy.**