Educational and Public Outreach Programs

The easiest way to teach little kids about science is to use dinosaurs. Using dinosaurs you can teach the concepts of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, climatology and scientific methodology - and kids will come back asking for more"

                        Dr. John Horner, Curator of Paleontology - Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University

Types of Educational Opportunities

General Public Interpretation

• Museum Exhibits and Intrepretative Displays
• Museum Lectures
• Coordination with UGS Paleontology Volunteer Certification Program
• Coordination with Utah Friends of Paleontology Southwest Paleontological Society or start a new paleontology society with membership benefits such as

Membership Benefits:

• Newletter
• Subscription to Paleontology Publication such as Southwest Quest.
• Volunteer newsletter
• Monthly meetings with speakers
• Educational programs
• Coordination with UGS Paleontology Volunteer Certification Program and other specialized training
• Invitations to museum receptions
• Museum store discount
• Discounts on museum programs and special events
• Unlimited free museum admission for families
• Eligibility for election to the Society's Board of Directors
  

Community Activities

Establish a Science Center Guild - A volunteer auxiliary organization for the Science Center.  Members of the Guild could serve as tour guides, staff the gift shop, raise funds for the museum, and host special events. Membership would be open to anyone interested in supporting the Science Center.  Meetings would be free and open to the public.  

• Annual Dues: $15.00 (Friends and Lifetime memberships available)
• Annual Time Commitment: 50 Hours
• Membership Benefits:
• Guild newletter
• Subscription to Southwest Quest or other similar publication
• Volunteer newsletter
• Monthly meetings with speakers
• Social events
• Educational trips
• Invitations to museum receptions
• Science Center Gift Shop discount
• Discounts on museum programs and special events
• Invitations to annual appreciation luncheon
• Unlimited free museum admission for families
• Eligibility for election to Guild Board of Directors

K-12 Collaboration

• Establish a Speakers Bureau for classroom presentations using Museum hands-on carts and materials
• Provide and assistance teachers in obtain classroom education modules in the Paleontology and the other Earth Sciences
• Provide tours of the Science Center and other interpretative events
• Establish a Students Assistance Teen Program
    - Participation in numerous activities
    - Conduct tours and/or interprete one of the Science Center's "hands-on carts".
    - Annual Time Commitment: 50 hours
    - Participation in field project
    - Receive volunteer newsletter
    - Interact with other teens of similar interest
    - Attend annual volunteer luncheon
    - Receive reception invitations
    - Unlimited Science Center admission for 2 people
• Encrease enrollment in Earth Science courses offered by the Page School District.

Coconino Community College Collaboration

• Work with CCC to increase course offerings in the Earth Sciences
• Work with CCC to increase student enrollment in these classes
• Work with CCC to ncrease the percentage of native Americans pursuing Science Degrees
• Offer scholorships for the students enrolled in the Earth Science programs
• Work with CCC to explore the feasibility of establishing a certified program in paleontology in collaboration with NAU and the Museum of Northern Arizona.
• Work with CCC to share available resources as appropriate.

An Example Career Track
The Denver Museum of Natural History's Certification Program in Paleontology covers everything from collecting and cataloging your own collection to working with museum specimens. Classes take place at the museum, but the program includes field trips to research sites in Utah, Colorado, or Wyoming.

The program's six courses meet four to five times for two to three hours each. Every course combines lectures, lab work, and field trips. Subjects include the rules and regulations of fossil collecting, research methods, report writing, and the history of life as revealed through the fossil record. The program is designed to provide comprehensive knowledge of both paleontological theories and techniques. In addition, two specialized tracks focus on either field work or laboratory methods. The former entails four class sessions, two one-day field trips, and six days on a museum project; the latter requires eight lab sessions. Courses like "Paleontology of the Western Interior" and "Curation of Fossils" are also offered; all courses are taught by the museum's curators and staff.

Educational Links

Utah Geologic Society Teaching Aids
http://museum.montana.edu/www/paleocat/education.html –
http://museum.montana.edu/www/paleocat/geo212.html – Dinosaur Paleontology – Geology 212
http://iggy.oscs.montana.edu/usr/morwww/paleocat/geo212/history.html – History of Dinosaur collecting
http://www.dinosauria.com/dml/dmlf.htm – Compete Dinosaur primer including nomenclature
http://www.dinosauria.com/dml/names/ptero.htm – Pterosaur pronunciation guide