A Trip to the Museum and the Scientists behind the Science...

Life rewards action.  That’s what I was thinking when I planned the trip to the Local science museum. Is science important? Does it have relevance to everyone?

Millions of dollars in funding cuts to university research, resulting in hundreds of scientists losing their jobs.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out the possible domino effect of that kind of change.  

At the University of Texas at Austin's Science & Natural History Museum, I focused my attention on the fossils exhibit.  I had studied about them, but never seen them up close. Steven Spielberg tried to create what it might have looked and felt like to be around dinosaurs during the 'Jurassic Period.' I tried to visualize the same thing as I studied the exhibit. I felt sad, though it was not meant to be an emotional experience.  

What would it have been like for these once-alive creatures to roam the earth? As I was examining the various fossils from the different time periods, I thought of the work paleontologists put in to locating the fossils and preparing them for exhibit.

Technology plays a role. Technology helps Paleontologists discover fossils. Scientists can use X-ray machines and CT scanners to look inside the internal structures of fossils. Computer software can take fossil data and reconstruct skeletons. Software can also be used to simulate the movements of extinct creatures.

Still, paleontologists make the majority of their discoveries by using simple tools at dig sites.

 Visitors can watch Paleontologists at work (and even participate in the digs) at the following dig sites:  Wyoming Dinosaur Center & Dig Sites, PaleoAdventures. This seems like a good opportunity for teachers to plan field trips. By watching Paleontologists at work, students can learn to appreciate science.

~N.Acharya