Published: July 10, 2009 09:36 pm      

Edmond student returns from dinosaur dig

James Cole, a student at Edmond Santa Fe High School, returned June 27 from a two-week program that included a week of digging for dinosaurs in southern Utah.

“Paleo Expedition 2009” was part of ExplorOlogy, an education program offered by the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman and funded by the Whitten-Newman Foundation. Cole was one of 10 participants selected from more than 30 applicants statewide.

Cole and the other students journeyed to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument with museum paleontologists and other scientists from the University of Oklahoma to identify and excavate fossils from the late Cretaceous Period.

For a week the team lived in tents at a location described as “one of the most remote in the contiguous 48 states,” by expedition leader and curator of vertebrate paleontology Richard Cifelli. During their stay, the students found 75 million-year-old fossils from duck-billed dinosaurs, prehistoric crocodiles, ancient mammals and more.

“This has really helped me understand how history and science tie together,” Cole said. “It made me realize how broad the category of science is.”

Though the conditions could sometimes be difficult, the atmosphere of fun and friendship made it all worthwhile to Cole. “I learned what kind of environments, patience and other challenging conditions paleontologists go through,” he said. “I loved the personalities of the scientists. We learned and had so much fun at the same time.”

ExplorOlogy also includes “Oklahoma Science Adventure,” a week-long residential program for middle school students and “Summer Explorers,” a series of classes for children age 4- 14 will run from June-July. These open-enrollment classes feature a variety of natural history topics, and all incorporate hands-on outdoor experiences.

Additional information about ExplorOlogy can be found online at explorology.snomnh.ou.edu or by calling 325-4712. The museum is located on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus.