Summer of Paleontology

Mikro was set to go to Fossil Prep camp with the Sternberg Science Camps in June of 2020, but COVID-19 had other ideas... He attended virtual camps in 2020 and 2021, but this year, as the world began opening back up again, in person camps were on, and he was off to Hays, Kansas, for the adventure of a lifetime!

In Field Paleontology, he did surface collecting in Cretaceous marine chalk formations. He learned to survey and set up a dig site, and excavate with pickaxe, shovels, etc. in a Miocene riverine deposit (Minium Quarry.)

He also got some comparative anatomy instruction at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and the Fort Hays State University Biology Department. The last night of camp was a fun "Night at the Museum" experience.

In Fossil Preparation, he prepared a Green River Formation fish fossil, and learned to make molds and casts and "nature fake" them (what I call painting and detailing).

He and his fellow campers learned to pitch tents and set up their campsites, and handle other logistics of being in the field, including how to deal with working in the Kansas summer heat of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. They later spent some nights in the college dorms at FHSU. My picky, anaphylactically food allergic kid was well taken care of both in the field and in the university dining halls. He had an amazing time and made what I hope will be lifelong friendships with peers who share his fascination with ancient life, and mentors who TA-ed the camps. I know he would love to go back as a TA some day, since he is now too old for the high school camps.

If anyone out there has kids who love paleontology, or any of the sciences, check out Sternberg Science Camps. They have programs for elementary, middle school and high school age groups, in everything from geology to herpetology to scientific illustration. I can not recommend them highly enough!