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Events, links, & news |
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Iowa City Darwin Day 2012 Events February 10 – 12 at the University of Iowa
In commemoration of the 203rd anniversary of the birth of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin, a variety of talks and other events will be held on the University of Iowa campus this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday under the theme “Bird Origins & Evolution”. All events are free and open to the public. Click here for complete details. Of special note are talks by world-famous dinosaur paleontologist Dr. Phil Currie from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Natural History in Alberta, Canada. Also, attendees can view the fossil skeleton of “Laura the Kid Dinosaur” at the UI Museum of Natural History from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday.
Paleofest 2012 March 3 – 4 at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL
Don’t miss the next popular Paleofest at the Burpee Museum coming up the weekend after next! Events include lectures by paleontologists, family workshops, children’s activities, and a special dinner with keynote speaker Dr. Scott Sampson of “Dinosaur Train” fame! Other famous paleontologists scheduled to speak include Dr. Larry Agenbroad, Dr. Thomas Holtz, and Dr. Lawrence Witmer among others. At the museum, view the new Neanderthal Exhibit and two smaller paleo-exhibits. Also, you still have a chance to see the Ice Age Mammals special exhibit. Registration fees apply. Click here now to register and for more detailed information.
2012 Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show March 17 – 18 at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids
The next Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show is coming up in Cedar Rapids this weekend! This popular annual weekend event is held at the Hawkeye Downs Expo Center, 4400 6th St SW in Cedar Rapids from 8:30-6 on Saturday and 9:30-5 on Sunday. The theme for this year’s event is “Geodes, Nature’s Grab Bags”. See replica skeletons of a giant Stegodon & Ice Age Cave Bear! Visit vendors selling all kinds of rock and fossil-related merchandise. Enjoy other displays, demonstrations, silent auctions, educational programs and many activities for children. This event is sponsored by the Cedar Valley Rocks & Minerals Society. A small entry fee applies for those over age 11. Click here for more details.
Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) Fossil Expo XXXIV March 30 – April 1 at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL
Don’t miss the largest fossil-only show in the world in Macomb, IL in April! Buy, sell, swap, & display of fossil-related items only. This event is organized by MAPS and is held in Western Hall at Western Illinois University from 8-5 on Friday and Saturday (with evening activities), and 8-12 on Sunday. The event theme is “The Pennsylvanian Period”. Silent and live auctions, children’s activities, and educational workshops are included. Free admission. Click here for more information.
“Fossil Guy” Educational Programs Saturday afternoons in April at UIMNH
Don’t miss the next series of programs by “Fossil Guy” Don Johnson at the UI Museum of Natural History (Macbride Hall Auditorium) on the first three Saturday afternoons in April at 2:00pm. These free programs include a 30-minute talk followed by 30-minutes of hands-on interaction and question & answer time for children and adults. Items from Don’s extensive paleontology collection will be on display. Topics are as follows:
Saturday, April 7: “Dinosaur Evidence” Evidence of dinosaurs includes much more than just their fossil bones! What can we learn about dinosaur diet from fossil claws, teeth, jaws, coprolite & gastroliths? What to fossil bones with tooth & claw marks teach us about dinosaur feeding and hunting behaviors? What can we learn about dinosaur growth and parenting behavior from fossil eggs, nests, embryos & hatchlings? What do fossil footprints and trackways teach us about dinosaur herding & hunting behavior, as well as their speed of travel? Can fossil scutes, skin and soft tissues help us reconstruct and identify a dinosaur? What uses did non-avian dinosaurs have for feathers? Don will use a variety of dinosaur fossils, replicas and models from his extensive collection to help answer these questions and more! As a special bonus, see and touch the fossil bones of “Laura the Kid Dinosaur”, a young duck-billed dinosaur – and compare her bones to those of adult duckbills. Learn more about Laura at www.paleoproject.org.
Saturday, April 14: “The Leg Bone is Connected to the Hip Bone” See and study a wide variety of skulls and skeletons of modern animals. How do the teeth of mountain lions differ from those of sheep, pigs, coyotes, and bears; and what do their teeth teach us about their diets? How do the specialized teeth of rabbits and beavers allow them to do everything from chew tough grasses to chew through trees? How do you pick up a bone and know if it’s a shin bone, thigh bone, or humerus? Why do vertebrate paleontologists study the skeletons of modern animals? Examine modern bones and compare them to fossil bones to get answers to these varied questions. Learn about your own bones using a replica human skeleton. As a special bonus, see and touch the massive thigh bone of the extinct Ice Age ground sloth Eremotherium!
Saturday, April 21: “Ancient Fliers” Learn about the wide variety of flying animals that have been preserved in the fossil record. How and why did many different kinds of animals that once walked the earth later take to the air as gliders and powered fliers? What kind of animals first had feathers, and why did they first appear? What special adaptations did early birds have that allowed for powered flight? How are pterosaurs similar to bats, and how are they different? Get answers to these questions and more during this program. Use a microscope to examine flying insects that have been trapped in amber for thousands of years. Travel back in time as you examine fossil replicas and models of pterosaurs, early bats, and feathered dinosaurs including Microraptor and the first bird Archaeopteryx!
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History Upcoming Programs
The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History on the Pentacrest in downtown Iowa City sponsors a variety of additional upcoming programs — Click here and follow the Programs link for further information.
The Cedar Rapids Science Station Upcoming Programs
The Cedar Rapids Science Station in Lindale Mall sponsors a variety of programs and science-related camps for children – click here for their events calendar with additional details.
LINKS
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History (UIMNH) Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) Cedar Valley Rocks & Minerals Society (CVRMS), Cedar Rapids, IA Cycad Productions Ltd, Watermill, NY Tarkio Valley Ground Sloth Project Science Station in Cedar Rapids, IA ”Devonian Fossil Gorge” at Coralville Dam ”Dinosphere” at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum “Jane” at the Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford, IL “Sue” & “Evolving Planet” at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL
ARCHIVED NEWS
Click here for archived news for 2010—2011.
Click here for archived news for 2004—2009.
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Introduction |
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Laura |
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Exhibits |
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Promotion |
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Sponsors |
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Fossil Guy |
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Events |
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Contact Us |
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David Wolf of “Two Girls Fossils” and his crew use a small backhoe to construct a primitive road to the “Laura” dig site in the badlands of northwestern Montana (Summer 2004). |
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Jeremy, one of David Wolf’s crew members, uses glue to stabilize one of the bones of “Laura” in the field (Spring 2005). |
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Field photograph of Laura’s tibia and fibula in place as they were being uncovered in northwestern Montana (Spring 2005). |
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Eastern Iowa Paleontology Project |
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“Bringing DINOSAURS to Iowa” |
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www.paleoproject.org |
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Young EIPP Sponsors attend Paleofest ‘06 at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL. |
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EIPP President Don Johnson uses an air-powered scribe to remove harder matrix from one Laura’s fossil bones. |
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Young EIPP sponsor goes “head to head” with the great Allosaurus at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL (Feb. 2006). |
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Young EIPP Sponsors hike out to the site of a dinosaur dig in the badlands of SW North Dakota (July 2007). |
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Introduction | Laura | Exhibits | Promotion | Sponsors | Fossil Guy | Events | Contact Us |
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“Dawn at the Rookery” (1990) by paleoartist Mark Hallett shows a mother tending to her nestlings at a Hypacrosaurus stebingeri nesting ground. To learn more about Mark Hallett’s artwork, visit his web site at www.hallettpaleoart.com. Copy-righted image used with permission. |
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Young EIPP Sponsor meets Dr. Jack Horner (co-discoverer of Hypacrosaurus stebingeri) during Paleofest ‘08 at the Burpee Museum of Natural History. |
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Click here to learn more about Roby Braun’s 1:4 scale life restoration of “Laura the Kid Dinosaur”! |
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This drawing titled “Laura’s World” by Don Johnson shows “Laura the Juvenile Hypacrosaurus” during the Late Cretaceous Period about 75 million years ago. |