August 11 to 15: Nebraska Badlands Fossil Field Trip
The FOSSIL project is co-hosting (with the Panama and PaleoTeach projects) a Badlands K-12 Fossil Field Trip August 11 – 15 in western Nebraska. We will be collecting fossils for the FLMNH and K-12 education, learning about the local geology, and developing paleo-related lesson plans. We have up to 8 spaces available for prospective participants from fossil clubs and societies. Preference will be given to new participants (i.e., members of clubs and societies who have not previously participated on a FOSSIL-sponsored project), from either the Midwest or west, and those who can demonstrate how they would translate what they learn to K-12 teaching and learning. The FOSSIL project will provide meals and barracks-style housing at Ft. Robinson State Park near Crawford, NE. Participants will need to provide their own transportation to and from Ft. Robinson. A short online application to participate in this event can be found here, or you may email [email protected] for more information.
October 12 to 17: DPS and SVP, Dallas, TX
The Dallas Paleontological Society (DPS) and the FOSSIL Project will be co-hosting a meeting of paleontological societies and fossil societies on Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13. Events will include a keynote and other talks, breakout discussions, a town hall meeting about fossil legislation, social activities, and a field trip. Scott Foss, paleontologist at the Bureau of Land Management, and Vincent Santucci of the National Park Service are planning to attend this meeting and they are interested in talking about the fossil legislation and National Fossil Day. Participants of the DPS meeting are encouraged to stay on for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) meeting held in Dallas October 14 – 17. A special registration fee has been negotiated, and the FOSSIL project will pay for up to 20 registrations of members of fossil clubs and societies to attend the SVP meeting; names of those attending must be submitted to the SVP host committee by August 14. For more information about the DPS meeting, contact Rocky Manning at [email protected]; for info on the FOSSIL-sponsored SVP Registration, contact Eleanor Gardner at [email protected].
November 1 to 4: GSA (Geological Society of America) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD
The FOSSIL project will be partnering with the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club to host an exhibit booth that celebrates amateur and professional paleontologists. Talks will also be presented in the technical sessions about the FOSSIL project as well as updates on research activities by UF paleontologists. The GSA Annual Meetings typically attracts between 5,000 to 10,000 geologists, paleontologists, and educators from the U.S. and around the world. This will be an excellent venue to promote the FOSSIL community and we are grateful to the CMM Fossil Club for their interest in partnering with us. For more information, contact Eleanor Gardner at [email protected].
November 10 to 12, Portland, OR: NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) Area Conference
The FOSSIL Project is looking for partners to present at the 2016 NSTA area conference in Portland, OR. At NSTA conferences, educators present on and discuss science content, teaching strategy, and research. Collaborate with science educators through discussing ways in which your fossil group does outreach or develop a session on how to use paleontological content in the classroom. Proposals are due in September 2015. For more information, please email Eleanor Gardner at [email protected].