During my time at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I created an interactive field-based dinosaur dig for the Orpheum Children’s Museum in Champaign, IL with Lost World Studios and Dr. Naomi Wasserman. This dinosaur dig consisted of three layers illustrating the Late Cretaceous. The first layer was focused on exploring feeding behavior in dinosaurs, the second layer focused on reproductive behavior, and the top layer illustrated the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. The dig site was intended for K-8 children as an educational tool.
Sadly, due to the pandemic, the museum permanently closed and all exhibits had to be deconstructed and taken away. During the spring of 2021, I along with Drs. Giorgis and Over traveled to central Illinois and took apart the dig site and delivered it to SUNY Geneseo
Now that the dig panels are safely stowed at Geneseo, I am working on cleaning the panels and repairing damage. The department plans to turn these panels into both table-top and wall-mounted interactive displays for education outreach and for GSCI courses.
The dinosaur dig panels were restored this summer by students Johnathan Lockwood Fall ’22 and Ellie Costanza ’22 (plus help from my daughter Rose)! We are hoping to frame and mount the panels on the 2nd floor of the ISC this fall (2022)!
