2005 DINOSAUR LAB INTERNSHIP
by Charlita, Manny, and Alice

The Edge of Discovery
We were all standing in the lab staring at an unopened plaster jacket. A jacket is a plaster case that protects and stabilizes dinosaur bones. We were unknowingly standing on the cutting edge of the continuously evolving world of paleontology. What new knowledge might we gain from the fossil? What 65-million-year-old secret lies underneath the plaster and burlap shell? These were some of the questions that were going through our minds as we stood on the edge of discovery.

The first day was full of grinding plaster in the hopes of opening the jacket. Dust from the jacket covered us from head to toe as we struggled to get the grinder to stop bucking in our hands. We were not granted the satisfaction of opening the jacket until the next day. When we lifted the jacket off of the bone, a rush of excitement instantly overtook us. The next eight days were spent carefully clearing away dirt. What we uncovered was a beautiful Edmontosaurus femur and jaw. Unlike any other fossils in the lab, these were so glossy that everyone in the lab was asking if we had somehow buffed or polished them. Sara Burch, our lab supervisor, later explained to us that bones from that particular quarry are usually shiny, but never as shiny as the one we were working on." The people at the lab were great, especially Sara, she was really helpful and supportive” said Charlita.

Charlita and Sara analyzing the upper portion of the femur.
Photo: J. Havens

We finished with one side of the bone. It was time to turn it over, but before we could do this we had to make a new jacket for the exposed bone to rest on. We made a batch of plaster and got to work. We were soaking the burlap in plaster, then frantically placing them on the bone before it dried. Although it is messy, making a jacket is real fun. It was exciting to finally flip the jacket over and see the other side of the specimen. “My favorite moment was finally flipping the jacket over. We had been speculating for weeks on how the other side may look. It was a learning experience to see how much time and effort that was needed just to flip the jacket” said Alice.

Because of our newly gained wisdom, we were able to clean the other side of the bone much faster.

Alice removes the dirt from the fossil while Sara
analyzes bone fragments.
Photo: J. Havens

We all stood there looking at the finished fossil. A sense of pride overcame us as we stared at an incredibly glossy 65-million-year-old work of art. Since working at the lab we have gained a better understanding and greater appreciation for paleontology.

Days in the Life of a Dinosaur Intern

July 21
Day 1
The entire fossil specimen was covered by a jacket, which is a protective casing made out of plaster. An instrument called a grinder was used to remove this jacket. The grinder cleanly cut through the jacket exposing tin foil and rock. A vacuum was used to collect dust.

Manny and Alice grinding away at the fossil jacket.
Photo: J. Havens

July 25
Day 2
We continued to grind until the entire jacket was loose enough to be removed. The jacket was then removed, revealing the femur and the outlines of the jawbone. There were loose fragments of bone, particularly around the upper portion of the femur. Rock and dirt covered the majority of the femur’s surface and the jawbone was entirely covered by rock.

We first scraped off most of the dirt and rock. Large pieces of broken bone were placed aside to be reconstructed. Once the surface was clean, B-72 glue was applied via eye dropper to areas with loose bone fragments. This stabilized the fragments. Superglue was applied to small cracks along the bone’s surface. Through the use of dental tools, we began a detailed cleaning process. In areas where dirt was difficult to remove, a substance called acetone was used to loosen the dirt.

July 26—August 1
Days 3-5
We continued the cleaning process using dental tools and acetone. The flat surface of the bone was the easiest to clean due to its smoothness. The sides and the upper portion of the femur were more damaged. Throughout the cleaning process we continued to add superglue to these fragile areas. The surface of the bone was shiny after all of the excess dirt was removed.

Alice removes excess dirt from the fossil.
Photo: J. Havens

August 2
Day 6
We removed rock surrounding the femur and jawbone. We constantly applied acetone to loosen the rock and used pin vices to remove the rock.

August 4—8
Days 7-8
We ground off more of the jacket. We brushed all excess material off the femur. The reconstruction of the upper portion of the femur was completed. Through the use of a hardener called epoxy and a putty-like substance, a large fragment of reconstructed bone was attached to the femur. We applied tan-colored epoxy around the reattached piece so it blended with the remainder of the bone. Medium to large cracks were also filled using the tan-colored epoxy. We began cutting a material called burlap into small, medium, and large strips.

August 9
Day 9
In order to flip the jacket, the newly prepared side had to be protected. We filled all the crevices in the bone with wet paper towels and covered the bone with a plastic sheet. Each strip of burlap was briefly placed in water. The wet strips of burlap were soaked with plaster and immediately applied to the plastic-covered bone. We continued to add layers upon layers until we decided that the bone was protected.

Charlita and Sara reconstructing the femur.
Photo: J. Havens

August 11
Day 10
The plaster hardened, which created a cast. The cast and the paper towels from the crevices were removed. Sand bags were placed around the jacket for support. The cast was placed over the exposed bone. Ropes were tied around the cast. With six sets of hands, we lifted the specimen straight up and flipped it over on its opposite side. We carefully lifted the jacket making sure not to detach too much bone. This side was also damaged around the upper portion but it was in good condition overall.

August 15- 23
Day 11-15
All excess rock and dirt was removed. Loose bone fragments were superglued and a detailed cleaning process began once again. By the 15th day, the surface of the femur was clean and shiny.

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