2006 FOSSIL LAB INTERNSHIP
MEET JUAN
Science has always been Juan’s passion. That is why he was originally approached by his principal at Big Picture High School to participate in last year’s Junior Paleontologist program. After receiving hands-on lessons in geology, paleontology, and anatomy, he came to the conclusion that it was one of the best experiences he had ever had. He is thankful to have been a part of Project Exploration’s programs, which helped him foster his interest in science.
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Photo E. Schroeter |
He plans to continue pursuing science in college and realize his goal of becoming a veterinarian.
Juan also returned to our Junior Paleontologist (JP) in 2006 as a JP Team Leader.
An Internship to Remember
by Juan
This summer I got the chance to do something most people will never get to do—I got to work with dinosaur bones at a very prestigious university. When I began this internship I didn’t know what to expect from a lab. The only idea that I had in my mind was that I was going to remove rock and dirt from bones. Little did I know that there was so much more going on behind the steel double doors. |
Juan poses in his dust mask. This mask keeps Juan from breathing in dust and plaster particles while he works.
Photo E. Schroeter |
On the first day of the internship Stephanie had us working right away. The first tool that we got to use was the grinder to remove some of the Suchomimus jacket so we could access the bones easier. Using this powerful tool was harder then it looked— it had a steel ball tip with razors to cut through the hardened plaster, and as we used it, dust flew everywhere. Lucky for us they had vacuums close by to make it easier to breathe and work. After we were finished cutting the jacket, we went straight to work on the bones with tiny air powered “jack hammers” called air scribes to chip away the rock. Along with the air scribes, we also used magnifying glasses to get a closer look and make sure that we didn’t destroy anything that may be bone.
Using an air scribe and a magnifier, Juan removes matrix
from a jacket containing Suchomimus fossils.
It’s painstaking work, moving inch by inch at a time.
Photo E. Schroeter
After a couple of days chipping away the rock, I finally got the chance to work close to the bones. I had to be much more careful though—one wrong move and 110 million year old bones could be destroyed! Luckily I was careful enough not to do any major damage.
I was only an intern for about 3 weeks because I also had the luck to participate in Project Exploration’s Junior Paleontologist program this summer. I only worked on the Suchomimus fossil, but I learned so much from that. I realized in the lab that the work doesn’t end in the field—there is so much left to do in the lab. Cleaning, repairing, casting and preparing for exhibits—lab work is much more diverse then I thought. I have to say that this internship was one of the best experiences that I’ve had, and I’m very glad that I got this opportunity. The experience that I received from this internship is sure to stay with me for the rest of my life and to help me in the real world.
DAYS IN THE LIFE OF JUAN, FOSSIL PREPARATOR
7.20.06
Today, being the first day of this internship, I thought we were going to just watch how something is done, or they were going to spend some time teaching us how to use the tools. Well, they DID do that, but it was only for the first five minutes. After that we went straight to work. We reduced the jacket of a Suchomimus skull so that it would be easier to get access to the skull and be easier to work on. After that, they gave us some air scribes, and we were told to scrape away the rock layer by layer, and if we got to bone we should stop. Overall, it was a pretty fun day, and I can’t wait to see what we do tomorrow.
7.21.06
Today, we worked on the same fossil that we were working on yesterday. With the air scribes, we brought down the matrix for easier access to the bones. This time it was a little easier since I was already getting used to the air scribe. As I was working on the matrix, I found a couple of bones, but I just uncovered the surface and left them alone, working around them to make sure I didn’t break anything. It’s taking some time but the rock is slowly disappearing from the bone. Soon we will start to see all of the bones that are hidden by all of the rock. I am learning a lot about what happens to a fossil after it leaves the field.
7.25.06
Today I worked on the same jacket that I have been working on these past two days. I had to bring down the matrix of the jacket again to just get rid of all the rock. It was a little different today—I worked very slowly because there was bone near. I had to drill away layer by layer, little by little. I may have taken a long time to drill away a small part of the jacket, but if I were to just drill down, it would be possible for me to drill through the bone, and I would harm the bone and the skeleton. I am getting much better at using the air scribes, and I can handle them much easier.
Juan and Lab Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Crofts
decide where to work next by looking at a map of the jacket.
This map shows preparators where to expect to find bone—
but surprise bones still pop up frequently.
Photo E. Schroeter
7.28.06
Today, I was working on the matrix again; this time I had to use a different air scribe, a smaller one since I was closer to the bone. I had to take it even more slowly then last time, taking smaller pieces of rock. I scraped away about a square foot of rock one inch deep taking my time and paying a lot of attention to make sure I wasn’t destroying any bone. They told me that there should be a rib right around where I was digging. The jacket looks so much different then the first day that I was here.
8.01.06
I worked on bone today, it was really cool. Since I was here from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I spent the first three hours clearing some of the matrix—that way the bone would be more accessible. I worked in a small area. The area was around two square feet, but there was so much bone all around it. After lunch, I started working on revealing more bone, being careful not to hit it with the air scribe. At the beginning of the day there were two boxes that could be seen about two inches wide and three inches long. When I finished, I was surprised how much bone I had actually dug out. Now it’s about three inches wide and four inches long, and the other is six inches long. It is really cool, seeing all of the progress that we interns are doing to that jacket.
8.04.06
Today was the last day for me here at the lab. I have to say it went pretty well. I got to work real close with bone. I cleared some bone by taking off the excess rock. This way takes longer, but there’s very little chance of hurting any of the bone. I took off a good chunk of rock and it looked even cleaner and better. I have to say that I learned many things while I was in the lab. Not only about how fossils are cleaned, but that it takes a dedicated mind and a steady hand to make sure the fossils make it to the place where they’re headed. This was a great experience.
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