South
Shore High School
Chicago, Illinois
Lisa Michalik 10th Grade
- Why did you choose to
become a paleontologist?
SERENO: Although I was
interested in museums and fossils
as a kid, my decision came late,
in college. I found it to be the
perfect way to combine my interest
in art, science, travel, and adventure.
And, believe me, I think it was
a good decision!
- How many fossils have
each of you found in your careers
and which was the most famous one
you have found?
SERENO: Probably Eoraptor
and SuperCroc are the most famous
fossils that we have dug up.
- What types of resources
and equipment do you use for determining
where to dig and how to dig it up?
GRAY: We decide where to
dig by checking out a geological
map to find rocks of the age that
we are interested in (ones with
dinosaurs in them) and then hike
all over these areas looking for
fossils in the process of eroding
out. When we find one that we’re
interested in, we dig it out with
hand tools like pick axes, shovels,
brushes, awls, rock hammers and
chisels. Lots of good ol’
fashioned hard work. In fact I just
finished doing just that all day!
- Are the results of your
search always close to how you expected
them to turn out? Why or why not?
GRAY: Looking for dinosaurs
is a lot like going on a big fishing
trip. You might know what kind of
fish are out there, or you may not
if it’s an area new to you.
And you may also know generally
where to find fish and how to catch
them, but on any given day a lot
of luck can come into play. And
like good fishermen, we always go
into this optimistically -- every
time I look for dinosaurs I expect
to find one. This doesn’t
always happen, but we just keep
trying till it does. Luckily enough,
we have a good crew here who know
how to find dinosaurs and how to
reel them in!
- Parent Question: (Doreen
Nichols)
What is the importance for excavating
the fossils/dinosaur bones?
GRAY: By excavating these
bones we can bring them back to
our labs for detailed studies that
will help to reveal the identity
of these animals, how they fit into
the tree of life and give us a better
understanding of how life evolved
on our planet.
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