Improving Scientific Awareness in Paleontology, Outreach and Education Activities led by Delta State University from August 2019--May 2020

A Paleontological Outreach and Education Grant received from the Paleontological Society has inspired K-12 students, teachers, Delta State University students and educators about the diversity, abundance, and preservation of fossil resources throughout northern Mississippi. During the 2019-2020 academic year, more than 50 participants attended one or more events. Three field trips to fossil rich resources and a local museum that possessed exhibits about fossils transpired: the Mississippi Petrified Forest with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Sciences, Paleozoic invertebrate and late Pleistocene vertebrate and plant fossils at Nonconnah Creek with the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis, TN and the Union County Museum with a Late Cretaceous Coon Creek site in Union County, MS. Additionally, a one-day workshop occurred in which participants learned how to do various hands-on paleontological activities that researchers incorporate or that convey important paleontological concepts: casting sieving, creating acetate peels from coal ball specimens, investigating virtual website tours of paleontological sites, determining past climates using leaf margins from fossil leaves, developing a geological timeline, and more. Overall, participants gained insight into multiple areas of paleontology and discovered how paleontology integrates and embraces many disciplines including geology, environmental science, evolutionary biology, and systematics. The fieldwork and museum experiences have fulfilled several K-12 science education benchmarks. These opportunities also increased networking opportunities with other professors and professionals from other local institutions including Mississippi Valley University, Mississippi State University, University of Memphis, Mississippi Office of Geology, and Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Keywords: experiential learning, field work, informal science education, paleontology
INTRODUCTION Many children are naturally curious and fascinated about nature. They regularly asked questions about flowers, insects, rocks, shells, minerals, and more that they encounter in the field (Dockery et [...]