Trip Log: Friday, August 2, 2002

Above and below: Barbara Gorman, a retired librarian and a participant on six Colville expeditions, shows us her bone box and discusses what she shares with students.

As our last workday in Fairbanks began, we continued to curate fossils, enter data, and make specialized boxes for our precious dinosaur bones and teeth. Prior to lunch Barbara Gorman lugged in her magical bone suitcase and other teaching aids (like her 16 inch egg and Value Village biffy seat covers used to illustrate fossil taphonomy).

Team members went various directions for lunch: some went to the Westridge Café, some to the botanical gardens, some to gather teaching materials at the geophysical building, and some for a well-deserved nap.

Back at the University of Alaska Museum, we piled into the conference room to view a fantastic power point presentation of our trip. This was prepared by Phelana. Then we discussed how we can translate all we have learned on this trip into a working curriculum and how to motivate other teachers to love earth science as much as we do.

We ended our official tenure at the museum by having a private viewing of two spectacular fossil jackets—one containing a fully articulated ichthyosaur from the Brooks Range, and the second was the famous jacket pulled by Tony Fiorillo and the SMU folks from the Tegosiak site, the Pachyrhinosaurus’ skulls.

Dinner was prepared by Chef Phil. It was the moistest and tastiest chicken this side of the Arctic Circle. Later everyone piled into the University’s carbon-monoxide-exuding van to check out the Tanana Valley Fair.

Reporters for the day: Janet and Rena

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