Dinosaur Science
Train as a paleontologist for a once-in-a-lifetime experience digging dinosaurs. This intensive yet accessible class covers basic geology (rocks & minerals, stratigraphy, earth history), basic biology (skeletal anatomy, systematics), and the evolutionary history and biology of dinosaurs. The course culminates in a mini expedition to a fossil site in Jurassic rocks in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.
Dinosaur Science is an undergraduate level class offered at the University of Chicago and taught by Dr. Paul Sereno. It has become one of the most popular classes.
"This summer, Professor Paul Sereno's Dinosaur Science class took a field trip to a dig site in Wyoming. Check out these photos by Darren Leow, Class of 2013. We took BIOS 23100 - Dinosaur Science by Prof Paul Sereno, the real life Indiana Jones. Throughout the quarter we learned about geology, dinosaur evolution, studied fossils and rock samples. But the highlight of the class is a field trip to an actual fossil dig site in Wyoming that takes place after school's out. We flew to Billings, MT and drove about 3 hours to Shell, WY. There we set up a campsite close to the dig site, and then we worked at the dig site for a whole week, about 10 hours a day or so. There was a Stegosaurus and a Camarasaurus that were currently being excavated from the dig site, so we picked up where the previous groups left off last year. The cool thing was that we managed to find the Camarasaurus skull at last. There's a photo in there of Professor Sereno grinning after finding the Camarasaurus jaw, and then he found the skull nearby not long after. We also worked on a few smaller projects like uncovering a prehistoric fossilized tree, and checking out a couple of abandoned dig sites in a nearby quarry."
The Best Class I Took in College
… was Dinosaur Science with Prof. Paul Sereno.
"You spend all of Spring quarter learning everything (EVERYTHING) you need to know about dinosaurs, whether you’re a rockin’ Geophysical Sciences major or a Cinema and Media Studies fiend with a love of Jurassic Park; then, for just over a week after school ends, you travel with your professor on an actual dinosaur dig. We went to the Bighorn Mountain range in Wyoming. I now know enough about dinosaurs to impress any clade of 5-year-old dinosaur fiends (seriously, those kids know what’s up), and have a bunch of..."