Uncategorized – Wilson Paleontology Research Group

Digging deeper into fossil seabirds from Kansas

February 21, 2023LEWilsonLeave a comment

Eighty-five million years ago, a seabird called Ichthyornis (which means “fish bird”) lived and died over the ocean that covered Kansas and much of central North America. With well-developed wings, hollow bones, and a body roughly the size and shape of a tern’s, Ichthyornis looked like modern birds and was clearly capable of flying. However, odd features like teeth illustrate the bird’s dinosaurian ancestry. A new study featuring Sternberg Museum fossils collected in western Kansas (and co-authored by the Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Laura Wilson) reveals just how similar and different Ichthyornis was to living birds. This research sheds new light on the details of its skeleton and supports previous hypotheses that Ichthyornis is very closely related to modern birds. The bones of forty different fossil specimens were studied, making these birds one of the better-known fossil bird species. With so many individual specimens, paleontologists can now start answering questions about how Ichthyornis lived its life and evolved as the Age of Dinosaurs came to a close.

Reconstruction of Ichthyornis seabird highlighting which bones were not previously known/described prior to the study, as well as bones with new information added.

This research was published in the open-access journal PeerJ and is available to anyone interested in reading more.

Are you a Paleo Nerd?

October 14, 2021LEWilsonLeave a comment

In case you missed it, Dr. Laura Wilson was featured on the popular paleontology podcast Paleo Nerds in Spring 2021. Check out her interview (and the incredible splash page the Paleo Nerds team put together). Laura talks to Ray and Dave about the geology and ecology of the Western Interior Seaway – the ancient ocean that covered central North America 100-66 million years ago. Much of the information known about the animals and ecosystems in this Seaway comes from Wilson Paleo Lab research and the Sternberg Museum’s paleontology collections.

Paleo Nerds is hosted by paleoartist Ray Troll and ventriloquist David Strassman. Ray and David never lost their childhood enthusiasm for science and all things paleontology, and now share their enthusiasm through engaging interviews with paleontologists and science educators from around the world. Check out past podcasts for a spectacular line up!

Collections Progress Report: September 2018

August 31, 2018LEWilsonLeave a comment

In 2016, the Sternberg Museum’s Paleontology Department was awarded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to support collection improvement projects. For the past two years the collection staff has been working hard on grant initiatives, so we wanted to update you on our Year 2 progress!

This year we added 89 new specimens to the collection, bringing the collection’s total to 21,634 fossil records.

Christina Photographing

Imaging specimens is a priority of both grants, and over the course of Year 2 the collection staff has captured 7675 photographs of fossils. This includes the entire invertebrate fossil collection, as well as a couple hundred vertebrate fossils. Images can be viewed on the new (grant-funded) online database that was just launched this summer. More photos are being added regularly.
Additionally, two vertebrate fossils have been 3D scanned with more planned for the next year.

Data-sharing is a big NSF initiative, and we are part of multiple collaborations to make the Sternberg Museum’s fossil data accessible to everyone. Data and images are not only shared on our new database, but images from the Western Interior Seaways fossil collection are also available on the Cretaceous Atlas of Ancient Life. During a summer workshop, we hosted Kansas middle and high school teachers to develop teaching activities using museum data and fossil pictures. This will take the Sternberg museum’s fossil collection into science classrooms around the state (and beyond).
KAtlas Through these grants, five graduate and 12 undergraduate Fort Hays State University students have been funded to work in the paleontology collection. In the course of their work, they have been exposed to new scientific research, new software and technologies, and a different view of natural history. They have also gained valuable experiences with teamwork, independent work, data management, and organization.

With one more year left on each grant, we are looking forward to more imaging (2D and 3D), data sharing, collaborations, and professional development opportunities. Please follow the FHSU paleo program on Twitter @FHSU_Paleo for collection updates!

#FHSMteach2018

July 10, 2018LEWilson1 Comment

During the last week of June, the Sternberg Museum hosted Kansas middle school and high school science teachers for a STEM teacher workshop. This endeavor was part of one of the National Science Foundation grants to the Sternberg Museum to improve the quality of and access to the Museum’s paleontology collection data. The theme of the workshop was “Museum Data in the Classroom”. The paleontology department has been working hard for the past two years transcribing and improving fossil data, taking pictures of fossils, and putting these data into a database. This workshop gave us an opportunity to show science teachers how these data can be used in their classrooms.

workshop tour — STEM teachers explored the paleontology collection to gain a better understanding of the fossil specimens and data stered at the Museum.

Ten teachers from around the state worked together to develop classroom activities that incorporate data, images, and 3d scans of Sternberg Museum fossils. After trial runs in classrooms, followed by revisions, these activities will be available to other educators via the Sternberg Museum website and other K-12 educational websites. Other highlights of the week included exhibit tours as an introduction to Kansas paleontology, behind-the-scenes collection tours, and a visit by the FHSU MakerVan (a mobile MakerSpace that can be fitted with 3D printers or other educational support materials that can drive to schools around the region). Workshop participants also enjoyed exploring trails, breweries, and restaurants in Hays!

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Student Spotlight

May 15, 2018LEWilson1 Comment

Fort Hays State University undergraduate students play a big role in ongoing paleontology collection projects at the Museum. Because of the two National Science Foundation grants awarded to the paleontology department, there are four undergraduate students funded to help with digitizing and archiving fossil specimens and specimen data. As the school year comes to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge these students and thank them for their dedication.

Jehoiada “J.D.” Schmidt is a 4^th year Biology/Wildlife Biology major who is also pursuing a Justice Studies minor. Although he is more interested in a career working with live animals, he says “working in the paleontology collection has exposed me to an area of biology that I had not really considered very much (dealing with dead things), and has shown me how amazing and diverse the species of this world truly are!”

Kelsey Mills is currently a junior Geosciences major interested in a career in paleontology. Museum work is a big part of the world paleontology, and Kelsey’s experiences have led her to “an understanding of how museum collections are run, and how to fully operate a museums data base. It has also allowed me to put what I have learned in the classroom to good use.” After FHSU, Kelsey hopes to study hadrosaur dinosaurs paleobiology in graduate school.

Hannah Horinek is a sophomore Geosciences student who plans to pursue a graduate degree studying paleontology. For Hannah, “working in the collections is like a dream come true! I love getting to come in every day and help advance the Sternberg toward our goal of digitizing the Cretaceous specimens; it really fills me with a sense of purpose.” Even though she spends her days working with Cretaceous fish, she is interested in researching Devonian fish when she gets to graduate school.

Amelia Growe is a senior Biology major interested in entomology (insects). Though her academic interests are outside of paleontology, she has embraced museum work. “The Sternberg has given me valuable work experience and helped me develop professionally. Contributing to the iDigBio digitization effort is something I take pride in.” After graduating, she will pursue her Master’s degree in Biology at FHSU. Her research will focus on mosquitos.