Fossil Fever

Newspaper or Web Articles Click on Title to Link to Article 2020-05-15 Paleontologist Myria Perez Wants More Women in Science and for Everyone to Be Safe   2020-03-09 125 Sculptures, All of Women in STEM, Coming to Dallas 2020-01-29 ASTC promoting gender equity in science centers and museums through IF/THEN   2020-01-16 Difference-Making Scientist   2019-11-21  ‘The Story Collider’ at Wild Detectives shows the intersection between humanity and science 2019-11-06 The Story Collider: True, Personal Stories About Science - Dallas, TX - Gratitude 2019-09-10  SMU paleontology grad named one of the AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors   2019-08-20   From Field to Museum: How Dinosaur Fossils are Prepared 2018-12-07  Ever Wonder how Exhibits are Made? Here's Your Answer.   2017 NHRE Poster: Taphonomy of England's Blue Lias ichthyosaurs 2013-01-08 Ecoteen Myria Perez earns Girl Scouts’ highest honor — and a congrats from the May

Videos Click on Title to Link to Article 2020-05-14  If/Then Promo 2020-05-11 Ask a Fossil Preparator! With Myria Perez - Skype a Scientist 2020-04-28 Meet If Then She Can Ambassador Myria Perez! 2019-10-16 What does a paleontologist look like?  2019-09-17   Perot Museum scientists honored for inspiring young women 2018-11-19   Myria Perez: Portrait of a Paleontologist

Click the image and find out Southern Methodist University Facebook Page October 16, 2019

SMU paleontology grad named one of the AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors The ambassadors are encouraged to share their stories of being women innovators, in hopes it inspires the next generation of women to get into science, technology, engineering and math [STEM] Myria Perez ’18 and Louis Jacobs DALLAS (SMU) – SMU (Southern Methodist University) graduate Myria Perez ’18 was one of 125 women innovators across the country who was selected to be an AAAS IF/THEN ambassador. Their mission? To share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for girls, in hopes it leads to a new generation of women getting into science, technology, engineering and math [STEM]. “We firmly believe that if we support a woman in STEM, then she can change the world,” Lyda Hill, the founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies, said in a statement. “The goal of IF/THEN is to shift the way our country — and the world — think about women in STEM and this requires changing the narratives about women

By Myria Perez, Assistant Fossil Preparator and Perot Museum of Nature and Science • Published August 20, 2019 • Updated on August 20, 2019 at 5:21 pm     When people think of a paleontologist, they usually picture a grizzled paleontologist gently sweeping dust away from a perfectly articulated dinosaur skeleton. In this scenario, the bones are perfectly preserved, easily distinguishable and seem to be miraculously excavated from the rock around it. The truth is, paleontology isn’t that easy. In most cases, it is rare to find fossils complete. Most fossils in the field are fragmentary and sometimes only impressions are left behind. In paleontology, context is everything! Field paleontologists know where to seek out specific fossil localities for their research by examining geological maps called topographic maps. From these maps, they can then use a trained eye to read the rocks and identify where fossil bone could possibly be found. Wh

CASTING & MOLDING A cast is essentially a copy of a bone.   Sometimes it is called a replica.   The advantages of a cast are that it is lighter and stronger than real bone.  It retains all of the external details of the original specimens.    A two part mold can be made from an original fossil.  The bone is supported with clay and building blocks. More clay is used to cover about half of the original fossil.          Once the molding rubber has completely dried, the sides made  of building blocks are removed. After they are removed, the top portion (molding rubber and the original fossil)  can be separated from the clay.    Now the other side needs to be molded.  The first part that was molded is now placed on the bottom and the walls are built with building blocks to be high enough to cover the fossil and have s