Re: Fwd: Teen programs

[MKIRKALDY@aol.com]

Mickey Rowe wrote:

< Jim Farlow forwarded a question about summer camps to expose people to
field work in paleontology.  For anyone receiving questions about such
things I think a good idea is to route the questioner to:>

< http://libwww.syr.edu/research/internet/earth/fieldcamps.html >

The requests for career day interviews have been coming in at as steady a 
pace as inquiries about paleo summer camps and jobs for teens.  Most museums 
have some sort of science day program in which young people could  
participate.  They could also try to volunteer at a museum.  I would say that 
the majority of field experience programs require, for insurance purposes, 
that those attendees under 18 be accompanied by an adult.  

Teens should not expect to go on a dig and get paid for work, as there are 
plenty of adult volunteers.  There are adult/child field experience programs 
available through universities and museums in the American West, as well as 
through Canadian museums (the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology among 
others), for varying prices and duration.  Students should also check out 
plain old summer geology and biology courses which may be available through 
the local community colleges (and some of which would give college credit).  
If worse comes to worse, they could just go to (horrors) summer camp.

A little Internet research on the part of the parent or teen should turn up 
several avenues to excavate.  I just searched paleontology summer camps and 
got enough hits to say that the tooth (truth) is out there.

Mary
mkirkaldy@aol.com