Come chill in the Prep Lounge

This is a blog I am glad to see has finally arrived in the PaleoBlogoSphere - the Prep Lounge! Written by my friend Matt Brown, this is a blog that will be talking about working in a paleontology prep lab, and all of the fun things associated with that (and probably guns, trucks, and weather, but not politics). Check out some of his recent post on his new digs at the University of Texas at Austin/Texas Memorial Museum.

© ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster

Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium

Next month Petrified Forest will be holding a Prep and Collections Symposium. Not only will it be a good place to learn some new things, it is darn cheap compared to other meetings, at only $65 a person (for all events and a copy of the symposium proceedings)! I am really looking forward to some informative talks and workshops, along with some fun, seeing friends, good food, and sun. Hope to see a few of you there perhaps! ~ ReBecca

A Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium will be held at Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, Arizona from April 10-12, 2008.

The symposium will include both invited and volunteered platform and poster presentations. Fossil preparators and collections professionals will present papers regarding care and preservation of fossil resources, to compliment a day of workshops and field trip through the park and collections facilities. Conference attendees will receive a copy of a proceedings volume, including papers generated by the meeting.


Petrified Forest National Park was established in 1906 to protect petrified wood and other fossils from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in northeastern Arizona. These fossils have been researched for over 100 years resulting in the publication of hundreds of papers, forming a cornerstone for Late Triassic paleontological studies in North America.

Registration Fee: $65. Covers all events and includes a copy of proceedings volume.

Registration Form

Symposium Papers and Workshops:

Participants will have a choice of two of the following workshops:

• Introduction to molding and casting of museum objects
• Welding for mounted specimens and armatures
• Roundtable discussion on publication and building the preparation literature
• 3D visualization of collections using laser scanning equipment and software

Click here for a list of talks/posters

Conference Events

April 10	Paleontological Resources field trip
	Evening: Welcome Reception in Holbrook, Arizona
April 11	Preparation and Collections Symposium, Petrified Forest National Park
	Evening: BBQ Social, Petrified Forest National Park
April 12	Choice of Morning and Afternoon Workshops
	Evening: Dinner Reception, Holbrook, Arizona

For more information contact:

Matthew Brown
Fossil Preparator
Phone: 928-524-6228 ext. 281
or
William Parker
Park Paleontologist
Phone: 928-524-6228 ext. 262

Petrified Forest National Park
PO Box 2217
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028

Fax: 928-524-3567