Chicago Field Museum Report

On Tuesday morning, March 25, 2003, the Paleontology class set off for Chicago’s Field Museum. James Holstein a Preparator of Fossil Vertebrates in the Department of Geology of the Field Museum, led our tour. He showed us what happens behind the scenes to create all the exhibits. For example, there were several archeologists working on bags of collected sediment. This particular job was very time-consuming and as he noted this, a scientist showed us a single set of teeth—the results of two hours of delicate searching. Others worked on larger fossils, such as fish, as we watched. Using different tools, they chipped, brushed, and air blasted at the surrounding rocks to carefully uncover the hidden, fossilized remains. Jim explained that there are four methods curators use to prepare fossils: pin vising, air scribing, air abras...