Hands On! Discovery Center and the East Tennessee State University Museum of Natural History are bringing back The Big Dig, an immersive paleontological experience for older teens and adults.
“The Big Dig” is a one-of-a-kind, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, paleontology experience that provides participants the opportunity to work alongside paleontologists and follow the process from beginning to end, from searching for fossils in the field to curating them in the museum collection.
“This program allows visitors to get up close and personal with the Gray Fossil Site like never before. Guests often ask if they can dig on the site, and during this program, we can say, ‘yes!’ We worked with the paleontology staff to ensure that this would be a truly immersive experience and expose participants to all aspects of the process,” said Kristine Carter, vice president of Marketing and Events at Hands On! Discovery Center.
Participants will get to:
- Excavate in the Rhino pit, alongside the field crew, documenting fossil finds, bagging sediment and specimens, and simple surveying;
- Screen wash some of the gathered sediment, to separate out the smallest plant and animal fossils;
- Learn about and see ongoing projects in the Prep Lab;
- Work on fossil preparation, including cleaning and fossil ID;
- Watch a picking demo and look at specimens under a microscope; and
- Tour the collections room and learn about long-term preservation.
Previous specimens found in the Rhino Pit include: two complete rhino skeletons and fragments from two others, tapir, slider turtle, frog, snake, alligator and rodents, as well as insects and plant seeds.
The program is open to adults and children 16 and older. Lunch will be provided and each participant will also receive a t-shirt. Dates are available on select Saturdays from June through September. Spaces are limited and early registration is recommended. For more information or to register, visit visithandson.org/the-big-dig.
