So this week I got to do some other stuff besides screen washing.  For several days, I went through a collections of fossils from the Cedros Site and labeled them.  The labeling consisted of writing on the fossils itself, so to identify its location where it was found.  Also, I began to sort through the stuff that we screen wash, to pick out fossils.  We only keep fossils that are "identifiable" meaning there is enough of the fossil left to be able to identify it to a species.  As homework, Sharon has started to teach me to identify the names and locations of some of the more major bones in mammals.  This internship has been very active, and I enjoy learning new stuff.  I will be absorbing everything, so I can find a way to tie physics, and maybe some other science areas into what I am doing for my project.

Start of Internship!

My name is Shane Thompson, I am a physics major at UF, and this summer I will be doing an internship at the collections department at Dickinson Hall. Today I started my internship and learned  the details of what I will be doing. Basically, I go through bags of deposits and screen them for fossils.  We are working on an area associated with the Miocene Era.  Its mostly small fossils, lizards, snakes, small mammals, but there are larger fossils, like from horses and such, didn't see none today.  I was also told, I will be able to work on a research project involving bats, not sure of the details, will find out about that on Thursday!