Science at Work: Fossil Prep Lab

For the Fossil Record

Peer into our Science at Work: Fossil Prep Lab as the U-M Museum of Paleontology chief vertebrate fossil preparator and student lab assistants prepare new fossil specimens from around the world to ready them for study or public display.

You might see the preparator and students removing matrix from fossils with airscribes or pin vises, or restoring damaged or broken specimens for long-term conservation. Occasionally, they make molds and casts of fossils for future study, display, archiving, and exchange with other institutions.

Who knows: you might even witness someone making a brand new discovery!