The establishment of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum has had a positive impact on palaeontological field research in the Grande Prairie region.
PALAEO-RESEARCH LAB
As part of the active research program at the museum, the museum is equipped with a state-of-the-art research laboratory and collections facility.The lab is designed to accommodate specimens discovered and brought in from the field where they undergo preparation, stabilization, and finally curation for display and study. The preparation lab can be viewed by visitors either from the Fossil Lab exhibit or through an overhead viewing glass-panel portal imbedded in the ceiling above the lab. Heavy-duty, compactus style shelving in the collections area and the highly-adaptable mechanical design of the laboratory optimizes its capability to accommodate the widest size range of field jackets. Researchers and students are encouraged to contact our assistant curator to make arrangements to access specimens held in our facility.The last several years has seen more published papers on fossils from the Peace Region than there were in the preceding 50 years. The rich fossil resources, however, still remain under-studied in comparison to areas in southern Canada and the United States. With the opening of the museum, research in the area will receive a much greater focus.In conjunction with the University of Alberta and a dedicated team of volunteers, the museum will work at developing a research program in the area using both currently known sites and searching for new potential areas in the region. With increased presence in the field and dedicated scientists at the museum and the University of Alberta, the amount of research going on in the region will be able to expand in scale and scope.The museum is also now accepting volunteers for our preparation program which is slated to begin in January, 2017. Volunteers will be able to work with fossils to clean and glue them in preparation for eventual study by scientists. To apply to volunteer for this position and others, please download our Volunteer Application and email it to cscott@dinomuseum.ca.