February 12, 2018

Visitors at the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory

The 2016-2017 Annual Report for the Mesalands Community College’s Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory, shows the Museum had a total of 13,042 visitors last year from across the nation and 45 foreign countries. The Museum also had an 8 percent increase in the number of foreign visitors last year.

The Annual Report assists the Museum staff in operational management,
development, and fulfilling future goals. The information also aids in fulfilling the College’s Strategic Plan.

Student Research Projects
Last year, student researchers at Mesalands presented at conferences in AZ, MN, and in NM. Research projects in biology, paleontology, ice, and water were conducted.

Visiting Researchers
The following researchers visited the Dinosaur Museum last year: Jack Horner, Retired Curator for the Museum of the Rockies; Dr. Jeffery  Martz, Faculty Member at the University of Houston, Downtown; Dr. Donald Phillips, President of the New York Paleontological Society and Faculty Member at New York City College; and Dr. Jonathan Weinbaum, Faculty Member for the University of Southern Connecticut.

Exhibits
The new exhibit entitled: “Life in Time” was unveiled last year. This exhibit showcases the history of sea life. The “Mesalands Student Discovery” and the “Lost-wax Method of Casting” exhibits were also updated.

Volunteers
The Annual Report also highlighted Museum volunteers.  Volunteers logged over 200 hours last year. Many of these hours went to building  improvements; including painting the inside and outside of the Museum and updating the lighting in the exhibit hall.