Our Museum Display Case

Our display based on quantitative paleontology along with sequence stratigraphy

If you look at one of our previous blogs labeled "our last intern" she described all the hard work she did working on this display.  She made the poster with me that explained the Po Plain, the stratigraphy, the paleontology and the quantitative aspects of our research.  Below the poster we have images of the cores and samples along with a set up microscope with a sample displayed within it.  We further had key taxa showcased on top of the black boxes with descriptions about their lifestyle and where they occur in the Po basin.  We also tried to explain the concept of sequence stratigraphy by having a condensed depositional profile (in the plastic box) using real sand to illustrate different depositional environments.  We then made 2 hypothetical cores that correspond to the flags in the depositional profile.  These 2 cores showed Walthers Law and other basic principles of geology, by trying to show that these cores look different but are from the same area.  These cores were further described by the center description of the depositional environment, taxa that occur in those environments and other interesting features.

This was a lot of work and I wish we had more time and funds to make this display better, but this has been well-received by museum goers, undergraduate students, and junior faculty.  This project is important to display to junior faculty to guide them toward future STEM and outreach paths for their research.