Volunteers are needed for the continued preparation of dinosaur specimens collected from a site in the 140 million year old Morrison Formation and mosasaur specimens from the Pierre Shale in northeastern Wyoming.

    * No previous experience is necessary; we teach all of the skills needed to work in the lab. Duties include opening plaster field jackets, mechanical preparation with air tools and dental picks, application of hardening agents, and final restoration of the specimens. Volunteers can also screen sediment from the dinosaur quarry in search of small bones and teeth from ancient mammals, fish, crocodiles, and turtles.

    * The Volunteer Lab is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour-long lunch at noon in the Kansas Union when school is in session. Volunteers are contacted by email approximately two weeks in advance of lab closure. Anyone who would like to work during the week should contact the volunteer coordinator or preparator to set up an appointment.

    * Volunteers must be at least 14 years old to volunteer in the lab. Volunteers are required to sign an acknowledgement of risk form prior to working in the lab and sign up on the museum's website is required. A parent or guardian needs to be present for anyone under 18.

    * We provide all of the necessary safety equipment, including safety glasses, lab coats, aprons, dust masks, and latex or nitrile gloves.

* Check out the lab on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FDC80emyUU

Please contact us prior to visiting. You may reach the volunteer coordinator or the preparator Monday through Saturday by calling the lab phone at 785-864-3865 or by emailing us at dinosaur@ku.edu