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Tsintaosaurus Skeleton (A 33’ Duckbill Dinosaur) Courtesy of Michael & Barbara Sincak from Treasures of the Earth
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32nd MAPS Fossil Expo March 26-28 at WIU

March 22, 2010

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MACOMB, IL - - The world's largest exclusive showing of fossils comes to Western Illinois University–Macomb with the National Fossil Exposition Friday, March 26-Sunday, March 28.

The show will be held in Western Hall (on University Drive) from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (March 26-27) and from 8 a.m.-noon Sunday (March 28). Admission and parking are free.

Presented by the Mid America Paleontology Society (MAPS), the annual Fossil Expo brings dealers, exhibitors and fossil enthusiasts from across the nation, and points around the world, to WIU to view, sell and purchase fossils.

Robert Frey, who works with the Ohio Department of Health in cooperation with the state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies, will be Friday's keynote speaker. He will speak about Ordovician cephalopods at 7 p.m. Frey earned his M.S. (1976) and Ph.D. (1983) at Miami University (Oxford, OH).

Four programs are set for Saturday. They include:

10 a.m. – Don Johnson (Fairfax, IA) will present "Laura the Hypacrosaurus and Other Duck-billed Dinosaurs." Participants will be able to see and touch some of the fossil bones of Iowa's "Laura, the Kid Dinosaur," which Eastern Iowa Paleontology Project (EIPP), organized by Johnson, is preparing. His personal collection of fossils and fossil replicas is one of the largest in Iowa. Johnson, using his self-given nickname "The Fossil Guy," has taught numerous programs since 2002, mostly at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History and at the Cedar Rapids Science Station.

11 a.m. – Bill Desmarais (Cedar Rapids, IA) will present "Track'em Down and Dig'em Up," detailing expeditions to Alberta, Canada where bones were dug up and dinosaur footprint trackways were found at the Barnum Brown Albertosaurus site. A retired high school earth and environmental science teacher, Desmarais has had the opportunity to work with Phil Currie of the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology and the University of Alberta at Edmonton, as well as Pete and Neil Larson of the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research since 1982. He worked at Cretaceous and Jurassic dig sites in South Dakota, Wyoming and Alberta, Canada.

2 p.m. – Charles Newsom, an associate professor of physics at the University of Iowa and a fossil collecting hobbyist, will present "Stump the Experts – Bring your Fossils to ID." If Newsom can't identify the fossil, he will find someone who can. He will offer general tips in identifying fossils.

3 p.m. – Tiffany Adrain, collections manager at the University of Iowa Paleontology Repository, will present "How Do I Organize My Fossil Collection?" She will explain how museums care for fossil collections and give some tips for taking care fossils. Topics include storage, organization, protection against pests and disasters and collection records. She has been looking after fossil collections for 20 years both at Iowa, and previously, in London, England.

Silent auctions will be held during show hours on Friday and Saturday, followed by a live auction at 7:30 p.m. Saturday featuring approximately 100 fossils and fossil-related items. Proceeds from the auction are used to support paleontology scholarships. There will also be a fossil dig box for children and a special exhibit – a 33-foot duckbill dinosaur skeleton (Tsintaosaurus).

School groups (K-12) are welcome to attend the MAPS Fossil Expo and tour Western's Geology Museum. For more information or to arrange a museum tour, contact Bob Johnson at RE-Johnson2@wiu.edu or call (309) 298-1368. Contact WIU Parking Services at (309) 298-1921 for bus unloading and parking directions.

For more information about the MAPS Fossil Expo, contact Tom Williams, (815) 223-9638 or e-mail Paleotom234@dishmail.net or Steve Holley, (309) 231-8861, or e-mail Ilfossil@hotmail.com or go to www.midamericapaleo.org.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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