Looking for a good fossil related summer program

[mattbsharks]

Hi Everyone,

I am trying to figure out my summer plans right now. I'm going to be going into my senior year of highschool. I'm hoping to spend the summer or part of the summer focusing on fossils and paleontology. My dream would be to find a program where housing is provided that i could be out in the field collecting fossils. In my dream world, fossils to study and keep for myself, but again, realistically, just any work out in the field collecting and searching for fossils. I am especially interested in fossils from the miocene period but I would be perfectly content to go collecting and maybe even study fossils from other periods. I'm not terribly interested in plant fossils, but everything from ammonites to trilobites to shark teeth to mammals is of great interest to me. I live in Massachusetts so it would most likely have to be out of state in which case it would need to be something that could provide housing. Doesn't have to be an official job with a specific museum or anything. Maybe a job or internship at a fossil quarry or something like that. Maybe working with a museum to go on collection trips. That kind of thing would be amazing. Any advice or leads would be a tremendous help. Thanks in advance!

[Miocene_Mason]

I remember Lance Grande at the field museum had some sort of summer program for high school students (believe it was green river formation which is Eocene though). I don’t have much more information than that, but local museums are often more than happy to have people volunteer. Good luck!

[PFOOLEY]

I like your dream world ( if you find it, could you ask if I could come along )...very best of luck to you in your pursuit. 

 

I will keep this in mind.

 

[NSRhunter]

Reach out to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons Islands and maybe ask if they have opportunities available

[smt126]

Unfortunately you will probably have to pay for this experience if we are being realistic. You can most likely find a museum to take you on as a volunteer, and if you're lucky a small part time job, but anything that takes you out doing fieldwork not locally will be on your own dime. 

[Kane]

I would think the probability of landing a volunteer gig AND getting room and board is very low. You may have to see if you have any relatives close by where you would like to volunteer, and lodge with them. 

 

Your other option is to do research on fossil camps. Those are fairly few and far between, and will be at your own expense, but it would tick off the boxes of looking for fossils and accommodations.

[mattbsharks]

**Disclaimer** I am fully willing to pay for this experience. I should have made that more clear

[jdp]

There's a good list of options here:

 

https://www.myfossil.org/resources/field-opportunities/