Career in Paleontology

Who am I?

I feel I am a good listener and a good observer (Bingham 1999). My Structure of Intellect (SOI) reveals that I am a good at visualizing and identifying work in all types (Meeker 1999). The Career Information System (CIS) said that I should be good at notation and would be good with any type of Science work that has to do with taking notes, and also says that I would make a good Geologist. I would like to become a Paleontologist.

Thesis Statement

I am interested in paleontology because I like studying the history of bones and evolution of all species. I am writing this paper to learn and study the history and what exactly paleontologists do. I think that I would be a great paleontologist because, I have good eyesight and I can identify precise items and colors. I also take very detailed notes, which is needed to write down all the observations and pigments of the bones that are found.

Career choice assessment

Paleontology was needed to study the history of man and to discover species from long ago. This career has been around for many, many years. The first dinosaur was found in 1858. This career was needed to find the history of man ever since the beginning of man. This was also needed to find the bones of the predators of man and try to discover why and how the human race was developed. We have gained a lot of technology over the years that make studying bones much easier, because the machines find different chemicals and that genetic structure of bones.

In the summer of 1858, Victorian gentleman and fossil hobbyist William Parker Foulke was vacationing in Haddonfield, New Jersey, when he heard that twenty years previous, workers had found gigantic bones in a local marl pit. Foulke spent the rest of the summer directing a crew of hired diggers shin deep in gray slime. Eventually he found the bones (above, right) of an animal larger than an elephant with structural features of both a lizard and a bird.

First Nearly-Complete Dinosaur Skeleton

Foulke had discovered the first nearly complete skeleton of a dinosaur--an event that would rock the scientific world and forever change our view of natural history.

Today, located where a tidy suburban street dead ends against deep woods, the historic site is marked with a modest commemorative stone and a tiny landscaped park. Just beyond the stone the ground drops away into the steep ravine where the bones of Hadrosaurus foulkii were originally excavated on the eve of the Civil War.

The "Ground Zero" of Modern Paleontology

In relation to the history of paleontology, this Haddonfield Hadrosaurus site is ground zero; the spot where our collective fascination with dinosaurs began. Visitors can still climb down crude paths into the 30-foot, vine-entangled chasm to stand in an almost primordial quiet at the actual marl pit where the imagination of all mankind was exploded outward to embrace the stunning fact that our planet was once ruled by fantastically large, bizarrely shaped reptilian creatures.

Chronology of Early Dinosaur Discoveries and Issues

In 1676 Reverend Robert Plott describes the first dinosaur bone, which he labels the "Enigmatic Thigh Bone." Interpreted as giant form of living animal under concept of plenum. In 1841 Richard Owen, the great British anatomist, recognizes that Iguanadon and Megalosaurus are not simply giant lizards, but are instead something very distinct, and more like mammals than lizards in having an erect posture with limbs held beneath the body. To emphasize their distinctness, Owen coins the name "Dinosauria." Owen had an ulterior motive in doing this. He was trying to discredit a popular contemporary hypothesis about the transmuttion of species and the "progressive" evolution of animals. He argued that modern reptiles had degenerated since the time of the dinosaurs (which are more "progressive" in having postures resembling mammals). Hence the hypothesis of "progressive" evolution fails to explain the observed pattern of reptile history. (see Appendix A).

Job market analysis

Now there are 81,000 paleontologists in the U.S. In the future it is predicted to have at least 107,000 paleontologists in the U.S. The professional growth in this career depends on how good you are with the bones and how well you understand the different types of bones. The economic growth depends on what you found and how old it is and also how important it is to the human species. The economic growth is one of the fastest growing careers in the world.

Training requirements

You must have either a bachelor or a master’s degree. You must also have been in college 4 to 7 years to obtain one of these degrees. The costs are varied depending on where you live and what college you go to, to obtain a degree. There are many apprenticeships you can find to help learn about Paleontology, you must first find a source to reach a private owner. There are a lot of grants that can be earned to help get you into college from the Paleontology Society. However you must be an Undergraduate and graduate student members of the Paleontological Society conducting research in any aspect of paleontology. Paleontological Society members with a postdoctoral research appointment and primary involvement in a program of paleontological research.

Work environment

The “Typical work day” for a paleontologist is lab and sight work. They are either in the lab conducting experiments on the bones and discovering new DNA in the bones. They are also out in the field sight searching for a great find. The areas in which you work very all around the world. Some sights are in Hawaii, Africa, the Middle East, and in East Asia. These are the most common places paleontologists go. They also look in Wyoming and Montana. Travel is required.

In the career in paleontology there is no “job security” because paleontology is based on sponsors and basic interest in the topic and is not helped out with dental or medical insurance. The “job flexibility” is very good because you’re your own boss and can decide when you’re taking breaks and sick leave. The opportunities of advancement are pretty low because the Paleontologist is the lead scientist and you have to work become a paleontologist by using internships and job training, which is really hard to find. There are no job benefits unless you have made an important find that people are willing to buy and you can make a major profit off what you find.

Skills one must develop or demonstrate to compete for job

You must use a lot of communication with the people working in your field to let them know what you are trying to find and they can help you learn about future sights you might need for your next case or a particular species. You must also have some experience with Leadership because the Paleontologist is the person who is in charge of a search or the lab. It is important that you are able to solve certain theories of what might have happened to a certain species or subject. You have to be able to take good notes of the color pigment and structure of each fossil. Reading is required for any job and you must be able to read notes. You must be able to take measurements and solve complex equations. Science is a major aspect of this career because you need to know the scientific name of a species, a disease a species might have had, and what it might have went through. You must be able to see well, you also should be able to dig and be careful with fragile pieces of materials.

Conclusion

I have learned that there is a huge risk in becoming a paleontologist because there are no guarantees that you will make a find or get a sponsor that will give you enough money to even get started.

Works Cited

 Bingham, Mindy and Sandy Styker. “Strengths and Personality Test.” Career Choices. Santa Barbara, CA.: Academic Innovation, 1993.

 Christensen, Linda. “Financial Aid.” Presentation. Sheldon High School. Eugene, Oregon. 13 April, 2000.

 Meeker, Mary. Personal Career Evaluation. Vida, Oregon: SOI Systems, 1998

 Kendrick, Rita. “Job Shadow” Sheldon High School. Eugene Oregon.

 “Paleontology.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 14th ed. 1983.

 “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” Geologists, Geophysicists, and Oceanographers

 April 19, 2000. *http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos050.htmGeology and Paleontology Info*

 “Paleontology.” Encarta 1999. CD-ROM

 “Base Camp Domains.” Internet Business Opportunities. Copyright. 1998 Base Camp International. *http://www.base-camp.com/domains.html*

 “Surgical Technologists.” Oregon Career Information System. CD-ROM, 1996-97. Eugene: University of Oregon, 1997.

Appendix A

Paleontology Timeline

 1676: Reverend Robert Plott describes the first dinosaur bone, which he labels the "Enigmatic Thigh Bone." Interpreted as giant form of living animal under concept of plenum.

 1770: Discovery in chalk mines near Maastricht, Holland, of 4-foot long jaw of Mosasaurus.

 1795: Napoleon's Republican Army captures Maastricht, confiscates the jaw, and sends it to Paris for study by Europe's greatest anatomist, George Cuvier. Cuvier proclaims it to be a "giant lizard."

 1796: Cuvier points out that there is no living lizard with a jaw as large as Mosasaurus, and proves to the world the fact of extinction.

 1822: Dr. Gideon Mantell discovers in England (1822) and describes (1825) the bones of Iguanadon, which he interprets as a giant iguana-like lizard.

 1822: James Parkinson describes a tooth of what he named Megalosaurus, which, like Iguanadon, was discovered in England.

 1824: William Buckand describes additional bones of Megalosaurus, under the title "Notice on Megalosaurus or great Fossil Lizard of Stonesfield.".

 1832: Mantell describes Hylaeasaurus, another giant "lizard."

 1841: Richard Owen, the great British anatomist, recognizes that Iguanadon and Megalosaurus are not simply giant lizards, but are instead something very distinct, and more like mammals than lizards in having an erect posture with limbs held beneath the body. To emphasize their distinctness, Owen coins the name "Dinosauria." Owen had an ulterior motive in doing this. He was trying to discredit a popular contemporary hypothesis about the transmuttion of species and the "progressive" evolution of animals. He argued that modern reptiles had degenerated since the time of the dinosaurs (which are more "progressive" in having postures resembling mammals). Hence the hypothesis of "progressive" evolution fails to explain the observed pattern of reptile history.

 1844: The last great auk, a flightless marine bird of the North Atlantic is killed, vividly demonstrating to any remaining doubters the reality of extinction.

 1848: Edward Hitchcock describes unusual footprints in the Connecticut Valley of New England - known popularly as the tracks of "Noah's Raven" - as those of large birds.

 1855: First American discovery of dinosaur skeletal remains (Hadrosaurus) in Haddonfield, NJ.

 1859: Charles Darwin publishes "Origin of the Species," beginning the Darwinian revolution in Biology.

Appendix B

1999 PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY

SHORT COURSE

The Evolution-Creation Controversy II:

Perspectives on Science, Religion,

and Geological Education

I. Introduction

Science and Religion at the Turn of the Millennium

Jonathan R. Bryan

Okaloosa-Walton Community College

II. Teaching Evolution convincingly and with Clarity

How Do We Know the Earth is Old?

G. Brent Dalrymple

Oregon State University

The Meaning of Biotic Succession

Richard K. Bambach

Virginia Tech

Transitional Forms in the Fossil Record

Kevin Padian

University of California, Berkeley

III. Creationism and Flood Geology

Darwinism, Creationism, and Intelligent Design

Ronald L. Numbers

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Creation Science Logic and Rhetoric, and Some Responses

David R. Schwimmer

Columbus State University

The Biblical Flood as a Geological Agent: A Survey of Flood Geology

Davis A. Young

Calvin College

If a Noachian Flood is Responsible for Our Coal Resources, How Come Many of These Plants Don't Live on Earth Today?

Robert A. Gastaldo

Auburn University

IV. Philosophical and Biblical Perspectives

Problem Concepts in Evolution

Eugenie C. Scott

National Center for Science Education, Inc.

Evolution and Creation--The Faith of a Paleontologist

Peter Dodson

University of Pennsylvania

Common Mistakes in Comparing Ancient and Modern Cosmogonies

Conrad Hyers

American Academy of Religion

Word Count: 2005