Primary Function

A primary function of the Paleontology Society has always been the training of its volunteers to enable them to work at a professional level assisting the District Paleontologist in managing the rich fossil resources of ABDSP.  The mandatory Certification Program is a varied, comprehensive and constantly-improving curriculum in and of itself.  But many other educational opportunities exist for interested volunteers such as attending local and international meetings and workshops, field trips and expeditions, membership in professional organizations, participation in research projects, and formal and informal course work at colleges and universities. The volunteer group itself, as described in “About Us” on this website, is very diverse, including elementary-school students and nonagenarians, the struggling underemployed and the comfortably retired, the self-taught jack-of-all-trades and the academic or professional specialist.  Obviously, there are many educational opportunities for volunteers beyond the Certification Program, and sometimes money is issue.

During the 2007-2008 reorganization, in the lively discussions that ensued, it became clear that we wanted to extend our support of educational activities beyond the volunteer group, to other Park Staff and, ultimately, to anyone working toward the Society’s vision of furthering our world-class paleontology program.  In the same inclusive spirit, we elected to leave undefined the specifics of support-eligible activities.  
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Our First Recipient

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Our first recipient of scholarship assistance has a special story to tell. Ms.Jessie Atterholt has been an active member of the Paleontology Society since the age of nine, shortly after she realized that she wanted to be an paleontologist when she grew up. She did grow up, and she didn't change her mind. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she had been an undergraduate in its world-renowned Paleontology Department for the past four years, assisted in part by annual grants from the Paleontology Society. She obtained her PhD from UC Berkeley in 2016 and is continuing to work in the field of Paleontology.

For More Information

For more information, contact us at [email protected]