"Museum Underground: Paleontology" Program to be Presented at ND Heritage Center

Learn what it takes to be a paleontologist and take an exclusive tour of the Paleontology Lab at the Heritage Center. "Museum Underground: Paleontology,” is a free program for students in grades six to eight that will be held at 4 p.m. on Feb. 2 at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. Participants will meet paleontologists, get a behind-the-scenes tour of the lab in the lower level of the N.D. Heritage Center, and have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities. The program is part of a new fun, interactive, monthly program that introduces middle school students to various jobs at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum. Registration for the 45-minute program is required at to http://bit.ly/cacpaleo. “Museum Underground" encourages students to think about future careers in the museum world by connecting them with museum collections and staff. Students will meet museum professionals, tour behind-the-scene spaces not normally open to the public, and have opportunities to ask questions as they learn about the tools, skills, and interests needed to work with museum objects. Additional programs will cover careers in Communications and Education on Feb. 9, State Archives on March 2, Archaeology on March 23, and the work of curators, object preservation and exhibit building by the Museum Division on April 20. Programs are sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The programs are led by Stephanie Schick, a gallery guide at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum. She is a graduate of Northern Arizona University who previously worked as an educator at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa. Schick, who has a passion for history, science, and education, loves to travel and has also taught at schools in Kenya and Egypt. For more information, contact Erik Holland, 701.328.2792. Registration is open for all five programs. For more programs sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, go to statemuseum.nd.gov/events.