Research Training Program

Melissa McQuoid
Witman College
Walla Walla, WA

Scott Wing, Ph.D.
Department of Paleobiology

"It is a very good opportunity to learn about scientists, research, and one's self."

Photographic Catalogue of Leaf Fossils / Paleobotanical Studies in Wyoming

This project involved the compilation of a photographic catalogue of leaf fossils from the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming. The fossils were photographed and described using Leo J. Hickey's outline for leaf architecture. This information was put into a notebook for the interns to use in the field. The project also involved a fossil collecting trip to Wyoming. The focus of this research is to reconstruct the forest of this area in the Eocene and to look at changes in its composition. Contrary to ecologists' beliefs, the makeup of the forest is somewhat predictable over a long period of time (geologically). Finally, data was collected for the research in Wyoming.

This research was supported by a grant from the Educational Outreach Fund.