CVLC Members Dig for Dinosaurs in Central Utah

Dean Scott Sommerfeldt, Mill Canyon Site

Paleontology Museum Director, Rod Scheetz, with CVLC members

Members of the College Volunteer Leadership Council (CVLC) of the BYU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences were privy to some unique opportunities this past summer, including some dinosaur hunting with real BYU paleontologists.

The group took two separate trips to central Utah in the month of June and participated in a variety of exciting activities, including visits to two dinosaur dig sites. CVLC members, family and friends attended the excursions, along with other CPMS faculty and staff.

The goal of these trips was to introduce CVLC members to the research work being performed by faculty and students in the Department of Geological Sciences. Participants met student researchers and individually engaged with them in their research. Council members and their families were able to dig alongside researchers in search of Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaur fossils (150 to 124 million years old).

Both groups were able to find dinosaur bones at their respective dig sites. The first group, which traveled to a location in Mill Canyon on June 4th, uncovered a number of smaller bones, while the second group discovered a large vertebra at the Dalton Wells site on June 26th. Student and faculty researchers at BYU have been involved in studying dinosaur bone deposits like these for almost 50 years. These studies have led to the discovery of many new dinosaurs and a better understanding of the world in which they lived.

CVLC members also had the good fortune of experiencing a guided tour through Arches National Park, provided by BYU geology professor Tom Morris. The group experienced the park’s many famous sandstone arches in a new way as Morris, an expert in the field, pointed out the many fascinating scientific aspects of the ancient geological structures. Participants were also able to engage in various other fun activities, including horseback rides along the Colorado River and making ice cream with the sub-zero power of liquid nitrogen.

The College Volunteer Leadership Council is comprised of accomplished friends and alumni of the college who volunteer to support the educational mission of the college, by helping “provide the environment, the mentors, the tools and the experience in fundamental science and mathematics that students need to contribute in their various fields and become lifelong learners.” CVLC members enjoy the satisfaction of facilitating life-changing experiences for BYU students and preparing them for a successful transition to the workplace and beyond.

--by Steve Pierce