A grant has been awarded to the University of Oklahoma (Norman Campus) under the direction of Dr. Stephen R. Westrop to prepared integrated computerized databases for the invertebrate paleontology and paleobotany collections. The collection contains more than a half million specimens collected over a century of expeditions from Oklahoma to Alaska, Canada, and Western Europe, including a large number of specimens of economic and scientific interest. A searchable, online database will be developed that contains a wide variety of information on the collection, as well as images of the specimens. The project will train undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Oklahoma. Students will participate in database construction, web design, and curatorial work. The database and associated images will be used to develop educational and public outreach resources, including guides to common fossils and virtual field trips to collecting sites in Oklahoma.
