A grant has been awarded to the University of Colorado at Boulder under the direction of Dr. Karen Chin to provide for long-term care and preservation of a fossil eggshell collection that is worldwide in scope and includes fossil eggshells from a diverse set of animals, including birds, dinosaurs, turtles, and other reptiles. Several thousand photographs, negatives, and associate research notes will be put into archival materials and secure housings. Many of these photographs are of specially preserved microscopic sections. An electronic catalogue of the materials will be assembled and placed online, where remote researchers will have access to the data. Fossil eggshells are less well-known than body fossils, but they have the potential to provide insights on ancient reproductive habits, phylogeny and evolution of egg-laying organisms, environmental conditions in the remote past, and other aspects of paleontology. These specimens come from six continents (over 35 countries), and range in age from Jurassic (approximately 200 million years ago) to the Pleistocene (approximately 12,000 years before the present). Images and information will be linked to the Paleontology Portal website, which will make them accessible to teachers and educators. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in photo conservation and web site development. The graduate student will also work with two middle school teachers to develop middle school standards based exercises on eggs and fossil eggshells.
