Ready to Submit your Symposium Abstract? CLICK HERE

Symposium

Behind the Scenes: 

Journey of a Fossil from Field to Exhibit


Museum exhibitions are one of the great storytellers of the history of life on Earth. As exhibits have evolved over time, so too have the stories grown, platforms changed, and materials to display improved. Increasingly, paleontology exhibits include more than just the story of a particular group of fossils. Stories of field expeditions, trials in fossil preparation labs, conservation of collections, advances in 3D modeling and printing, and research conducted on fossils enrich exhibitions and bring the collections to the public. With the advances of modern technology, museums are expanding upon their on-site displays by developing virtual exhibits and investing in mobile museum units. Traveling exhibits provide an opportunity for museum revenue as well as increasing education and outreach potential. Virtual exhibits and mobile museums provide opportunities to reach communities that might be unable to visit the museum. Incorporating 3D modeling and printing of fossils into educational programs and exhibitions provides opportunities for increased accessibility to fossils that otherwise could not be displayed. In each of these areas, museums must carefully consider their budgets, specimens, and human resources to ensure they can effectively implement these innovative approaches.

This symposium is seeking presenters with stories that explore these topics and discussion about best practices followed through the process of developing museum exhibits.

Ready to Submit your Symposium Abstract? CLICK HERE

2025 Host Committee

Shawn Haugrud, Chair

East Tennessee State University

Gray Fossil Site and Museum

Regular Abstract Deadline: January 10, 2025 11:59pm CT

  • Symposium Information

    • Presentations are to be a maximum of 20 minutes.

Adherence to AMMP Ethics Guidelines

  • By submitting your abstract, you are agreeing to abide by AMMP Ethics Guidelines as set forth in the Charter.

Author submission policy

  • The first listed author of the abstract is automatically the presenting author. More than five authors will need to be emailed to abstracts@paleomethods.org.
  • One author must be present during their appropriate session to present and/or answer questions.
  • Two (2) first-authored abstracts can be submitted for consideration: one in each category (poster and oral).
  • If you have questions about your abstract, please email abstracts@paleomethods.org.

Title and Content

  • Title and text must be in English, and in formal writing style.
  • The title is limited to 255 characters including spaces and punctuation.
  • The expanded body of the abstract is limited to 2,500 words maximum (approximately 4 pages) including spaces and punctuation.
  • The abstract must describe completed work in detail (e.g. scope, purpose, methods, and results, and health and safety procedures).
  • If you are describing work that is completed, write in the past tense. If you are describing principles and procedures in general (e.g. Conservation of Waterlogged Wood or Proper Use of Consolidants, etc.) then present tense is appropriate.
  • Abstracts stating, "results will be discussed" are not acceptable. Standard abstract content includes results.
  • An abstract is not meant to be an advertisement, notification, or lure with cliffhangers.
  • Please use a passive voice/third person when writing your abstract as it is more concise and professional. Abstracts written in the first person will need to be revised.

Photos/Tables

  • Maximum of two relevant photos/tables with captions can be used to supplement each abstract.
  • Photos/tables can be emailed to abstracts@paleomethods.org after abstract submission. Please include your name and abstract title.

Pre-recording Guidance

**If you plan on presenting virtually, you are required to make a pre-recording of your presentation. You will still answer questions live after your presentation.**

There are tons of resources online for how to make videos. Here are a few starter links for creating videos:

Basic do's and don'ts for shooting video with your phone:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/22/how-to-shoot-great-video-with-your-iphone-or-android-smartphone.html

https://vimeo.com/blog/post/creating-video-on-your-phone/

To edit video on your desktop, Macs come equipped with iMovie. Windows 10 also has video editing capabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6yQwLuoO3w&feature=emb_rel_pause

There are many other applications for editing video, from simpler apps like above, all the way to professional software like Adobe Premiere.

YouTube's Creator Academy has many tutorials on making video under the "Production" heading: https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/learning-toolkits

How to turn Powerpoint presentations into video:

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