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Old as the Hills (or Caves); the Missouri Institute of Natural Science

Smallin Cave
Scott Harvey
/
KSMU

Even though Missouri is not typically thought of as a place for fossils, we are not without our share.  In fact, the rocks are littered with the remnants of animals that once called this place (albeit a very different version) home.  Of course, Missouri is known as a place of caves, and the discovery of the Riverbluff cave system, which held remnants of animal life from the ice age, brought together a group with an interest in natural history, fossils and the Ozarks.  They created the Missouri Institute of Natural History in 2003 and have been welcoming visitors and  promoting education in our area ever since.  Listen in as Matt Forir, the Executive Director of the institute, and I chat about his passion for fossils, the institute’s goals and the exciting world of discovery it contains.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.