Eighth grade science students at Copiague Middle School are paleontologists in the making. For two day after school in March, they participated in an after-school science exploration under the guidance of science teacher Ms. Mason. The scientists conducted a hands-on study of different rocks and fossils thanks to the samples Ms. Mason brought back from her trip with the Museum of Natural History. The rocks were collected last summer by Ms. Mason and a doctoral candidate paleontologist from a site in Penn Dixie Fossil Park located in Hamburg, New York. Students found many rocks contained the fossilized remains of sea creatures such as trilobites, clams and brachiopods, preserved from when New York was underwater in a landmass called Laurentia about 380 million years ago. After recording the types and quantities of each fossil found, students were encouraged to bring samples home to show their families.

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Date Added: 4/4/2024