REGULAR MONTHLY SEPTEMBER MEETING FOR DPS
A Showcase of Exhibits and Interactive Activities Highlighting DPS Education and Public Outreach
in DPS President is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: General Meeting
Time: Sep 9, 2026 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86876500920
Meeting ID: 868 7650 0920
Passcode: 729863
The Dallas Paleontological Society will meet on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:30 PM CDST in the Boonesville Auditorium (Room H125) of the Ellison Miles Building (Building H) at Brookhaven Campus of Dallas College., 3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch. Kate Fenton, PhD, DPS Education Chair, has organized a dynamic hands-on evening for us featuring over 18 of our members and highlighting available resources used in our outreach activities. It takes a Society to educate the public about paleontology!
This month, we are transforming our meeting space into an interactive Paleontology Open House. After a “state of DPS education” address to set the context, our exhibit leads and activity coordinators will give brief descriptions highlighting the various stations set up around the room. Following these quick overviews, members will have the opportunity to browse, interact with, and explore all of our available hands-on displays and educational materials at their own pace.
Zoomers will be escorted as a group to the stations with their own guide and have an opportunity to ask the lead presenters questions, too.
Kate Fenton has lived in eight states and has four college degrees from UT-Austin & VA Tech.
Three degrees are science-based but none directly apply to paleontology.
She attributes all that she knows to the generosity of DPS members sharing what they know on field trips & in social time prior to the meetings, to the monthly programs, to informal DPS friendships and outings, to books bought at the annual Christmas auctions, and to DPS event participation. Her only childhood fossil experience was digging crinoid stems out of hot tar in a street near her home in Oklahoma. She got scolded for getting tar on her clothes but was allowed to keep the crinoids stems. One day in 2018, a friend & DPS member, Lucia Smith, invited Kate to join her for the March 29, 2018 Chuck Finsley lecture, featuring Dr. Mary Schweitzer speaking on” T-rex Under the Microscope.” Kate was hooked. Often, it only takes an invitation. And that’s what our DPS education and outreach is: An invitation to the public to look into deep time and the evolution of life before written history.
What to Expect:
- · Brief Station Spotlight - Meet our volunteers as they introduce their exhibits and interactive materials such as the newly expanded cladograms of dinosaur precursors followed by the dinosaur flagship cladogram.
- · Hands-On Perusal – Explore the displays showcasing real fossil specimens and 3-D prints from local North Texas geological contexts and identification tools.
- · Educational and Outreach Insights: - Get a firsthand look at the materials used in our school and community and outreach programs. Learn what you can use or how to support these resources.
- · Volunteer Opportunities – Talk with exhibit presenters to learn what would be required for you to join an experienced DPS presenter as a volunteer at a future event held near you.
- · Networking and Discussion:
- Connect with fellow members, ask station presenters questions directly, and exchange ideas on improving the exhibits and activities. Suggest new venues to reach or share ideas you have for developing a new display or hands-on activity.
Whether you are looking to learn more about local fossils, see our educational resources in action, or get ideas for participating in outreach events, there will be plenty to discover. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Please plan to join us for our monthly meeting September 9 at 7:30 pm at Brookhaven College, Building H. Feel free to bring your fossils to be identified, if needed, and to allow others to view your treasurers. Also, if you can, plan to bring a snack item to share.
Here is the Zoom invite for Wednesday for the meeting.
Time: Sep 9, 2026 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86876500920
Meeting ID: 868 7650 0920
Passcode: 729863
DPS
The DPS is a group of professional and amateur paleontologists that want to exchange information, interact, and continue their education in paleontology. We meet once a month on the second Wednesday evening of the month at Brookhaven College, Building H.
