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Dinosaurs have captivated the imaginations of both children and adults for generations. For many Lycoming College students, that wonder and curiosity is reignited when they enroll in Lycoming College’s Biology 109, “The Natural History of Dinosaurs.”
Led by David Broussard, Ph.D., paleontologist, associate professor of biology at Lycoming College, and chair of the department, “The Natural History of Dinosaurs” explores the origin, evolution, and extinction of dinosaurs.
In this hands-on course, students study fundamental paleontological and evolutionary principles, while also learning about dinosaur anatomy, behavior, taxonomy, physiology, and the history of dinosaur paleontology. The class takes fossil-collecting field trips to learn about paleontological field methods and to understand how fossils are formed and studied by paleontologists. Back on campus, lab activities include, for example, examining dinosaur skull and skeleton models and estimating dinosaur speeds from plaster replicas of tracks laid out in hallways.
"The field trips are the best part about the class. I really enjoyed looking at the triceratops skeleton, as well as the fossil hunt. The outdoor activities make me think a bit deeper about the environment I am in and what this environment used to look like and what other things lived here.”
A highlight of the course is a visit to the workshop of Barry James, a local commercial paleontologist who takes dinosaur bones collected from locations such as Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and prepares and restores them for display in museums around the world. The class field trip to his workshop provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to see up close and touch actual dinosaur bones, including those of Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex that they wouldn’t be able to touch in any museum.
“As an accounting student, this class has helped broaden my education. It's a period of the day I look forward to because it keeps me engaged constantly. There is so much about the prehistoric period that I don’t know, and scientists in the paleo field continue to learn more about that era in earth's history,” said accounting major James Kerschner ’26. “The lab days are always interesting, whether it's examining fossils or finding out how dinosaurs moved, not to mention going on field trips to examine fully assembled fossils or digging fossils up. The class honestly strikes a chord with the topics I loved as a child and the nostalgia for it makes it better. I'd absolutely recommend this class!”
“This class is teaching me to identify patterns through all the different types of dinosaurs. There are specific traits that only certain dinos possess and a part of the class is being able to identify those characteristics to specific species of dinos,” said Charlie Leto ’27, business administration major with minors in psychology and accounting. “The field trips are the best part about the class. I really enjoyed looking at the triceratops skeleton, as well as the fossil hunt. The outdoor activities make me think a bit deeper about the environment I am in and what this environment used to look like and what other things lived here.”
When asked why the course is so popular, Broussard enthusiastically responded, “Because dinosaurs are cool!” He continued, “There is a lot of misinformation about dinosaurs and paleontology in general. I hope this class teaches students critical evaluation skills that help them figure out whether what they see concerning dinosaur behavior and appearances in movies and documentaries is supported by what they’ve learned in class.”
Lycoming College’s biology program provides a cutting-edge curriculum that actively engages students in studying the diversity of life, while giving them the analytical skills to answer tomorrow’s questions. From the moment they step into their first biology class, students benefit from experience with advanced instrumentation in labs and are invited to become involved in active research so they can develop their skills over all four years. The biology program’s innovative coursework prepares students for professions in the fields of research, education, healthcare, neuroscience, biotechnology, and the environment, and students are provided opportunities for internships and co-curricular professional experiences, collaborative student-faculty research, and exposure to first-rate biological instrumentation. More information is available at https://www.lycoming.edu/biology/.