Rhode Island student relishes internship at Dinosaur National Monument

Marie Jimenez, a student at the University of Rhode Island, spent last summer interning at Dinosaur National Monument in northeast Utah – hopefully the first step on her way to becoming a working paleontologist.

“Paleontology is all about uncovering the history of the Earth, whether by dinosaur fossils or other types of fossils,” Jimenez said. “You have to know a little about everything to attack a problem. It’s sort of like being a geology detective.”

Her internship, arranged through the Geological Society of America and the National Park Service, gave her a well-rounded experience that will be a crucial resume builder as she builds a career in paleontology.

For 11 weeks, Jimenez worked at the 180,000-acre unit of the park, digitizing archival documents, photographs and maps from the early days of the 100-year-old fossil quarry. Her efforts, part of the Digital Quarry project that is now visible online at carnegiequarry.com, have helped the history of the site come alive.

Jimenez, who graduates in May, plans to apply to graduate school and from there become a working paleontologist in a museum, park or academia.