The Art and Science of Paleontology

Stephen Godfrey

In this workshop, you will learn about the amazing diversity of fossils that have been found in the State of Maryland. In addition to which, there is a lovely intersection between art and science in the field of paleontology and Stephen will introduce you to what wonderful things can happen in that space. There will also be a molding and casting demonstration.

Stephen Godfrey was born and raised in the Province of Quebec, Canada. He has always been fascinated with nature and natural history museums. As an early teen, he began to collect fossils, seashells, pinecones, and skeletons for his own bedroom natural history museum!

He received his B.Sc. in biology from Bishop’s University and a Ph.D. in paleontology from McGill University. Following a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, he moved to Drumheller, Alberta, the “Dinosaur Capital of Canada,” where he became involved in paleontological exhibit work for museums around the world (www.Skullptures.com).

In 1998, Dr. Godfrey became the Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland where his mandate is to collect, preserve, and interpret fossils from the famous Calvert Cliffs along the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the fossils that he quarries from the cliffs are of extinct whales and dolphins that lived between 8-18 million years ago.

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