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Science Teacher Opens Window Into the Jurassic World
After pursuing paleontological research most of his adult life, Westminster biology and geology teacher Nick McDonald, who is regarded as the foremost authority on the paleontology of the Connecticut Valley, has written a book titled “Window Into the Jurassic World.”
Published by the Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum in Rocky Hill, Conn., the book, according to Professor Paul E. Olsen of Columbia University, “provides the most detailed account to date of the discovery and preservation of the trackways at Dinosaur State Park, and describes their geological and ecological context during the Mesozoic Era.”
More than 130 color photographs in the book illustrate Connecticut Valley fossils; many of the fossils are from Nick’s personal collection. Over the years, he has discovered thousands of well-preserved fossils of fishes, plants, mollusks, insects, crustaceans and trace fossils, which have broadened the understanding of Jurassic ecosystems in the region.
“I view the book as a legacy of my geological research work,” said Nick. “Dinosaur State Park provides an excellent window into what Connecticut looked like 200 million years ago — in the early days of the dinosaurs. I had the specimens, and I wanted to write a book appropriate not only for scientists but also for the lay reader. This book is a very accessible description of local geology and fossils.”
The publication is an ideal supplement for visitors to the park, a guide to local fossils and their Mesozoic environments, and a general overview of Jurassic paleontology and geology. It is available for purchase at Dinosaur State Park or from the author.
Nick has also published a number of scholarly papers and a bibliographic volume: “The Connecticut Valley in the Age of Dinosaurs.” In addition to his 33-year teaching career at Westminster, he has served more than 20 years as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan University and is a Curatorial Affiliate at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
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Published by the Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum in Rocky Hill, Conn., the book, according to Professor Paul E. Olsen of Columbia University, “provides the most detailed account to date of the discovery and preservation of the trackways at Dinosaur State Park, and describes their geological and ecological context during the Mesozoic Era.”
More than 130 color photographs in the book illustrate Connecticut Valley fossils; many of the fossils are from Nick’s personal collection. Over the years, he has discovered thousands of well-preserved fossils of fishes, plants, mollusks, insects, crustaceans and trace fossils, which have broadened the understanding of Jurassic ecosystems in the region.
“I view the book as a legacy of my geological research work,” said Nick. “Dinosaur State Park provides an excellent window into what Connecticut looked like 200 million years ago — in the early days of the dinosaurs. I had the specimens, and I wanted to write a book appropriate not only for scientists but also for the lay reader. This book is a very accessible description of local geology and fossils.”
The publication is an ideal supplement for visitors to the park, a guide to local fossils and their Mesozoic environments, and a general overview of Jurassic paleontology and geology. It is available for purchase at Dinosaur State Park or from the author.
Nick has also published a number of scholarly papers and a bibliographic volume: “The Connecticut Valley in the Age of Dinosaurs.” In addition to his 33-year teaching career at Westminster, he has served more than 20 years as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan University and is a Curatorial Affiliate at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
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