Students Can Now Explore Ancient Life In Rogers State University's First Paleontology Course

A new course at Rogers State University in Claremore is digging deeper into the study of prehistoric life.

Introduction to Paleontology is taught by Dr. Chris Shelton, an assistant professor in RSU's Department of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. He has a bachelor's degree in geology, a master's degree in biology, and a doctorate in vertebrate paleontology.

“A student had actually requested it last semester,” Dr. Shelton said. “That gave me the opening to go ahead and write up a syllabus, get a textbook, and then start developing the course.”

That student was senior Ashleigh Ross. 

“RSU is really amazing about offering directed studies in whatever students want to learn about,” she continued, saying, “So, Dr. Shelton was really open whenever I asked for this to be offered in the fall.”

Using his fossil collection, Dr. Shelton engages his students in hands-on learning.

Ross said, “Anything that we are learning about in the class, we get to do a hands-on demonstration of what it looks like in the fossil record, and then Dr. Shelton also lets us bring in any fossils that we find that we can ask questions about.”

Venturing outside of the classroom to the campus Nature Preserve and Lake Oologah will come later in the semester,

“Field experience is a big part of it, so I am trying to take them out to certain areas around here to actually look and see the fossils in the rock or maybe even collect some on their own,” said Dr. Shelton.

It is the same way his interest in paleontology sparked as a child.

“My parents had a driveway that had limestone from the Arbuckle Mountains, and in it, you could find calcite, pyrite, trilobites, little crinoid fossils, so I actually knew those words before I was even in kindergarten,” he said.

Hearing those words, with the examples right in front of them, makes for an even better learning opportunity for the students.

“It is crazy to see all the fossils; it makes it real,” said Ross. “You know it is real, but it makes it real when you are holding a piece of history in your hand.”

Dr. Shelton said he plans to offer the course again in the future. To learn more about it, CLICK HERE.