It’s been an exciting year for the state of Massachusetts! For the first time ever, we are in the process of selecting a state dinosaur, the Podokesaurus Holyokensis. Discovered in nearby Hadley by Professor Mignon Talbot of Mount Holyoke College, the Podokesaurus is one of the few dinosaur skeletons to be found in the state. The original specimen burned down in a fire in 1917, but the Beneski Museum is home to one of the few original casts. Visit the links below to learn more about the dinosaur, the legislative process, and how the Museum is involved.
State Dinosaur InitiativeMassachusetts might soon have an official state dinosaur.
The idea of picking a state dinosaur came to Massachusetts state representative Jack Lewis while brainstorming Covid-safe projects for his child’s cub scouts chapter that would engage the scouts in both science and the legislative process.
Official state dinosaur bill leaps over first hurdle by Chris Van Buskirk from the Patriot Ledger
The legislation establishing Podokesaurus holyokensis as the Massachusetts state dinosaur has passed its first committee and it is looking hopeful that it will move onto a floor vote soon. The Beneski has one of the casts of the original fossil and has been active in getting this initiative passed! In this article Fred talks a little about the history of the fossil’s discovery.
Dinosaur Bill Unearths New Concern Among Archeologists
Experts are hoping the lawmakers will set up up a commission to figure out how to adequately protect and provide public and professional access to archaeological, geological, and fossil resources in the state.
Dinosaur bill seeks to protect, provide access to fossils by Ryan Feyre from The Reminder
Dinosaur bill seeks to protect and provide access to fossil sites around Massachusetts. Museum Educator Fred Venne encourages exploring local paleontology, but presses the importance of doing so in such a way that finds are preserved for future generations.
Participants in this Interterm course worked collaboratively to photograph historical objects and dinosaur track-ways in the Beneski Museum of Natural History.
Facilitated by Hayley Singleton, head of collections and operations at the College's Beneski Museum of Natural History, and Tim Pinault, digitization coordinator at Frost Library, this workshop covered basic workflows and methodologies to create 3D models. Participants used DSLR cameras, Adobe Photoshop and Metashape Pro photogrammetric processing software to create accurate 3D models of historical objects.
A 190-million-year-old stolen slab of rock with theropod dinosaur tracks is now in the protective custody of the College’s Beneski Museum of Natural History, thanks to the state Environmental Police.
Read the storyYou never know what you might find in your yard, or in the forest, or on the beach while you’re out for a walk. But there’s a group of scientists at Amherst College who want to help you figure out what that mystery object is.
Read the storyHow looking skyward provies family fun and a passion for science
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 26, 2018
Understanding Mass Extinctions with Antonella Dominguez ’18
Amherst College, May 1, 2018
A glimpse of Jurassic New England
Bennington Banner, April 20, 2018
Great Falls Discovery Center holding dinosaur exhibit
Greenfield Recorder, February 17, 2018
Connecting Point producer Dave Fraser and videographer Mark Langevin tour the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College.
The First Scientist to Study Dinosaur Footprints Thought Giant Birds Made Them
Atlas Obscura, December 12, 2017
Loomis Illuminated
Amherst Magazine, December 4, 2017
Answering the age-old query, what is this?
Daily Hampshire Gazette, November 6, 2017
Missed the Solar Eclipse? Just Wait Seven Years
NEPR, August 21, 2017
Learning about the Eclipse at the Wilder Observatory
Mass Appeal, August 21, 2017
10 Towns in 10 Days: Amherst
Western Mass News, May 2, 2017
Dozens of Māori and Moriori Remains Return to New Zealand from European Museums
Hyperallergic, May 24, 2017
A Mammoth Resurrection
Amherst College, April 25, 2017
Amherst College mammoth mascot reactions: Boon to Beneski Museum, or 'Dumbest thing I ever heard'?
MassLive, April 4, 2017
Amherst College chooses Mammoths as the mascot
Amherst Bulletin, April 4, 2017
College Selects Mammoth as Official Mascot
The Amherst Student, April 4, 2017
Amherst College announces the Mammoths as the school's first mascot
MassLive, April 3, 2017
After sending Lord Jeff packing, Amherst College picks mammoth as the mascot
The Boston Globe, April 3, 2017
Amherst, a gem between Boston and the Berkshires
The Boston Globe, March 17, 2017
The Bookworm's Guide to Amherst, MA
The Huffington Post, March 7, 2017
Reimagining Audubon: Local artists use famous naturalist's art as starting point for their own
Amherst Bulletin, December 1, 2016
You can score free admission to 49 museums across Massachusetts today
boston.com, September 24, 2016
Beneski Museum a hidden gem
The Reminder, July 15, 2016
Zip Trip: Beneski Museum of Natural History (Video)
ABC's Western Mass News, May 27, 2016
Unique Museums: Beneski Museum (Video)
WGBY's Connecting Point, February 10, 2016
Museum Adventures: Beneski Museum
Hilltown Families Blog, February 1, 2016
The Art of Nature: Sculptures of Dinosaur Tracks and Traces
Evolution Literacy blog, December 3, 2015
'Antiques Roadshow' for rocks and bones: Amherst College's Beneski Museum of Natural History offers 'Identify It Day'
MassLive, October 30, 2015
Kate Wellspring: The Beneski Museum of Natural History
WINC Public Radio, August 5, 2015
Exploring Amherst, Massachusetts, for a day
The Boston Globe, June 7, 2015
Millions of years ago, Western Massachusetts was a Jurassic World
Boston.com, June 1, 2015
Melting away: Photo exhibition at Amherst College tracks disappearing glaciers in Alaska
Daily Hampshire Gazette, March 18, 2015
See the Dramatic Effects of Climate Change in the Alaskan Arctic 100 Years Ago vs. Today
Amherst College, February 11, 2015
Tribe part of human remains repatriation request
Cherokee One Feather, February 2015
New Dinosaur Species Discovered
ABC Fox 40, December 9, 2014
Florida mammoth helps spark lifelong curiosity of the past
10 News, October 7, 2014
Western Mass. dino-might
The Recorder, September 18, 2014
There's Another Vegan on Campus
Amherst Magazine, Spring 2013
Amherst College alum donates rare dinosaur to college's Beneski Museum of Natural History
MassLive.com, April 10, 2013
Alumnus Gives Amherst College Beneski Museum of Natural History a Dryosaurus Altus Dinosaur; Will Be Second Mounted Specimen of its Species in the World
Amherst College, April 9, 2013
Favorite Place: Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College addresses questions visually
MassLive.com, April 3, 2012
Beneski Museum of Natural History reveals a rich prehistoric history of the Pioneer Valley
MassLive.com, April 17, 2011
Amherst College to Host Ceremony for Newly Dedicated Beneski Earth Sciences Building and Beneski Museum of Natural History April 1
Amherst College, March 24, 2011
Dinosaur Tracks Collection | Local Treasure
Yankee magazine, March 2011
Layers Beneath Dinosaur Land
The Valley Advocate, April 13, 2010