Changing the Faces of Paleontology

An old photo of Skye Walker playing with her dinosaurs

Most people have a core memory of when they first got into paleontology. That might be a movie like Jurassic Park or The Land Before Time, a documentary like Walking with Dinosaurs, or their first visit to a museum and staring up at a T. rex. Oddly enough, I don’t have a single moment that inspired me; my love for paleontology simply…was.

I didn’t think about whether I was even “allowed” to do science. I didn’t think about barriers or know much about history until I was older. I just imagined being out in the field, discovering something new.

What do you think of when you picture people in paleontology?

There’s a good chance that your mind pulls up an image of men with beards, cowboy hats, and dusty jeans. However, with how much progress we have made as a scientific community, you may have also thought of a woman in khaki pants, a wide brim hat, and steel-toed boots. From the very beginning of paleontology, women have played vital roles in discovering fossils, interpreting ancient life, and pushing forth our understanding of prehistoric worlds.

For much of history, opportunities in paleontology were never equally available. Women were often excluded from fieldwork, overlooked in research, denied positions in scientific institutions and societies, or even had their work stolen from them with zero credit. And for a long time, that greatly shaped who people believed could be a scientist.

But that image is changing. It’s changing because more people are being given the chance to step into the role of a scientist for themselves. Because science should never be something kept behind closed doors; it should be something people can step into, experience, and be a part of.

Skye Walker, Jason Poole, and a 2025 participant jacketing

That’s why I feel so proud to say that I’ve been able to live that dream to become a paleontologist and work with dinosaurs, and why experiences like mine matter. That’s why organizations like Elevation Science matter to me, because we are creating opportunities for all people to actually participate in science and gain hands-on field paleontology experience, not just read about it or watch from the sidelines.

People from all backgrounds and corners of the world have the opportunity to get their hands dirty, learn how to use the tools, discover and excavate a fossil for themselves, feel their hands in wet plaster, scour the landscape for new fossils, and actively contribute to science as it’s happening. For many people, this is their first time doing real paleontology field work. Not in a classroom or behind glass in a museum, but outdoors where discoveries are actually made.

I didn’t realize when I was growing up how many obstacles women in science had faced. What I did know was that I wanted to be part of it. Elevation Science gave me that opportunity, not just to learn more about paleontology, but to actively contribute to and share it with others.

To top it all off, while many scientific institutions in the past were once dominated by men, we are one of many new organizations that are stepping into something different.

Our Development Director is a woman.

Our Paleo Lab Manager is a woman.

Our Head of Science Communication, and a field technician, is a woman.

This isn’t about changing who is represented in science. It’s about changing who gets the opportunity to experience it.

Society has come a long way, especially when it comes to opportunities for women in science. Women in paleontology can now be curators, researchers, collections managers, paleoartists, field technicians, directors, 3D scanning specialists, educators and interpreters, fossil preparators, and so much more. It was seeing many incredible women in these roles that inspired me to put myself out there in the science communication world.

However, we still have a long way to go. There are still stories to be told, fossils to uncover, and discoveries that are out there just begging us to make them.

And today, more people than ever have the chance to be part of it.