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This is a question that has puzzled paleontologists for decades and has lead to numerous theories. This web site briefly describes some of those theories and introduces and exciting educational program--PaleoQuest--that is intended to capitalize on interest in dinosaurs by students and the general public.

PaleoQuest Executive Summary
The NASA-supported Center for Educational Technologies™ (CET) proposes to design, develop, and implement the five-year PaleoQuest program which will result in a renowned Web based paleontology resource for use by educators, students, scientists, and dinosaur enthusiasts. The program will consist of online curricular materials, documentaries, and teacher professional development courses integrating paleontology into the science curriculum taught in K-12 schools. The program will also provide opportunities for underprivileged students to become acquainted first hand with explorations in science and scientific careers.

Project Components:
Curriculum: PaleoQuest will include a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, web-based curriculum. The program will integrate paleontology with biology, chemistry, physics, math, earth science, technology, and the humanities. It will progress from an understanding of basic concepts in science, math, and technology in grades K-4 to a more refined understanding of the intricate relationships among these disciplines in grades 5-12 and beyond.

Online Site: The PaleoQuest web site will be the main avenue for interactions among educators, students, scientists, and dinosaur enthusiasts. In this area, users will find activities, areas for collaboration, and information about dinosaurs and fossil sites. The goal is to develop a site that is acclaimed as THE site for paleontology.

Documentaries: The CET will visit the sites of nationally-known paleontologists, chronicling and broadcasting digs, interviews with scientists, and the discovery of evidence of famous creatures that no longer walk the earth. A special emphasis will be placed on opportunities for women and minorities in science, providing them avenues to experience careers in science.

Video Game: The CET will work with an established producer of video games to combine nationwide science standards into an action-filled video game. Problem-solving and adventure will be combined as users learn about dinosaurs, their habitat, their lives, and their demise.

Professional Development Courses: The project will field three, three-credit graduate courses dealing with paleontology and earth science for educators. The courses will model inquiry-based methods and provide teachers with resources and activities for classroom use.

Technology: GIS tools will allow users to integrate database operations such as queries and statistical analyses with the rich visualizations of maps. Using media such as remotely sensed images and aerial photography, users will overlay several layers of information in order to observe visually, question, evaluate, and make recommendations concerning the best places to look for fossils.

Summer Student Opportunities: Minority high school students will be invited to join scientists on-site as they discover and decipher dinosaur remains. These students will play key roles in the documentaries and web-based activities.

Research: The CET team will track the development of the teachers' ability to implement PaleoQuest and the resulting impact on student achievement.

Click here for a complete Project Description. 

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