UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Media release
Come and meet Bristol's very own dinosaur

People of all ages will have a chance to meet Thecodontosaurus, Bristol's very own dinosaur, this Saturday [September 14] as part of Doors Open Day in the Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol.

The dinosaur, which roamed Bristol over 200 million years ago, is one of the most important in the world. It is one of the oldest plant-eating dinosaurs, and is closely related to the huge plant-eaters like Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.

The Bristol Dinosaur Project, run by the University's Department of Earth Sciences, aims to introduce school children of every age to science through dinosaurs, and the Bristol dinosaur in particular, and to develop an interactive exhibit displaying the dinosaur and the environment in which it lived.

An Education Officer, Caroline Milner, has been appointed to run a programme to encourage wider understanding of the evolution of the environment and the ecosystems through the age of the dinosaurs. School children in Bristol will be able to visit the laboratory at the University, or see the work involved in reconstructing Thecodontosaurus and its environment in their own school.

Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University, said: 'The discovery of the Bristol dinosaur is of great significance to the scientific community and gives us a rare chance to study this unique animal and its ancient environment.

'From a scientific perspective we hope to find out the difference between a male and female dinosaur and work out exactly how Thecodontosaurus walked and ran.'

Tony Robinson, Time Team presenter and supporter of the project, said: 'The history of Thecodontosaurus is a fantastic story and unique to Bristol.

'The project will attract a lot of interest from natural history and science museums around the world and will play an important role in putting the science and the city of Bristol on the map. It is also a boost to Bristol's bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008.'

Caroline Milner added: 'With experience in both science communication and palaeontology I am very excited about the opportunity to bring dinosaurs into schools. It's wonderful that Bristol has its own unique dinosaur that can be used as a stepping stone to explain earth sciences to children.'

At-Bristol will link in with the Project and over the next few months will be holding 'hands-on' educational workshops for students from schools in the local area.

The project has been awarded a £18,500 grant from the University's Widening Participation Office to fund the educational programme. The quest for funding to develop the Bristol Dinosaur Project and to bring Thecondontosaurus back to life is under way.

Any individual or organisation interested in supporting the project is invited to contact Dr Caroline Smith, Development Manager, on Bristol 928 9904 or by emailing caroline.smith@bristol.ac.uk.

The Wills Memorial Building will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 14.

Caroline Milner, Education Officer, will be visiting schools in the Bristol area to talk about science through dinosaurs and the Bristol Dinosaur Project. Schools wishing to arrange a visit can contact Caroline Milner on Bristol 954 5496 or email caroline.milner@bristol.ac.uk

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Email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk
Copyright: 2002 The University of Bristol, UK
Updated: Friday, 13-Sep-2002 10:14:27 BST