Being a Palaeontology technician with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum presents many exciting challenges. One must be a proverbial ‘jack of all trades’; part excavator, prospector, carpenter, sculptor and artist.

My main preparation project is Scotty the T. rex from the Latest Cretaceous of Saskatchewan. This has been a challenging specimen; most of the fossil material is encased in hard sandstone. The bulk of Scotty has been prepared including all known large elements, but there are still many years of preparation ahead.

My most recent lab/exhibit project was to produce a fibreglass and resin half cast (replica) of Scotty’s skull incorporating the most recently discovered elements most notably the braincase. This resulted in a skull that is 14cm longer than the previous reconstruction.

Other projects include preparing a early Paleocene crocodile from the Big Muddy Badlands and fine, detailed preparation of a late Cretaceous Tylosaurus skull from Lake Diefenbaker.

Field work is always an exciting time of year, and can run many months. This is a time of discovery. The 2009 field season has focussed on a dinosaur site from the Frenchman River Valley, again latest Cretaceous, discovered by our volunteer Warren Lissel.

I am very interested in marine reptiles and have had the opportunity to work on several dig sites and specimens. I am also interested in pop culture side of palaeontology and how dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures have been represented in art, fiction, and film.