World-Class Paleontologists Share Cutting-Edge Research During Natural History Museum of Utah’s Polar DinoFest Online Event

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 21, 2021 – Take a deep dive into polar dinosaurs during the Natural History Museum of Utah’s (NHMU) 2021 Polar DinoFest Online event, beginning January 23-24 with six livestream panels featuring world-renowned paleontologists. This fifth annual DinoFest will run for 10 weeks, releasing a new video each Friday starting January 29 highlighting amazing research in the world of polar dinosaurs. 

Keynote speakers include paleontologists Peter Makovicky, professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota, who will be presenting at 10 a.m. on January 29, and Holly Woodward Ballard, associate professor of anatomy and paleontology at Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences, who will be presenting at 10 a.m. on March 5.

Ten additional paleontologists will do shorter “DinoBite” presentations each Friday at 10 a.m. running through April 2. These presentations will discuss exciting topics such as sea monsters, fossil penguins, and polar climate—to name a few.

Polar DinoFest Online is happening in conjunction with the museum’s current special exhibition, Antarctic Dinosaurs, where Museum guests have the opportunity to travel through time in an in-person, immersive experience that transports visitors back 200 million years to discover what life was like in Antarctica.

For more information on Polar DinoFest Online and a full schedule of speakers, visit https://nhmu.utah.edu/polar-dinofest.

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About the Natural History Museum of Utah

The Natural History Museum of Utah is one of the leading scientific research and cultural institutions in the country. The Museum’s collections contain over 1.6 million objects and offers innovative exhibitions and educational programs to thousands of residents and visitors each year, including traveling and permanent exhibits, special events and other programs. With an expected attendance of 300,000 visitors a year, the Museum also offers a variety of outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every school district in the state annually. The Museum has an active science program with more than 30 scientists and 10 field exhibitions each year.