Life in the Past Lane: Nebraska’s Paleontologist

*Reservations Required*

All ages are invited to join us at the library for this Dinovember program in partnership with the Nebraska State Museum Morrill Hall, Life in the Past Lane: Nebraska’s Highway Paleontology Program in the main library room!

Shane Tucker is the Highway Paleontologist at the University of Nebraska State Museum. The Highway Paleontology Program is a cooperative effort between the State Museum and Nebraska Department of Transportation to collect fossils threatened by highway construction.

Mr. Tucker graduated with a B.S. (1997) and M.S. (2004) degree in geology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Shane started his career as an intern at Ashfall Fossil Beds and worked in various roles as an undergraduate within the Museum. He started working for the Highway Paleontology Program in 1999 and has served as the State’s Highway Paleontologist since 2007. Highlights of his career include excavating a long-necked plesiosaur partial skeleton and mosasaur partial skeleton from northeast Nebraska as well as a rare sling-shot horned deer skull, giant tortoise shells, and horned rodent remains from the Panhandle.

His program will focus on the history of the Program and highlight fossils collected from south-central Nebraska including Ice Age fossils collected on a project near Naponee this spring.

*Reservations Required* by calling the library or using the online form on the Facebook event.

For more information, please contact Sierra Burrows at  or 995-6556.