Myria Perez is a Fossil Preparator (aka paleontologist) at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas. She reconstructs the Earth’s history by carefully unearthing each new fossil and then puts these prehistoric dinosaur puzzle pieces back together.

Myria fell in love with dinosaurs as a little girl and started volunteering at 12 years old. She has worked with and been mentored by some of the most well-renowned pioneers of paleontology, including Robert T. Bakker and Dr. Kay Behrensmeyer. Notably, she cleaned fossils and created content for an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

There is a lot of variation with her job. She uses all sorts of tools as a fossil preparator, including: a hand saw, toothbrush, and an air scribe. She has even used a porcupine quill! She works in a lab environment, which takes some intense focus. She teaches and collaborates with volunteers at the museum. Plus, she gets to go out on digs to look for fossils in the field. 

Resources

• IfThenExhibit.org - Myria's bio
• Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
• The Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology
• Dallas Paleontological Society

Contact Info:
Myria Perez
@paleontologica
Myria's YouTube channel

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www.womenwithcooljobs.com
@womencooljobs (Instagram)

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