RAPID: High-Fidelity 3-D Digitization of Paleocene Vertebrate Fossils from Colombia: A Unique Opportunity for Science and Education

哥伦比亚东北部的古新世化石（约5800万年前）为南美洲热带雨林生态系统提供了最古老的证据，其中包括许多新物种的侧颈龟、鳄形动物和已知最大的蛇泰坦蛇，估计有40-50英尺长。这些化石是在七年的时间里收集的，现在被借给佛罗里达自然历史博物馆（FLMNH），在那里他们正在被描述和研究。标本现在必须返回哥伦比亚，要求制作具有研究质量的复制品并储存在FLMNH，以供继续和今后的研究。许多标本又大又脆弱，完成标本制作、复制和送回哥伦比亚的时间很短。项目团队将开发K-12课程计划，将3D打印化石纳入课堂使用。所有可视化和相关数据将通过Morphosource提供，并免费提供给研究人员、教育工作者和公众。随着3D扫描和打印技术的最新进展，现在可以更有效地创建虚拟和物理模型，这些模型比传统的成型和铸造技术更有用。该项目将为借给FLMNH的所有哥伦比亚化石创建高保真的3D扫描。这些扫描将促进快速完成科学研究的重点是头盖骨，体型，生活史，系统学，和生态的泰坦巨蟒。此外，通过Morphosource在网上免费提供这些数据将对教育社区产生持久的影响。例如，K-12课程计划将进一步开发，从3D打印椎骨的测量推断泰坦oboa的大小，并根据估计的体长推断过去的气候条件。免费获取这些数据将为未来无数重要的研究提供基础资源，这些研究将促进脊椎动物古生物学领域的快速和创新进展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fossils from the Paleocene (~58 million years ago) in northeastern Colombia provide the oldest evidence of tropical rainforest ecosystems in South America and include many new species of side-necked turtles, crocodyliforms and the largest known snake Titanoboa, estimated to have been 40-50 feet long. These fossils were collected over a seven year period and are now on loan to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) where they are being described and studied. Specimens must now be returned to Colombia, requiring that research quality reproductions be produced and stored at the FLMNH for continuing and future study. Many of the specimens are large and fragile and the time frame for the completion of specimen preparation, reproduction and return to Colombia is short. The project team will develop K-12 lesson plans that incorporate 3D printed fossils for use in the classroom. All visualizations and associated data will be available through Morphosource and freely available to researchers, educators and the public.With recent advances in 3D scanning and printing technology, it is now possible to more efficiently create both virtual and physical models that are far more useful than traditional molding and casting techniques. This project will create high-fidelity 3D scans of all of the Colombian fossils on loan to the FLMNH. These scans will facilitate quick completion of scientific studies focused on cranial osteology, body size, life history, systematics, and ecology of Titanoboa. Additionally, making these data freely available on-line through Morphosource will have a lasting impact on educational communities. For example, K-12 lesson plans will be further developed to extrapolate the size of Titanoboa from measurements of 3D printed vertebrae and infer past climatic conditions based on estimated body length. Free access to these data will provide the basic resources for countless important future studies that could catalyze rapid and innovative advances in the field of vertebrate paleobiology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.