Please join Burpee Museum as we celebrate our 26th annual PaleoFest event on March 2-3, 2024.
Over the last 25 years, PaleoFest has become the premier paleontology event that brings the general public together to mingle and listen to talks by world renowned paleontologists from across the globe!
Paleofest '24 Countdown!
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Coming March 1-3, 2024!
From dinosaurs to mammoths to fish to microfossils and neuro paleontology and everything in between, PaleoFest has something for all ages and all paleontology interests including daytime talks, family workshops, Paleo Passport stations, Art of the Earth classes and exploring the exhibit halls of the museum. Join us for a weekend where the center of the paleontology world is right here in Rockford, Illinois, home of Jane the juvenile T. rex and Homer the juvenile Triceratops! More information will be coming soon, so please visit often for speaker updates, classes, PaleoFest workshops and more!
Not Just for Professional Scientists
Students, interested community members, and aspiring scientists are encouraged to join the experts as they share stories, research, and experiences. It is an excellent opportunity to make connections and become inspired!
Not ready for the lectures? Families can still enjoy hands-on workshops, lectures for children, and activities for families throughout our museum…paleo science is presented in a fun, big way.
Family Fun
Bring your best dino roar and paleo costume, and jump into so many fun ways to experience the museum. Learn about prehistoric animals and explore the halls of Burpee!
Note: An adult must accompany children ages 4-12.
Preregistration:
Is Now LIVE! Scroll down to see a complete listing of opportunities, activities, and packages!
Additional parking will be available at the Goodwill located at 850 N Church St, Rockford, IL 61103
Doors open at 8 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on opportunitiesSunday. Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase.
HOTEL AVAILABILITY
Need to reserve a hotel room?
Burpee Museum has partnered with Riverview Inn & Suites, to reserve hotel rooms for this special event! The room rate is $99 per night, and registration will close one month before PaleoFest.
Location:
Riverview Inn & Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection
700 W. Riverside Blvd., Rockford, IL, 61103, US
+1 (815) 282-3033
SPEAKER SCHEDULE
Click a date to see schedules:
Friday, March 1st, 2024
March 3/1/2024- Members Only Event
- 5:30 pm – Main Museum
Doors Open, Appetizers & Drinks - 7:00 pm – Lecture with Josh Mathews. –
“Burpee in the Spotlight: Documentaries, IMAX & Digging with MrBeast”
- 8:00pm – Museum Closes
Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
3:00-3:30 pmSaturday 3/2/2024
| 8:00 am | Doors Open | Main Museum | |
| 9:15 am | Opening Remarks | Riverview Room | |
| 9:30- 10 am | Dr. Daniel Vidal, University of Chicago | Riverview Room | |
| 10- 10:30 am | Dr. Victoria McCoy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee “Biomolecules in amber: a window into a unique mode of fossilization” |
Riverview Room | |
| 10- 11 am | AoE- Cryolophosaurus- How We Fill In the Blanks | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 10:30-11 am | Lecture Break | ||
| 11:00-11:30 am | Kathleen Rust, PhD Candidate, University of Kansas “Reading the Fossil Record: how fossils from China reveal the origin and evolutionary history of the last nonhuman primate in North America before the arrival of humans” |
Riverview Room | |
| 11:30-12 pm | Dr. Julia Clarke “A Dinosaur’s Roar” |
Riverview Room | |
| 11:45 am-12:45 pm | Age 3-6 Workshop “Small but Mighty: Microverts” | CL 2 | |
| 11:45 am-12:45 pm | Age 7-11 Workshop “Small but Mighty: Microverts” | CL 3 | |
| 12:00-1 pm | Lecture Lunch | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 1:00-1:30 pm | Burpee Rocks Reading | WtW | |
| 1:15-2:15 pm | Age 3-6 Workshop “Small but Mighty: Microverts” | CL 2 | |
| 1:15-2:15 pm | Age 7-11 Workshop “Small but Mighty: Microverts” | CL 3 | |
| 1:30-2 pm | Scott Williams “Gone Fishing at Fossil Lake- An Eocene Lagerstatte” |
Riverview Room | |
| 2:00-2:30 pm | Dr. Andy Heckert, Appalachia State University “Tiny Triassic fossils that address big evolutionary topics: Microvertebrates from the Lower Triassic of South Africa” |
Riverview Room | |
| 2:30-3:00 pm | Lecture Break | Main Museum | |
| 2:30-3:30 pm | AoE- Cryolophosaurus- How We Fill In the Blanks | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 3:00-3:30 pm | Maria Vallejo-Pareja, PhD Candidate, University of Florida “Frogs in time: new perspectives on the evolution of anurans in North America” |
Riverview Room | |
| 4:00-4:30 pm | Dr. Matthew Carranno, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | Riverview Room | |
| 3:45-4:45 pm | Family Lecture | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 5:00 pm | Museum Closes | Main Museum |
Saturday Evening, March 2nd, 2024 SOLD OUT
Saturday 3/2/2024 at Riverview Inn and Suites
| 5:00 pm | Mixer Begins | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner Served | ||
| 7:30 pm | Dr. Nathan Smith, Natural History Museum of LA County will be the keynote speaker. “Early Dinosaur Evolution: from the Paleo-Equator to the Pole” |
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
Sunday 3/3/2024
| 9:00 am | Doors Open | Main Museum | |
| 9:45 am | Opening Remarks | Riverview Room | |
| 10:00-10:30 am | Dr. Anthony Fiorillo, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science “The Dinosaurian World of Aniakchak National Monument, southwestern Alaska: a fossil resource of global importance” |
Riverview Room | |
| 10:00- 11:00 am | AoE- Little Red Dinosaurs- Science and Art in Countershading | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 10:30-11 am | Katherine Jordan, University of Nebraska “Mysteries of the Ancient Oceans: What the Devonian Can Tell Us About Today?” |
Riverview Room | |
| 11-11:30 am | Lecture Break | Main Museum | |
| 11:30 am-12:00 pm | Dr. Paige Wilson Deibel, University of Washington “Plants that Outlived Dinosaurs: Impact of the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction on Plant Communities” |
Riverview Room | |
| 11:45 am-12:45 pm | Ages 3-6 Workshop- Bones to Stones: The Science of Fossilization | CL 2 | |
| 11:45 am-12:45 pm | Age 7-11 Workshop- Bones to Stones: The Science of Fossilization | CL 3 | |
| 12:00-12:30 pm | Katie Tremaine, Montana State University “From Tykes to Teenagers: Why Homer, Garny, and Other Triceratops Specimens Matter” |
Riverview Room | |
| 12:30-2:00 pm | Lecture Lunch | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 1:15-2:15 pm | Ages 3-6 Workshop- Bones to Stones: The Science of Fossilization | CL 2 | |
| 1:15-2:15 pm | Age 7-11 Workshop- Bones to Stones: The Science of Fossilization | CL 3 | |
| 2:00-2:30 pm | Dalton Meyer, PhD Candidate, Yale University “The Not-So-Terrible Lizards: Using Jurassic Fossils to Explore the Origins and Evolutions of Modern Squamates” |
Riverview Room | |
| 2:30-3:00 pm | Abdullah Gohar, PhD Student, Oklahoma State University “Egyptian Eocene cetaceans revealing insights into whale evolution” |
Riverview Room | |
| 2:30-3:30 pm | AoE- Little Red Dinosaurs- Science and Art in Countershading | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 3:00-3:30 pm | Lecture Break | Main Museum | |
| 3:30-4:00 pm | Georgia Knauss “Fossils – From Federal Lands to Collections” |
Riverview Room | |
| 3:45-4:45 pm | Family Talk | Mahlburg Auditorium | |
| 4:00-4:30 pm | Dr. Thomas Holtz, University of Maryland “From Tots to Titans: How Dinosaur Ontogeny Affects Ecosystem Structure and Diversity, and Why Dinosaurs Are Not Mammal-Analogues” |
Riverview Room | |
| 5:00 pm | Museum Closes | Main Museum |
TICKETS
TICKET OPTIONS:
Science Talks & Lectures
Check out our lecture passes! There will be different speakers on Saturday and Sunday with a full slate of awesome research. You can purchase a one-day pass or a full weekend day pass. All lecture passes include general admission to the full museum. A special paleo celebration dinner and research talk feature our keynote presenter. The keynote is not included in the day lecture pass. Best Deal = PaleoPackage. This gets you all the daytime speakers plus the keynote and dinner.
Just Stopping By
With a general admission-only ticket, you will enjoy a museum full of awesome exhibits, several special PaleoFest-only stations, and temporary interactive exhibits.
Enhance your Family Visit
Walking through the museum on PaleoFest is very special, but upgrade your fun with a hands-on workshop! Geared at paleo-loving youth, these workshops feature science experimentation, activities, small group learning, art training, and even a family-friendly research lecture from one of our visiting scientists. Don’t miss the variety of these special add-ons.
Click to open member or non-member schedules to purchase tickets
MEMBERS
Friday, March 1st, 2024
Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
Saturday Evening, March 2nd, 2024 SOLD OUT
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
- Fun for the Whole Family
- Lecture Packages
- General Admission Only
NON-MEMBERS
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Friday, March 1st, 2024
- Members Night
* This is a members-only event. If you would like to participate, you can purchase a membership HERE
Saturday, March 2nd, 2024
Saturday Evening, March 2nd, 2024 SOLD OUT
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
- Members Night
About Burpee Museum’s PaleoFest
Since 1999, PaleoFest has become an internationally recognized and respected program that celebrates the science of Paleontology. PaleoFest is an exemplary program to excite, educate, and inspire all people in science. This 3-day event includes many educational programs and activities for all levels of interest in paleontology. Each year, PaleoFest attracts nearly 2,000 visitors and some of the biggest names in the field.