Paleontologist
(701) 328-7737
600 East Boulevard
Bismarck, ND 58505-0840
ndgspaleo@nd.gov
Job Description
Alex manages the Public Fossil Digs, handles outreach programs, cleans fossils in the fossil preparation lab, and helps develop exhibits.
Alex first got her start in paleontology volunteering at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL. Her first dig was at their Utah site in 2009, and she volunteered in their fossil preparation lab in 2012 and 2013. She’s also worked at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Badlands National Park, and Wind Cave National Park.
Education
2015: M.S. Paleontology, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
2012: B.S. Geology, Western Illinois University
Publications
Gardner, A. C. K., Jass, C. N., & Hutchinson, J. R. (2025). Recovery of novel osteological specimens (Mammuthus) from the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota, USA. The Anatomical Record, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.70023
Bonnan, M.F., Wilhite, D.R., Masters, S.L., Yates, A.M., Gardner, A.C.K., Aguiar, A. (2013). What Lies Beneath: Sub-Articular Long Bone Shape Scaling in Eutherian Mammals and Saurischian Dinosaurs Suggests Different Locomotor Adaptations for Gigantism. PLoS ONE 8(10): e75216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075216
AMMP 2026 Workshops: Defining Best Practices: Health & Safety; Mechanical Preparation
AMMP 2025 Workshop: Challenges in Stabilizing In Situ Tusks: Opening a Dialogue
AMMP 2025 Poster: No Fossils Were Harmed in the Making of This Poster: Three Airscribe Tests for Beginners
AMMP 2023 Poster: The Application of a Solvent Gel to Fix the Mammoth Site’s Glyptal Conundrum