Senior Paleontologist, Lab Lead
(701) 328-3960
600 East Boulevard
Bismarck, ND 58505-0840
ndgspaleo@nd.gov
Job Description
Cathy manages the Johnsrud Paleontology Laboratory and is the volunteer coordinator for the lab and collections. She cleans vertebrate fossils in the fossil preparation lab and creates permanent housing for specimens going into the North Dakota State Fossil Collection. She maintains and organizes the preparation and fabrication labs. Cathy also helps with exhibits, outreach activities, and field work.
Education
2011: M.S. Earth Sciences - Geology, Montana State University, Bozeman
1998: B.S. Geology, California State University, Fullerton
1998: Minor in Business Administration, California State University, Fullerton
Master's Thesis Topic: Depositional Environment and Taphonomy of Marine Vertebrate Biofacies in the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Thermopolis Shale, South-Central Montana
Undergraduate Thesis Topic: Noble Gas Analysis in Accretionary Rims of CM Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorites and Their Link to the Solar System
Publications
Bohacs, K.M., Lamb-Wozniak, K., Demko, T.M., Eleson, J., McLaughlin, O., Lash, C., Cleveland, D.M., Kaczmarek, S., 2013, Vertical and lateral distribution of lacustrine carbonate lithofacies at the parasequence scale in the Miocene Hot Spring limestone, Idaho: An analog addressing reservoir presence and quality: AAPG Bulletin, V. 97, No. 11, p. 1967–1995.
AMMP 2026 Workshop: Defining Best Practices: Health & Safety; Mechanical Preparation
AMMP 2026 Workshop: Lab Setup Basics
AMMP 2025 Poster: Innovative Techniques in Paleo Reconstruction: A Case Study of Two Skulls
AMMP 2024 Poster: A Case Study of a Flipping Technique for Large or Delicate Fossils
SVP 2024 Poster: Tooth or Consequence: Case Study Using Dental Impression Putty, Vinyl Polysiloxane (VPS), as an Alternative to Conventional Molding Materials
SVP 2021 Presenter: Utilizing Old and New Techniques to Bring New Life to Old Displays
SVP 2016 Presenter: Cutting Bone – A Creative use of Cyclododecane (CDD) in Histologic Sectioning of Fossil Specimens
SVP 2013 Presenter: A Tale of Two Exhibits: The Fossil Preparator as an Integral Part of Museum Outreach
GSA 2008 Poster: Depositional Environment and Taphonomy of Marine Vertebrate Biofacies in the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Thermopolis Shale, South-Central Montana