A Museum 66 Million Years in the Making
A Museum 66 Million Years in the Making
Fossil firsts in Southern New Jersey
Edelman Fossil Park & Museum (EFM) builds on discoveries that began in the 1800’s and put the southern New Jersey region on the global map with the continent’s first nearly complete dinosaur skeletons found not far from EFM: Dryptosaurus and Hadrosaurus.
At the marl quarry near the museum, Rowan University researchers and others have unearthed more than 100,000 fossils representing over 100 species of marine and land animals, including the remains of bus-length mosasaurs, marine crocodiles, sea turtles, shark teeth and much more.
Now, EFM is the only place in the world to see a preserved fossil ecosystem from the moment an asteroid struck Earth and destroyed the dinosaurs. Set above the historic marl quarry where Rowan University researchers continue to work, EFM’s exhibits explain ancient earth history and humans’ capacity to understand and effect change amid the climate and biodiversity crises we face.
Education adventure
Inside the museum, visitors can travel 66 million years back in time with each step through breathtaking galleries featuring full-scale dinosaur sculptures, live animal encounters and an interactive fossil scavenger hunt. The careful work of collection and conservation staff will be on display as they examine and catalogue specimens and share the finds with visitors. For even more adventure, guests can experience free-roaming virtual reality and dig for fossils near the active research site.
Rowan University’s role as a public higher education leader will continue to expand as its School of Earth & Environment researchers work in the quarry and EFM reopens to schools and groups whose demand for field trips and education helped drive the effort to preserve the site and develop the museum.
Supported generously by Rowan alumni Jean and Ric Edelman, EFM reflects their profound commitment to advancing education through philanthropy at their alma mater, inspiring exploration, understanding and action. “The Edelmans’ passion for sharing discovery and science will transform and expand Rowan’s capacity to educate for generations to come,” said Rowan University President Ali Houshmand at the start of the project.
Early on, paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara shared a vision with Rowan’s board of trustees for saving the research site and ensuring school groups could continue to get hooked on science by digging for fossils. The mining company that had preserved the marl quarry for decades and allowed Lacovara and others to dig could no longer maintain the site, pumping water 24 hours daily to keep the quarry from flooding. Without intervention, the hundreds of requests for school field trips every year wouldn’t be fulfilled and the continuing discoveries would end.
Now EFM’s founding executive director, Lacovara explained the site’s significance and shared a vision for the future. His presentation was so compelling it motivated Rowan Trustee Jean Edelman to respond almost immediately. “As Ken spoke, I couldn’t sit still in my seat. I was very excited. In my mind, I could see the kids there.”
She brought the vision home and within months, Jean and Ric Edelman returned to campus for the announcement of their $25 million gift for Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University. Already the benefactors of Edelman Planetarium at their alma mater, they remain devoted to science education, supporting the planetarium and ensuring funds for school groups to visit.
“Astronomy is the oldest science. All you have to do is let a kid look through a telescope. They’re hooked for life. The Fossil Park has the same possibility,” said Ric. “Now you have the ability to put your hands in the dirt and participate in science exactly as paleontologists do. Astronomy and paleontology help you understand your place in the world.”
With its growing presence in STEM education and expanding role as a regional economic driver, Rowan committed to leveraging the Edelman gift to construct Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University.
Demonstrative design
Now just weeks from opening, EFM resides amid centuries-old woods along a busy north-south corridor 20 minutes from Philadelphia and just four miles from Rowan University’s Glassboro campus. Lacovara, who has unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs to walk the earth, including the massive 65-ton Dreadnoughtus, brought expertise and passion to inform the museum’s design and mission: to discover the past and protect the future.
Created to keep environmental impact low in every way possible, the museum was sustainably designed with geothermal and electric systems to reduce the carbon footprint. Materials used in construction include bird-safe glass, low-carbon concrete and responsibly harvested lumber.
Throughout EFM, thoughtfulness about visitors’ experience abounds with creative and practical features. Crawl-spaces and interactive displays offer youngest guests special child-sized encounters. Original videos produced for EFM tell stories of today’s environmental heroes around the world. Collaborations with partners, including NASA, provide context for historic and current exploration. With immersive experiences enhanced by RFID technology, guests can curate their experience and create their own EFM profiles with links to more learning, plus opportunities to take action during and after their visits.
For more about Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University:
About Rowan University
Founded in 1923, Rowan University is a top 100 national public research institution serving 23,000 students with undergraduate, doctoral, and professional programs in person and online. Led by President Ali Houshmand, Rowan University is a Carnegie-classified R2 (high research activity), with colleges and schools on multiple campuses. One of only two public universities in the nation with two medical schools, this fall it will add a school of veterinary medicine. Rowan focuses on practical research at the intersection of health care, engineering, science and business.
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