High School Student Discovers Ancient Fossils in Montana
This summer, a remarkable discovery took place at an excavation site in Montana: 150 million-year-old fossils from the Jurassic period. Interestingly, the finder wasn’t a seasoned scientist but rather Aidan Connor, a high school senior from Cheshire Academy in Connecticut.
According to the academy, Aidan unearthed ancient bones in Red Lodge, Montana, during an excavation trip funded by the Rizzolo Larson Venture Grant Program. He and other students traveled west with the Elevation Science Institute, collaborating with peers from different states.
On the very first day of digging, Aidan found a finger bone roughly the size of a pinky, believed to belong to a small dinosaur from that era. The teens managed to collect the fossils in about an hour, a pace that Aidan described as “relatively quick,” although he admitted the experience was “very nerve-wracking.”
Aidan explained, “In many field studies, especially in paleontology, we do everything we can to avoid destroying something very important.” After the initial excitement wore off, the group spent the remainder of the week “jacketing” other fossils. This step involves encasing them in plaster to protect against damage during transport.
In an interview, Aidan shared that the entire experience was “very exciting.” He mentioned it felt “fulfilling for my inner child.” His sentiment speaks volumes about how impactful this experience was for him.
Cheshire Academy’s Dean, Mark Allison, expressed immense pride in Aidan’s achievements, saying, “What we are most proud of is his love for multilingual learning and his willingness to combine passion with patience, practice, and process.” Aidan is currently exploring colleges with programs in paleontology and museum studies, as he prepares for graduation next spring.
Dean Allison noted that the Rizzolo Larson Venture Grant is designed to empower students to travel and explore their passions, mentioning previous student projects in countries like South Africa and Bangladesh. Aidan’s work this summer is a prime example of how the academy encourages students to not only reach their potential but discover themselves in remarkable ways.
