Monthly Program: "World Class Museum Coming to Mantua Township"

Rising from a former marl quarry in Mantua Township, N.J., Rowan University’s Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park Museum will be a world-class destination inspired by the deep-time perspective that the fossil record offers. Set into a 65-acre landscape, the museum will perch above the quarry where, within its muddy depths, 66-million-year-old marine and terrestrial fossils record the last moments of the dinosaur world. With an expected opening of Spring 2024, the museum will attract an estimated 200,000 or more guests per year. The project embraces sustainability, preservation and site-specific design with high-tech, interactive galleries and exhibits.

Research at the site, led by Fossil Park Director and Founding Dean of Rowan’s School of Earth & Environment Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, is shedding light on ancient events that led to the world’s 5th mass extinction, during which the dinosaurs (except for birds) and 75% of species went extinct—a pivotal, calamitous moment that paved the way for the modern world. The museum will feature immersive exhibits galleries, full-scale reconstructions of extinct creatures, hands-on learning experiences, live animal attractions, virtual reality, connections to the natural world, and gathering spaces to build community around the themes of exploration, discovery, and responsible stewardship of our planet.

Dr. Lacovara grew up in South Jersey and earned his bachelor’s degree in geography, with minors in biology and anthropology, from Rowan in 1984. He completed his master’s degree in coastal geomorphology at the University of Maryland College Park in 1986 and his doctorate in geology from the University of Delaware in 1998. A sought-after expert by international media outlets on issues related to science and scientific discovery, he is internationally known for his discovery of Dreadnoughtus schrani, a massive, plant-eating dinosaur that is the best example found of any of the largest creatures ever to walk the planet.

Presenter: Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, Director, Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park and Founding Dean, School of Earth & Environment, Rowan University

Directions: The Holy Nativity Lutheran Church is located just off Rt. 553 (Woodbury Glassboro Rd.) immediately south of the traffic light at Mantua Ave. The church parking lot can be accessed by entrances on either Woodbury-Glassboro Road or Lenape Trail (first left off of Mantua Ave).