Orton Geological Museum

Department of Geological Sciences
www.geology.ohio-state.edu
Dale Gnidovec, Curator
614-292-6896
gnidovec.1@osu.edu

The Orton Geological Museum is located in Orton Hall, 155 South Oval Mall, a much-photographed symbol of Ohio State and home to the famous chimes. Visitors are greeted by "Jeff," a 7-foot fossil skeleton of the giant ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersoni. Fossils, rocks, minerals, and the geological history of Ohio are all on display.

In a typical year, the curator of the Orton Geological Museum will give tours of the museum to hundreds of people - last year, more than 1,000. In addition, Dale Gnidovec, otherwise known as "Dr. Bones," travels off campus, reaching more than 3,000 people in 2004 alone. The variety of venues includes schools, COSI, Metroparks in central Ohio and beyond, zoos, and even the Ohio Statehouse.

He also curates the museum collection of more than 500,000 specimens of fossils, minerals and rocks and writes a regular column on geology for the Columbus Dispatch. He is known for his willingness to assist visitors nearly every day who ask him to identify specimens of fossils, minerals, rocks and bones, as well as answering geological and paleontological questions that come by mail, email and phone.