University of Chicago Fossil Lab moves to new home in Washington Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A renowned paleontologist at the University of Chicago has moved his Fossil Lab to the Washington Park neighborhood.
Professor Paul Sereno opened the 6,000-square-foot facility in an old warehouse building on Wabash Avenue, just north of Garfield Boulevard.
The new Fossil Lab is not just for scientists. It was designed to welcome the neighborhood, with Sereno inviting teachers, students, and community groups to tour the facility and use the space.
The lab will house tens of thousands of specimens Sereno has collected throughout the years, including a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and several dinosaur fossils Sereno and his team collected in the Sahara Desert in 2022.
"This is a game-changer for any kid in the neighborhood that dreamed of getting within arm's reach of dinosaur bones," Sereno said in a statement on the university's website.
The Fossil Lab also features a Learning Room, a multi-purpose room for researchers, students, and after-school programs. It can host meetings or film screenings and has skeletons of birds, mammals, and alligators hanging from the ceiling.
