Hi Everyone – or at least anyone in the UK with public galleries that include fossils.

The JISC funded GB3D type fossils online project will be launched to the public at a London press conference on Thursday 22nd August 2013. Thousands of 3D digital fossil models, plus several thousand quality images, many in 3D, will be available for anyone to download for free, and to enjoy on their computer, tablet or phone – maybe even 3D print.

To mark this important first, we are running a free competition for the public at a number of museums around the country. Between Thursday 22^nd August and Thursday 12^th September, visitors are invited to spot the 3d-printed fossil hidden amongst the fossils in the museum displays and enter a drawer for a “VIP behind the scenes museum tour”. The overall national winner will also receive a tablet preloaded with 3D fossils.

A number of museums are already participating, including:

Wollaton Hall, Nottingham
Great North Museum, Newcastle
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter
Dorset County Museum, Dorchester
Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery

We can accommodate a few additional museums.

We will supply participating museums with a 3d-printed fossil, suggested label, competition entry forms, a stock of giveaway cards and 3d glasses, and a draft local press release. We will handle the national publicity. Participating museums will handle their own press releases and local publicity, issue and collect competition entries, arrange their local drawer and provide VIP behind the scenes tours for five local winners (and at least one parent each, if appropriate), and forward the winning entries to BGS for the national drawer.

It is not necessary that the museum has participated in the type scanning project, but they must possess a geological collection and support the idea of opening up access with online databases.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me by return.

Kind regards,

Mike Howe

Dr Mike Howe

Chairman,

Geological Curators’ Group

Chief Curator

National Geological Repository

Phone: 0115 9363105 Email: [log in to unmask]

WSB UGN - British Geological Survey

Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG

Please see the project blog at: http://gb3dtypefossils.blogspot.co.uk/ and the development website at www.3d-fossils.ac.uk

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