The citizen science project on the Hoboken mammoth

Abstract:The Hoboken mammoth is a Belgian patrimonial piece of natural history that was mostly ignored since its discovery in 1865. The citizen-science program of the Flemisch Government was deemed ideal to study the skeleton and provide a new reconstruction, find out its geological age, individual age, species and find out more about its preservation. Such a paleobiological study is needed to better understand the evolution of the Hoboken landscape and the Flemisch Valley during the last 30k year. By involving civilians (mostly volunteers, amateur societies and schools) in the different steps of this mulit-disciplinary investigation, they obtain a thorough insight in the fundamental values of the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The ultimate goal is to build a permanent exhibit in Hoboken with the reconstruction of the complete skeleton combined with the results of the research. Unfortunately the project was not funded in the 2018 application round, but the authors continue searching for alternate funding.

ISBN:9789071145001

Publication year:2018

Accessibility:Open