Dinosaur Trackways, Beaty Museum

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s "Dinosaur Trackways: Footprints in Time" exhibit offers a rare opportunity for visitors to walk in the literal footprints of giants. This engaging exhibit immerses the public in Canada’s rich fossil heritage, using prehistoric traces to connect the natural history of the past with the biodiversity of today.

The Exhibit Experience The centerpiece of the exhibit features three stunning dinosaur trackway casts discovered in British Columbia, including one that was entirely new to science at the time of its inclusion. Visitors can get hands-on with these massive fossils, exploring how trackways are formed and what they reveal about dinosaur behavior, speed, and social structures. The exhibit serves as a bridge, showing how these ancient fossils connect to modern species housed within the museum’s biological collections.

Dinosaur Detectives Online To extend the reach of the exhibit beyond Vancouver, the museum developed "Footprints in Time" (footprintsintime.ca), an online educational resource. This digital platform allows "dinosaur detectives" to virtually explore fossil sites in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains through immersive panoramic environments and field footage.

Scientific Collaboration The project was made possible through the technical expertise of ngx interactive and significant scientific collaboration with leading paleontologists Dr. Richard McCrea and Dr. Lisa Buckley. By combining field research with interactive museum design, the project has created a lasting educational legacy for British Columbia’s geological history.

Foundational Support Funding for the development of this exhibit and its digital counterparts was supported in part by the Canadian Geological Foundation (CGF), helping to bring high-quality geoscience education to students and families across Canada.

Scientific Collaboration The project was made possible through the technical expertise of ngx interactive and significant scientific collaboration with leading paleontologists Dr. Richard McCrea and Dr. Lisa Buckley. By combining field research with interactive museum design, the project has created a lasting educational legacy for British Columbia’s geological history.

Foundational Support Funding for the development of this exhibit and its digital counterparts was supported in part by the Canadian Geological Foundation (CGF), helping to bring high-quality geoscience education to students and families across Canada.

https://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/dinosaur-trackways/