Colorado Mesa University

The Maverick : Winter 2019

The Maverick magazine is a great way to stay in touch with current events at your alma mater, old classmates and the bright future of Colorado Mesa University.

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THE SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS ARE VERY TECHNICAL AND UNDERGO PEER REVIEW BEFORE BEING PUBLISHED IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS FOR SCIENTISTS TO SEE. Rick Adlemam, CMU Foundation Associate director of Development and artist (National Geographic featured the quarry discovery in a 1970s magazine edition). The Jones’ were prospecting for uranium when they stumbled upon the quarry. They reported their findings to a paleontologist at Brigham Young University. “It’s amazing how much paleontology is done by amateurs,” Adleman said. “There has been a huge number of discoveries that are then brought to the attention of professionals.” Before coming to work for CMU 17 years ago, Adleman was director of expeditions at the Dinosaur Journey Museum. He later became the museum’s director of operations. There, he met the current State Paleontologist of Utah Jim Kirkland, who served as a mentor and taught Adleman techniques of scientific illustration. Scholarly journals publish detailed, scientific drawings when a new genus is discovered so that paleontologists can compare traits and justify the naming of a new finding. The technical drawings are accompanied by descriptions of where the fossils were found and how they are similar to other dinosaurs. Adleman created the scientific illustration of the Utahraptor, which was published in the journal Hunteria. “The scientific illustrations are very technical and undergo peer review before being published in scientific journals for scientists to see,” Adleman said. At 52, Adleman still loves dinosaurs and continues to pursue paleo artwork as a hobby. “I still do a lot of dinosaur illustrations but they’re not as scientific; they’re more artistic.” One of his original pen, ink and watercolor paintings is for sale at the Dinosaur Journey Museum gift shop. He also has several digital drawings there of dinosaurs, which resemble prints of scientific illustrations. He donates proceeds from the sale of his works to the museum. “It’s exciting to find 120 to 140 million-year-old fossils,” said Adleman, who often attends guided digs with his daughter. “When you find something and you’re literally the first person ever to see a piece of this creature that is so different from us…it’s thrilling.” Dinosaur enthusiast Rick Adleman created all three illustrations on this page including two of the Tyrannosaurus rex and one of a Triceratops.

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