We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Hall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Dinosaurs are incredible, there’s no doubt about that, but paleontology is such a complex field, and we do more than just “digging dinosaurs”.

Within paleontology, there are many different areas in which people can find meaningful work. Paleontologists can be academics who teach college, preK-12, and informally within museum education divisions; museum curators who help design exhibits and manage fossil collections, park rangers who protect public lands, fossil preparators who clean and preserve fossils that have come back from the field, paleontology mitigators who salvage fossils at construction sites, government employees who can work in a number of institutions, and paleoartists, who help bring extinct animals to life through art. There are even paleontology influencers on TikTok now, who help educate the public about fossils through clever, funny videos.

Paleontologists are becoming more diverse, and we need diversity. Representation matters. LGBTQIA+ and differently abled people matter. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in paleontology, there are many areas of employment within which you can find work, and I encourage those interested to look for opportunities and careers within this fascinating field.

Oh, and also, paleontology is NOT archaeology. Paleontology is the study of all ancient life – apart from humans. The study of archaeology falls within anthropology: the study of people and cultures throughout history, from prehistoric times to the present day. There is a bit of overlap between the two in a field called ‘paleoanthropology’: the study of human evolution and the lineages from which we evolved, the tools we developed, and the animals we hunted or domesticated.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When did I know I wanted to be a paleontologist? From age 4. In fact, I have wanted to be a paleontologist since I could talk. At family holiday gatherings, I would spout dinosaur facts to anyone who would listen. “Did you know that Stegosaurus lived 150 million years ago?” I would ask. My relatives were all surprised at my passion for rocks and fossils from a very young age. It wasn’t until I was almost finished with college that I learned I could combine my passions, and now, I am a museum educator and paleontologist who specializes in paleontology education…aka, I teach people about DINOSAURS.

I’ve spent my career specializing in informal education in nonprofit, accredited institutions such as zoos, nature centers, and museums, which all have very similarly aligned missions of educating people about the weird and wonderful aspects of natural world and conservation.

Informal education should be fun, engaging, and exciting. In informal education, educators connect visitors to important natural, cultural, and historical resources at parks, nature centers, historical sites, aquariums, zoos, and anywhere that people come to learn about places. This method of teaching is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire visitor engagement with the world around us. Formal education is often classroom based. If you’ve touched fossils at a cart in a museum or listened to a keeper talk about an animal at a zoo, you have experienced informal education and interpretation. Haven’t heard of interpretation other than languages? Educational interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us.

In my career, I specialize in science communication, which is the practice of translating complicated scientific subjects published by academics into fun, engaging content that is available to the public. Instead of dumbing down content, science communicators like me break down topics into digestible information for any audience – whether it is for kindergarteners or life-long learners.

Over a decade ago, I created my own brand, Lady Naturalist, on all social media platforms, because I found it is one of the best ways to share the things I’m passionate about, and the beautiful, interesting things that I want people to see. My jobs have been so wild and weird that you’d never believe all of the things we get to do as museum educators. From teaching about dinosaurs to interpreting the lifecycle of a butterfly and everything in-between, my brand strives to educate curious minds of all ages about all aspects of the natural world. We are the only planet that we know with life on it, and in the 4.6 billion years that Earth has been in existence, there are a lot of stories to tell. If you’d like to learn along with me, be sure to follow me!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I LOVE taking people to my favorite spots within the city! I currently live in Bozeman, Montana, and love taking people to get a good bison steak at Stacey’s in Gallatin Gateway, visit local ghost towns like Virginia City or Bannack to see historic, haunted structures (!), and tour old cemeteries. I also love floating the Madison River, which is a beautiful 2 hour float down a shallow, lazy river, It’s wonderful and so refreshing on a hot day. We have an incredible amount of history in the wild west, and it’s neat to see where the past meets the present. In downtown Bozeman, I love pointing out the fact that you can see the original buildings and brick facades that were retrofit for modern businesses. We also have a wonderful nonprofit downtown called The Extreme History Project. They give tours of historic structures, old brothels, and talk about infamous past residents of the area. As far as dinosaur digs, we have to go way out east for those, so I don’t normally get to show people where we dig, but I will always find areas of geologic interest, such as Palisade Falls in Hyalite Canyon, which is full of beautiful, columnar basalt, and of course, Yellowstone National Park, which is only an hour away. I highly recommend visiting Bozeman if you like any and all of these things!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a huge shoutout to my parents, Joe and Gail. Without their support of my endless curiosity about the natural world from the time I was a dinosaur-obsessed little girl, I would not be where I am today.

Website: https://ashleyfrag.wixsite.com/ashleyhall

Instagram: @Lady_Naturalist

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladynaturalist

Twitter: @LadyNaturalist

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.