Understanding science and technology is key to our next generation’s success. Conveying the excitement of science and effectively melding it with technology in both field and classroom settings can be a challenge for many K–12 educators. Middle school is a critical juncture in a child’s educational experience, when interest in science and technology is budding. If this interest is captured, it can lead to a lifetime of learning and, for some, a rewarding profession.

The University of Montana’s Paleo Exploration Project (PEP) was a professional development program for K-12 Montana teachers, which also provided authentic, field-based, residential summer research experiences for over 80 Montana middle school students. The program’s scientific focus was the ancient environments and fossils of eastern Montana, which to leveraged student’s innate interest in dinosaurs to build a deeper understanding of “doing science” and encouraged future pursuit of STEM coursework and careers.

The Paleo Exploration Project’s (PEP) Summer Internship Program was part of a multi-dimensional, regional, education outreach program conducted by The University of Montana (authors) and funded by the National Science Foundation. The objective of the program was to provide high school students from underserved, “frontier” communities in north central and eastern Montana, with hands-on work experience in paleontology at a field station or museum setting along Montana’s “Dinosaur Trail” (http://mtdinotrail.org/). The primary goals of the program were to increase students’ understanding of what