Museums and Collections Services of the University of Alberta is pleased to
announce the release of a new interactive web site. This site, entitled
Joffre Bridge Fossil Exhibit (http://www.museums.ualberta.ca/exhibits),
explores the fossil collections from the Joffre Bridge Roadcut locality, a
significant fossil collecting locality just east of Red Deer, Alberta.

The exhibit, which focuses primarily on the plant fossils discovered at the
locality, was developed by a team of six University of Alberta students.
Numerous multimedia components allow visitors to uncover years of
paleontological research. Museums and Collections Services would like to
acknowledge the generous support of Canada's Digital Collection program,
Industry Canada.

For more information, see the media release below.

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VIRTUAL FOSSIL EXHIBITION SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON ALBERTA'S RICH PAST

EDMONTON, Alberta, September 9, 2002 - On behalf of Industry Minister Allan
Rock, the Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health and Member of
Parliament for Edmonton West, today announced the launch of the University
of Alberta Museums Web site, Joffre Bridge Fossil Exhibition. This project
was supported with a $20,160 contribution from Industry Canada, funded
through the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy initiative.

Developed by six youth interns under the direction of the University of
Alberta's  Department of Museums and Collections Services, this interactive
exhibit explores the rich fossil record from Joffre Bridge, one of the most
significant fossil-collecting areas in south-central Alberta. Virtual
visitors can learn first-hand from the work of the University of Alberta's
researchers as they piece together what the environment must have been like
millions of years ago from clues hidden in the fossils and rocks.
Researchers will also be able to search the Museum's extensive fossil
collections database.

"The Joffre Bridge site discovery by amateur rock hound Betty Speirs in 1977
was a significant step in uncovering Alberta's rich natural history," said
Minister McLellan. "Thanks to this beautifully researched and designed Web
site, the vast knowledge gained from this important fossil area can now be
shared with students and researchers alike, both here at home and abroad."

"The University of Alberta Museums have more than 20 million important
artifacts and specimens, many of which can be viewed on-line
(www.museums.ualberta.ca)," said Janine Andrews, Executive Director, Museums
and Collections Services. "The Joffre Bridge Fossil Exhibition adds a new
resource to our virtual museum and provides our students with an opportunity
to work side-by-side with people like Dr. Ruth Stockey, a noted researcher,
professor and curator of the University's paleobotany collection.

Joffre Bridge Fossil Exhibition allows visitors to examine the variety of
material collected from the site, specifically fossilized plants, with the
use of interactive animation, as well as to explore the results of years of
research. The Web site can be accessed on the Internet at
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/joffrebridge/

By investing in people, knowledge and opportunity, Industry Canada is
encouraging innovation at the community level and contributing to making
Canada known throughout the world for its culture of excellence, innovation
and productivity.

For more information, please contact:

Janine Andrews
Executive Director
Museums and Collections Services
University of Alberta
(780) 492-0783
www.museums.ualberta.ca

Jim Whittome
Information Management Advisor
Museums and Collections Services
University of Alberta
(780) 492-3871

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