Nebraska Museum Gets 100+ 3D Printed Fossil Bones for Kids

Kids at Nebraska's Morrill Hall will soon get their hands dirty unearthing prehistoric rhino bones, thanks to a university lab that just finished printing over 100 fossil replicas. The bones belong to Menoceras, a small rhino species that roamed Nebraska millions of years ago during the Miocene era.

The Frontier Tech Lab at Nebraska Innovation Studio spent months creating the scientifically accurate replicas for the museum's Marx Science Discovery Center renovation. Using digital scans from real fossils found at Agate Fossil Beds near Harrison, Nebraska, the team 3D printed each bone and dyed it to match authentic fossil color.

The project required serious precision. Tiny vertebrae and toe bones had to be printed in perfect detail, then placed in the correct anatomical order.

"They worked closely with our scientists to create the bones and ensure they were placed in the correct order and orientation," said museum staff member Weller. The replicas also needed to survive years of enthusiastic digging by children.

The bones were recently set in concrete and will be covered with sand-colored playground rubber mulch. When the center opens in June, young paleontologists can experience what real fossil hunters feel when they uncover ancient treasures.

The Ripple Effect

This collaboration shows what happens when innovation meets education. Without the campus lab, the museum would have hired an outside company at higher cost and longer timelines.

Five student interns working on the project gained real-world experience you can't get in a classroom. These engineering and architecture majors led most client interactions and learned professional fabrication skills that put them ahead of their peers.

The Frontier Tech Lab launched in October 2025 specifically to serve campus units, local businesses, and community projects like this one. The museum had previously worked with Nebraska Innovation Studio on smaller projects, including a rare beetle recreation, which built trust for this larger collaboration.

"It's unusual to have access to this for a smaller museum," Weller noted. Being able to meet face-to-face, hold prototypes, and discuss changes immediately made the process smoother than shipping materials back and forth.

Now those benefits extend beyond the museum to any Nebraska organization needing design and fabrication help. The children who will soon dig through rubber mulch to discover ancient rhino bones represent just the beginning of what this partnership can create.