Andrew R. C. Milner, lead paleontologist and curator at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, received the Morris F. Skinner Award from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology for sustained contributions to fieldwork, fossil collections, and teaching. Milner, who began digging at age six and operated a rock saw at 14, accepted the honor in the United Kingdom and reconnected with international colleagues. Diana Call, the museum’s executive director, praised his role in building the site’s collection and mentoring hundreds of aspiring paleontologists.
St. George Paleontologist Andrew R. C. Milner Wins Prestigious Morris F. Skinner Award
Paleontologist awarded for his work with St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site
ST. GEORGE, Utah — Andrew R. C. Milner, lead paleontologist and curator at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, has been honored with the Morris F. Skinner Award from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP).
The Skinner Award recognizes sustained contributions to scientific knowledge through exceptional fieldwork, the development and stewardship of vertebrate fossil collections, and dedication to teaching and mentoring. The prize is named for Morris F. Skinner, a prominent mid-20th-century mammal paleontologist.
Standing in the site’s substation quarry, Milner reflected on the award and the decades of work that led to it. “That’s one of the things the Morris F. Skinner is for, is exceptional field work, so it’s been one of my things, and as you can see, standing here in the substation quarry, it’s pretty amazing,” he said, noting how the location has been transformed from a rock pile into an active research and display site.
“I started at the age of six. I’ve been digging fossils all my life. I’ve been operating a rock saw at 14. Just love looking for old dead stuff,” Milner said, growing emotional while reflecting on his lifelong passion for paleontology.
Milner traveled to the United Kingdom to accept the award and to reconnect with colleagues from the international SVP community. The Society, although based in the United States, brings paleontologists from around the world together to share research and advocate for responsible, legal vertebrate paleontology.
Diana Call, Executive Director of the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, praised Milner’s impact: “He’s built an incredible collection at the Dinosaur Discovery Site as well as encouraged probably hundreds of other people to pursue that science as well as our own team.” Call — who has a background in anthropology — added that Milner has been instrumental in teaching staff and visitors the language and nuances of dinosaur science.
Milner’s dual role as an active field researcher and educator — building collections, mentoring students and volunteers, and interpreting the site for the public — helped secure him this peer-recognized honor. Photos courtesy of the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site.
