Back in 1990, a teacher read a brand-new novel about bringing extinct dinosaurs back to life to a fourth-grade class. It sparked a lifelong passion in one student. The novel was Jurassic Park. The student was John Hankla.
After that, when he wasn’t in school, Hankla was digging for fossils. He made his first discovery, an Edmontosaurus, at age 9, and he hasn’t stopped digging.
Today, Hankla works with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s field team to find and dig up fossils. He also builds dinosaur skeletons for museum displays. His work landed him a behind-the-scenes gig on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which hits theaters June 22.
“They wanted an old museum feel for the library scene, and I got to handpick the dinosaurs,” says Hankla. Among the 10 skeletons that Hankla chose for the movie is an Edmontosaurus—his first discovery.
Back in 1990, a teacher read a brand-new novel to a fourth-grade glass. The novel was about bringing extinct dinosaurs back to life. It sparked a lifelong passion in one student. The novel was Jurassic Park. The student was John Hankla.
After reading Jurassic Park, Hankla spent his free time digging for fossils. His first discovery was an Edmontosaurus. He found it when he was 9. Hankla hasn't stopped digging since.
Today, Hankla works with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's field team to find and dig up fossils. He also builds dinosaur skeletons for museum displays. His work landed him a behind-the-scenes gig on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The movie hits theaters June 22.
"They wanted an old museum feel for the library scene,” says Hankla. “And I got to handpick the dinosaurs." Among the 10 skeletons that Hankla chose for the movie is his first discovery: an Edmontosaurus.