Stephany Potze. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90036, USA. spotze@tarpits.org
Stephany has been with the La Brea Tar Pits Museum since 2016. In her capacity as Lab Manager, she has been spearheading investigative studies in developing and improving practices in the laboratory, with more efficient techniques suited to the chemical preparation needs of asphaltic fossil material. Stephany is also exploring how these new and improved approaches to asphaltic fossil preparation at La Brea Tar Pits can enhance fossil preparation at other asphaltic sites around the world. Stephany is responsible for ensuring the La Brea Tar Pits Fossil Lab remains current and active in museum best practices specifically related to paleontological preparation, conservation, education and sustainability efforts.
Academically, Stephany has completed a double major in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of South Africa, with paleontological research collaborations predominantly focused on chemical preparation techniques, including asphaltic preserved Quaternary mammals and arthropods, as well as work on South African Plio-Pleistocene hominin and faunal fossils.
Stevie L. Morley. P.O. Box 9078, Glendale, California 91226, USA. stevie.morley.pro@gmail.com
Stevie Morley worked as a dedicated conservator and preparator of Late Pleistocene asphaltic fossils at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum from 2017 until 2024. During their tenure, Stevie conducted research into the effects of various solvents on asphaltic bone and their efficacy in removing asphaltic matrix from fossils. They also pioneered innovative applications of Paraloid B-72 as a void filler and explored historical excavation methods and materials used at Rancho La Brea over the past century.
Stevie earned a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from California State University, Northridge. They are set to graduate at the end of the Fall semester of 2025 with a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University’s online iSchool program, focusing on archives and special collections.
Cornelia A. Clarke. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90036, USA. cclarke@tarpits.org
Cornelia (Connie) Clarke is a paleontological preparator in the Fossil Lab at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, specializing in asphaltic fossil preparation since 2018. She graduated from Pomona College with a degree in chemistry and worked as a research assistant in plant biochemistry labs before pursuing her interest in fossils. She’s interested in developing new chemical preparation techniques and applying them to other asphaltic fossil sites around the world.
