Rowan On with paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara explores deep time and our future

In Episode 6 of Rowan On, a podcast offering an inside look at the university, audiences hear a conversation between host Karen Holloway and paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara, executive director of Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University.

In the episode, Lacovara explains how the museum uses fossils and deep time to help visitors better understand the present—and their responsibility to the future. Rather than focusing solely on dinosaurs as relics of the past, the museum is designed to show how Earth’s history can guide decisions about climate, biodiversity and stewardship today.

“We are a dinosaur museum that’s more about the future than the past,” Lacovara says. The museum’s guiding principle, “Discover the past, protect the future,” reflects its mission to inspire curiosity, foster empathy for the natural world and empower individuals to take action.

Lacovara describes the museum as a place-based and time-based experience, built around fossils excavated just steps away from the galleries. Those discoveries anchor a broader story about extinction, resilience and hope. Visitors move through exhibits that celebrate the richness of Earth’s past, confront the realities of the environmental crisis and ultimately leave with tools and agency to make positive change.

Throughout the conversation, Lacovara emphasizes that science is for everyone. Making science accessible, he notes, starts with empathy—meeting people where they are and helping them fall in love with the world they inhabit. That emotional connection, he believes, is essential to protecting the planet for future generations.

The episode offers insight into how Rowan University is using research, education and public engagement to shape conversations about sustainability and our shared future.

Audiences can listen through Spotify, Apple and other podcast platforms or watch each episode on YouTube.