Skip to Main Content
  • About
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Campus Life
  • News & Media
  • Athletics
  • Support BC
  • Our Campus
  • Fast Facts
  • Administration
  • Initiatives, Plans and Policies
  • A Nationally Recognized Institution
  • International Education
  • Research
  • Our Past, Our Future
  • Offices and Services
  • Consumer Information
  • Contact Us
  • Schools
  • Academic Departments
  • Majors, Minors and Concentrations
  • Interdisciplinary Programs
  • Graduate Programs
  • Doctoral Programs
  • General Education
  • Honors Academy
  • Special Programs
  • International Programs and Study Abroad (IPSA)
  • Academic Resources
  • Library
  • Centers and Institutes
  • Academic Honor Societies
  • Technology
  • Research
  • Faculty
  • Course Schedules and Bulletins
  • Academic Calendar
  • Incoming Freshmen
  • Transfer Students
  • Graduate Students
  • International Students
  • Second-Degree Students
  • Other Students
  • Apply
  • Tuition, Fees and Payments
  • Financial Aid
  • Request Information
  • Visit Campus
  • Undergraduate Admissions Events
  • Graduate Admissions Events
  • BC News
  • BC In the Media
  • Research
  • Videos
  • Brooklyn College Magazine
  • Office of Communications and Marketing
  • Visit us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Email us a question
  • What the Campus Has to Offer
  • Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Student Clubs
  • Intramurals / Recreation
  • Health and Wellness
  • Orientation
  • Commencement
  • Veteran and Military Programs
  • Living in Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn College Foundation
  • Donate Now
  • Visit us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Email us a question
Brooklyn College

Brooklyn College logo
  • BC WebCentral
  • We Stand Against Hate
  • Calendar
  • Offices and Services
  • Library
  • Career Services
  • Honors Academy
  • Special Programs
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Admissions
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Apply Online
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Campus Life
  • Financial Aid
  • Honors and Special Programs
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Public Safety
  • Annual Security Report
  • Registrar
  • Academic Advising
  • Annual Security Report
  • Bookstore
  • Bursar
  • Calendars
  • Campus Life
  • Career Development and Internships
  • Commencement
  • Course Schedules and Bulletins
  • CUNY Blackboard
  • Enrollment Services Center
  • Financial Aid
  • Graduate Studies
  • Initiatives, Plans and Policies
  • International Programs and Study Abroad (IPSA)
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Offices and Services
  • Pathways
  • Public Safety
  • Registrar
  • Registration Information
  • Resources for Undocumented Students and DACA
  • Scholarships and Awards
  • Student Handbook
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Log into CUNYfirst
  • BC WebCentral Login
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Forgot Your WebCentral ID?
  • New Users
  • College Directory
  • Academic Affairs / Office of the Provost
  • Annual Security Report
  • Senior VP for Finance and Administration
  • Bookstore
  • Calendars
  • Campus Directory
  • Campus Life
  • Center for Teaching
  • CUNY Blackboard
  • Faculty Council
  • Faculty and Staff Development Opportunities (CUNY)
  • Human Resources
  • ITS (Information Technology Services)
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Offices and Services
  • Public Safety
  • Sustainability
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Webmail
  • Writing Across the Curriculum
  • Log into CUNYfirst
  • BC WebCentral Login
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Forgot Your WebCentral ID?
  • New Users
  • College Directory
  • Annual Security Report
  • Benefits and Services
  • Brooklyn College Alumni Association
  • Brooklyn College Foundation
  • Brooklyn College Magazine
  • Calendar of Events
  • Chapters and Affiliates
  • Get Involved and Give Back
  • Office of Alumni Engagement
  • Stay in Touch
  • Transcripts
  • Public Safety
  • Contact Us
  • News & Media
  • BC News
  • Archive - 2016
  • Magner Career Center Provides a Way for Student to Uncover the Ancient Past

Anastasia Danilova's journey to South Dakota for paleontological study enabled her to work with renowned experts and cement her passion for exploration.

/web/new_2016news/Danilova_94X84.jpg

Magner Career Center Provides a Way for Student to Uncover the Ancient Past

Feb. 16, 2016

When senior Anastasia Danilova returned from a 10-day geological dig in South Dakota, made possible through the competitive Magner Career Center stipend, she knew that she would soon be meeting with Marge Magner '69 to share her discoveries. Danilova could not find the words to express her gratitude to the Center's namesake, so she presented Magner with one of the fossils she unearthed at the research site.

Senior Anastasia Danilova (third from left) and a team of fellow researchers from the American Museum of Natural History; University of California, Berkley; and geologist/paleontologist Neal L. Larson (center) pose in front of a fossil of a new species of triceratops discovered by professional fossil hunter John Carter near Buffalo in 2012.

An assemblage specimen containing several fossilized ammonites.

Danilova near a rocky outcrop in South Dakota.

Danilova climbing a steep slope during fieldwork.

Danilova showing off a bivalve, a form of marine life, encased in the rocky remains of the underwater environment it once lived in.

Danilova displays a fossilized scaphite, an extinct species of cephalopod), that thrived in an underwater, methane-rich environment millions of years ago.

 

"She provided me with something extremely amazing," Danilova says. "Bringing back a fossil was the least I could do. There are not enough people like her in the world. What it meant for me, being so far along—taking academic breaks and even giving up at some points...I hope that one day I'll be able to do for others what Marge Magner did for me."

Danilova traveled to South Dakota with scientists from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to collect and study the fossilized remains of ammonites, carnivorous aquatic creatures that lived on Earth approximately 240 million years ago. Much of the work was conducted on the property of South Dakota ranchers who granted the researchers permission. She was also able to spend some time with Neal L. Larson, president of Larson Paleontology Unlimited, LLC, and Dr. Neil Landman, curator-in-charge of the department of paleontology at AMNH, with whom she was able to view the fossils of a new species of triceratops discovered by professional fossil hunter John Carter in 2012.

Most important for Danilova was the ability to connect her research of these ancient creatures to contemporary concerns. "These organisms went through a period of stress and didn't make it. So we're looking at the conditions then, in atmosphere and climate, and comparing them to conditions now. You gain an entirely new perspective about what might happen to current species—including us—and how we might prevent catastrophe."

Danilova, originally from Moscow, is a transfer student from New York University majoring in earth and environmental sciences and mathematics. She did not recognize the former as a passion until she took an introductory course here taught by lecturer Matthew Garb. As difficult as it can be, globally, for women to break into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, Danilova says that from her perspective, the women at Brooklyn College have made great strides.

"We had a field course in Death Valley this past winter session in which the class consisted of eleven women and two men," she says. "So I think we're rocking at this field here at Brooklyn College. Overall, everyone here has been really supportive. It's a really great atmosphere."

Mainly, Danilova is grateful for the field experience she gained as a result of this project. "The opportunities for observation and participation are invaluable," she says. "As a little girl, I always collected rocks and things, but I never dreamed that I would become an actual scientist."

This is especially true because Danilova is a non-traditional student, coming back to college after having taken some time off to raise a family. She is the mother of a three-year-old girl, but has the support of her husband and entire family. Despite the fact that, to complete her research, she had to climb harrowing cliffs hundreds of feet in the air using only footholes carved into the sides of these structures, and encountering a couple of rattlesnakes, Danilova says the most challenging part of her time in South Dakota was being away from her daughter. "Admittedly, I was a little worried about how I was going to manage it all, but fortunately, it has all worked out for the best."

Danilova is so impressed with her academic experiences at Brooklyn College that she plans to apply to graduate school at the college. "I really like the [earth and environmental sciences] department. Everyone is very welcoming. They really want students to flourish."

President of the Brooklyn College Geology Society, Danilova presented her work at the national conference of the Geological Society of America in Baltimore, from Nov. 1–4. 

For over a decade, the Magner Career Center has been preparing students for the global marketplace by providing opportunities for them to gain the skills necessary to distinguish themselves from the competition—whether through internships, résumé counseling, mock interviews, alumni mentoring or stipends for unpaid internships and study abroad, all of which are made possible through the generosity of Brooklyn College alumni and friends. You can support the center through charitable donations made to the Brooklyn College Foundation, specifying the Magner Career Center as the fund designation.

Back to BC News
  • Additional Content - Text and rightColumn: Tweet

News & Media

Back to News & Media

Image of a phone with social media icons.

Let’s Stay Connected

Our social media directory features all our accounts from across campus.

Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidelines

Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidelines

Prepare for a crucial transition for the fall 2022 semester.

Group of faculty members

Outstanding Professors

Our highly trained faculty are leaders in their fields. Come learn from them.

View of the upper portions of buildings from the residential neighborhoods around the Brooklyn College campus.

Housing Options

Learn about housing options that are available in Brooklyn. 

  • Home
  • Directory
  • Employment
  • IT Remote Support
  • Remote Technology Resources
  • Privacy Policy
  • Policies
  • Contact
  • Text Only Website
  • Site Map
The City University of New York

© 2025 All Rights Reserved Brooklyn College
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
718.951.5000 -10.1.1.11