As an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, Caitlin Wylie worked in the lab of well-known paleontologist Paul Sereno — a prolific discoverer of dinosaur skeletons — preparing fossils for research by carefully scraping rock off bones and gluing broken bones together. “I liked the total focus it required,†saidWylie, an assistant professor of science, technology and society in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. “I could sit in the lab quietly for hours working on a bone. It was a nice break from classes and studying because it involved using my hands.†Although Wylie loved the job, it wasn't the dinosaurs but, instead, the technicians known as “preparators†who captured her imagination. Now, years later, she has published the book “Preparing Dinosaurs: The Work Behind the Scenes,†which, among other things, explains how those magnificent museum displays of dinosaur skeletons are assembled.