Q. What are you studying, where and with whom?

Webster: I am studying dinosaurs under the guidance of my adviser, Prof. Robyn Phillips, and taking scientific research I’ve done on them to create comic illustrations along with informational abstracts on each one. It’s sort of like a dinosaur “profile.”

Q. Why is this work important?

Webster: I'd say the reason this work is important is because it proves that learning can be entertaining for adults, not just children. Dinosaurs are usually a topic exclusively reserved for child learning; however, I think adults can get something out of learning about them, too. My main goal is to draw in the attention through comedy and clever visuals; if the information is presented in such a way so it's comical, the audience is immediately drawn in and forgets that they are learning something.  

Q. What is a typical day like?  

Webster: A typical day consists of me going to the library to search and skim through various sources of dinosaur information, choosing the best ones and taking that information to create abstracts. I also have been working on the more art-based part by sketching out ideas and playing around with the information to see how I can make jokes and spark my audience’s curiosity.

Q. What is the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do on the project?  

Webster: Look through children’s books for inspiration for my illustrations. It brought me back to my days of sitting on the floor of the children’s library section and being in awe as I learned about these mysterious creatures for the first time.

Q. What has surprised you the most about your experience?  

Webster: The vast amount of information available at the Morris library. You would think that because paleontology is not such a widely studied topic at UD maybe they wouldn’t have many sources on dinosaurs — yet I found the opposite to be true — there’s plenty if you go looking for it.

Q. Dreaming big, where do you hope this work could lead?  

Webster: One of my dreams is to combine comedy and art, so if I can successfully pull it off with this project, I’m hoping that I can bring my skills into a career working on humorous illustrations, animations or comics.

Q. If you had to summarize your experience in only one word, what would it be?  

Webster: Bizarre

Q. What do you enjoy when you are not doing research?  

Webster: When I’m not doing research, I like to draw, practice my photography skills, watch classic films, read and run.