Student unearths 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossil on first day of Montana dig: 'Very exciting'

Aidan Connor, a senior at Cheshire Academy in New Haven County, found the ancient bone in Red Lodge, Montana, this summer, according to a news release from the academy. 

With funding from the Rizzolo-Larson Venture Grant program, the student traveled west with the Elevation Science Institute as part of a dig that involved teenagers across the country.

It took the high school senior about an hour to extract the fossil, which is considered relatively quick. The teenager described the experience as "very nerve-wracking."

"A lot of field work, especially paleontology, is trying your hardest not to break very important things," Connor said, according to the release.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Connor said the whole experience was "quite exciting."

"[It was] very fulfilling for my inner child," he added.

"It was definitely rewarding to finally get it, and many other fossils in the area, prepped for removal."

"Our pride in Aidan goes beyond the discovery he made," said Arison.

"What we're most proud of is his polyglot love of learning, and his willingness to combine passion with patience, practice and process." 

"Those are essential elements of learning."

Students have worked on projects in countries like South Africa and Bangladesh, Arison said.

"Aidan's work this summer is an excellent example of the ways in which Cheshire Academy helps students unlock not just their potential but themselves," he added.