Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History

THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY
DISTINGUISHED LECTURER/EDUCATOR PROGRAM

Paleontology excites our imagination, expands our scientific understanding, and prods us to consider our place within the long history of life on our planet.  The Paleontological Society seeks to bring to the general public, as well as the educational and academic communities, an increased awareness of our field’s contributions.
Periodically, the Paleontological Society selects outstanding scientists to serve as its Distinguished Lecturers.  These are people whose current research or other work in paleontology is highly regarded and of broad interest.  Each Distinguished Lecturer is known as an excellent speaker who communicates the interest and importance of his or her work in paleontology especially well.  This program is intended to make outstanding speakers available to address the general public, to conduct workshops for teachers, or to speak in lecture series at colleges and universities.  The Paleontological Society’s current Distinguished Lecturers are listed below.

If your group, department, or institution is interested in inviting a Distinguished Lecturer to make a presentation, please contact the speaker directly.  Financial arrangements must be made with the speaker.  The Distinguished Lecturers have agreed to make themselves available on an expenses-only basis; no honorarium is required.

The Paleontological Society hopes that you will take advantage of this opportunity.  Paleontology is a dynamic discipline, and these speakers will convey the excitement of our science.  If you have questions about this program, please feel free to contact me at swalker@gly.uga.edu.

Sally E. Walker
Councilor-at-Large, The Paleontological Society

 

2008 to 2011 Paleontological Society Distinguished Lecturers

KEVIN J. PETERSON
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences
Dartmouth College
N. College Street
Hanover, NH 03755
Phone: (603) 646-0215
Fax: (603) 646-1347
Email: kevin.j.peterson@dartmouth.edu

•  Molecular Paleobiology

•  The Origin of Animals and the Cambrian Explosion

Dr. Kevin Peterson’s pioneering research uses developmental and molecular biology to better understand the rapid evolution of animals 530 million years ago during the Cambrian Explosion.  In addition to exploring the phylogeny of the sponges and using molecular clocks to date the appearance of the major animal clades, Dr. Peterson’s lab has been pursuing the connection between development and evolution, focusing on the convergent evolution of larval stages across the animal kingdom.  Recent work has also explored the significance of microRNAs, non-coding portions of animal genomes that appears to relate to the complexity of body plans and rise of anatomical innovations in various animal groups.

For more information see http://www.dartmouth.edu/~peterson/

 

2005 to 2008 Paleontological Society Distinguished Lecturers

ROY E. PLOTNICK

Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago
845 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 996-2111    
Lab phone: (312) 355-1342    
Fax: (312) 413-2279
Email: plotnick@uic.edu

•  Round Up the Usual Suspects: Why are Common Fossils Common?

•  Let Us Prey: Ecological Perspectives on Trace Fossils

•  Is Evolution Fractal? Self-similarity in the History of Life

Dr. Roy Plotnick’s research interests are notably wide-ranging and eclectic.  They include arthropod paleobiology, paleobiomechanics, taphonomy, trace fossils, macroevolution and landscape ecology.  Dr. Plotnick is particularly interested in original applications of quantitative methods, in particular spatial modeling and analysis, to geologic and paleobiological problems.  Most recently he has been interested in models that can be employed in spatial analysis.  Dr. Plotnick is a participant in the Paleobiology Database and in the CHRONOS project, and is the editorials editor of Palaeontologia Electronica.   He is also involved in projects designed to promote new approaches to K-12 science education.

For more information see http://tigger.uic.edu/~plotnick/plotnick.htm

SALLY WALKER

Professor, Department of Geology
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
Phone: (706) 542-2396     Fax: (706) 542-2425
Email: swalker@gly.uga.edu

•  The Perils of Predation for the Gastropod Fossil Record

•  Fossil Forensics: Biodiversity and Paleoecology Entombed in Molluscan Shells

•  The Posthumous Life of Gastropod Shells: Cerion's Dilemma

Dr. Sally E. Walker is especially interested in the ecology and
evolution of encrusting and bioeroding organisms, crustaceans (hermit
crabs), and predators and their effects on the preservation of molluscan
shells.   She and Eric Powell (Rutgers) founded the Shelf-Slope
Experimental Taphonomy Initiative (SSETI) in the early 1990's, which is
the longest running experimental taphonomy project focused on how global
climate change either promotes or degrades carbonate in shelf and slope
habitats.  She is active in international fieldwork, using SCUBA and
deep-sea submersibles in the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico.  Dr. Walker is
an advocate for inquiry-based learning and evolution.

For more information, see http://www.gly.uga.edu/Walker/

 

2006 to 2009 Paleontological Society Distinguished Lecturer

PATRICIA H. KELLEY

Professor, Department of Earth Sciences
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5944
Phone: (910) 962-7406     Fax: (910) 962-7077
Email: kelleyp@uncw.edu

•  Teaching Evolution with Integrity and Sensitivity

• Modern Biblical Scholarship as a Resource for Teachers of Evolution

• The Arms Race from a Snail's Perspective: Evolution of the Naticid Gastropod Predator - Prey System

Dr. Kelley was recently elected to be a Centennial Fellow of the Paleontological Society.  As a Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Kelley seeks to bridge the divide between acknowledgment — even celebration — of the reality of evolution and beliefs maintained by the great religious traditions.  She is eager to participate in workshops designed for teachers AND IS ALSO AVAILABLE TO PRESENT PUBLIC LECTURES OR RESEARCH SEMINARS. Dr. Kelley’s own research focuses on the evolution and paleoecology of Cenozoic molluscs from the southeastern United States.  She is especially interested in predator-prey interactions and their role in the evolution of strategies that are employed by snails to capture prey and by clams and snails to avoid predation. 

For more information, see http://www.uncw.edu/earsci/PeopleKelley.htm