The 2009 SVP Election Results are now in.

For the position of Secretary
Chris Bell

For the position of Member-at-Large
Kristi Curry Rogers

The SVP election for 2009 was held by electronic ballot starting Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Central Time Zone (USA) and ended Monday, May 18, 2009 at midnight Central Time Zone (USA).

The SVP Nominating Committee consists of: John Flynn (chair), Annalisa Berta and James Hopson.

Further, all seven (7) proposed amendments to key SVP documents on the SVP 2009 Election Ballot passed by a 3/4 majority of voting members. View these amendments to the Bylaws.

View the SVP Constitution.

Abstract notification messages have been sent out to all primary presenters.  View the list of ID numbers for ALL abstracts accepted for oral and poster presentation for ALL session categories (Symposia, Regular sessions, Preparators’ session, Romer Prize session and poster sessions). 

If you did not receive an E-mail regarding the disposition of your abstract, and you’re are the primary author of that abstract, your E-mail provider may have filtered this message out.  To ensure that you will receive all future SVP E-mails, please White list SVP E-mail addresses.  Click here to access White listing instructions. 

If you have been accepted to present at the SVP 69th Annual Meeting, and the 57th Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy (SVPCA), and you cannot attend for any reason, please notify the SVP Business Office at svp@vertpaleo.org as soon as possible.

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Kuzmich Vereschagin, a prominent Russian paleontologist, nationally and internationally known as “The Mammoth Expert” tragically died on October 27, 2008 at the age of 99 years, about three weeks short of his 100th birthday.

Nikolai K. Vereschagin, the grandchild of Nikolai Vasilievich Vereschagin, the most influential dairy expert in Russia in the19th century, and the third cousin of the prominent battle artist Vasilii V. Vereschagin, was born on November 21, 1908 in the small village Petrovka of the Vologda District.  Interestingly, nearby are the sites with the late and latest mammoths in European Russia (Cherepovets vicinity), including the “Zhidikovo Peat bog” site, the “Sheksna River Mouth site” and the “Yagorba River Mouth” site (Dr. Vereschagin consulted on mammoth bone identifications at the Yagorba River mouth site).

Soon after graduation from the Moscow Zootechnical Institute in 1929, while being employed by the Zhitkov Research Institute for Game and Fur-bearer Propagation in 1930-1934, young Nikolai directed introductions of muskrat in the Irtysh River basin, one of the first introductions of the species in the USSR. In 1935 – 1940 Dr. Vereschagin worked for the Zoological Institute, Azerbaijan SSR Academy of Sciences in Baku, Azerbaijan Republic, where he studied modern mammals of the Apsheron Peninsula and game mammals of the Caucasus Mountains. In 1939 he defended his PhD dissertation on nutria biology and acclimatization. In 1949 - 1990 Dr. Vereschagin was employed by the Zoological Institute, USSR Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, where he headed the Laboratory of Mammals from 1968 through 1974. During the years 1974 to 1995 he was head of the Fauna’s History Department.

In 1954 Dr. Vereschagin was awarded the Doctor of Science Degree after defending his dissertation “The Mammals of Caucasus. A History of the Evolution of the Fauna” published as a book in Russian in 1959. The book was translated in English in 1967 and instantly became an international scientific bestseller and the main paleontological guide for the region and for comparisons with other paleontological sites worldwide.

Dr. Vereschagin’s late 1940s and 1950s were filled by numerous field seasons and trips to different part of the USSR, lab work, material analyses and publishing a variety of papers on the Pleistocene fauna and mammals of southern Russian Plain, Crimea, Caucasus, the lower Ural River region, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Transbailkalia. His publications included an extensive overview and analyses of the Tamanian Pleistocene fauna, and the first reports on finding moose (1948) and macaque (1957) remains in the Pleistocene of Caucasus.

During the 1960s, Dr. Verescahgin studied systematic and taxonomic positions of modern and extinct cats and bears. He was involved in extensive paleontological work on archeological sites in the Ural Mountains, Western Siberia and Far East (Russian Primorie). This enriched field experience and his personal hunting experience, allowed him to suggest methods for Paleolithic big game procurement.

In the 1970s, Dr. Vereschagin headed paleontological expeditions to the later well-known “Berelekh Mammoth Boneyard” site on the Berelekh River in Yakutia Republic. Here, he and his colleagues collected more than 8,000 bones, belonging to at least 140 woolly mammoth individuals, from sand lenses formed by the River. The rescue expedition was performed just in time: within a few seasons the site was completely washed out by the river.

In the early 1970s Dr. Vereschagin revitalized the Scientific Mammoth Committee of the USSR founded in 1948, and led the organization from 1972 to 1995. With his leadership the Committee organized seven Russian workshops on mammoth and mammoth fauna studies, and the 1st International Mammoth Conference (IMC) that took place in St. Petersburg in 1995. Dr. Vereschagin attended all but the 4th IMC in 2007, having been the Honorary Chair and consistently attracting attention with his presentations.

The 1970s through the 1980s saw Dr. Vereschagin’s research focused on evolution of Pleistocene fauna. He extensively analyzed the morphology of mammoth skeleton and tusks, studied the morphology and ecology of the extinct Pleistocene horse, steppe bison (Bison priscus), and cave lion and published several papers on the Pleistocene megafauna extinctions, which he explained resulted from the combined effects of climate change, hunting and biological/ecological factors.  

Dr. Verescahgin made substantial contributions to science studying skeletons and carcasses of adult and baby mammoths found in Russia. After the sensational discovery of baby mammoth Dima in Eastern Siberia by the local gold-mine worker in 1977, Dr. Vereschagin organized and led a team of international researchers studying the unique specimen, publishing a series of papers followed by the book “The Magadan Mammoth Calf” (in Russian). He also participated in excavations and studies of the Khatanga (1977) and Yuribei (1979) mammoths, and consulted with other researchers on the frozen carcasses of Jarkov (1997) and Yukagir (2002) mammoths from Siberia.

Dr. Vereschagin was involved in studying the mummified body of the baby mammoth Masha (1999) and was consulting the international team of researchers formed for systematic studies of the most complete baby mammoth ever found, Lyuba (2007); both females northern Western Siberia.

He traveled, lectured and participated in many scientific conferences abroad, including France, Yugoslavia, Japan, USA and very recently, Africa (Kenya). He was a member of International Council for Archeozoology and other scientific societies including the honorary memberships in the All-Russian Theriological Society and the Czechoslovakia Zoological Society. Dr. Vereschagin earned many high awards including the “Honorary Scientist of Russia” and the “Honorary Member of the Peter the Great Academy of Science” (1998).

From 1970 to 1982 Dr. Verescahgin was editor of the special paleontological series of the "Proceedings of the Zoological Institute," a yearly volume of papers devoted to Pleistocene paleontology within the former Soviet Union. He was the author of more than 280 scientific papers, popular publications and eight monographs. His publications range from deep analyses of faunas to taxonomical and taphonomical research, and to popular books, as the “Why did Mammoths Become Extinct?” (1979), “The Memoirs of a Paleontologist” (1981) “Zoological Journeys” (1986), “Exterior of the Mammoth” (1999; English version) and “From Muskrat to Mammoth: the Life of a Zoologist” (2002). Just few months ago Dr. Vereschagin finished his last book “My Century. Memoirs and Science Work” (in Russian), which was accepted for publication by the Publisher “7-ya Bukva” in Tver, Russia. It is sad that the author will never see it published. 

Having had a deep interest in the Pleistocene Megafauna and being an experienced field collector through his science career, Dr. Vereschagin had a comprehensive approach in studying paleontological sites he was involved in. When searching for and collecting megafauna remains, he collected insects, plants, birds and fish to build up collections for future generations of scientists. His research, papers and books were powerful, riveting and thought provoking, attracting to him many students from different parts of the USSR. Students learned much from him and his publications. Dr. Vereschagin’s scientific advisor capacity and supervision of 14 PhD and three Doctors of Sciences students was tough and challenging. He significantly contributed to the success of their dissertations and future growth in their science careers.

From his full retirement in 1990 until the very end, Dr. Vereschagin continued a very active life working in his “reserved” office at the Zoological Institute, and at home; publishing papers, attending scientific conferences, consulting the public and scientists, and hunting big game. Dr. Vereschagin was always eager to go to conferences related to his studies. Due to his age he had problems receiving permission from officials to travel abroad, but he continued fighting for every scientific trip and often won.

Through all his life Dr. Vereschagin has been a maverick and brave fighter for his opinion and independent thoughts, and has never hesitated to tell “inconvenient truth” to administrators and officials. He made his life career honestly, without compromising with political authorities. The bright scientist, original thinker, teacher, talented writer, self-taught artist, and passionate game hunter and paleontologist will be sorely missed by all his family, friends and colleagues.
 
Olga Potapova
Collections Curator/Manager
The Hot Springs Mammoth Site, Inc.
PO BOX 692
1800 HWY 18 BYPASS
HOT SPRINGS, SD 57747
tel (605)745-6017 fax (605)745-3038
olgapot@mammothsite.org
www.mammothsite.com

Dr. Roald L. Potapov
Zoological Museum
Zoological Institute
Russian Academy of Sciences
University emb., 1
199034 St. Petersburg
Russia; museum@zin.ru 
http://www.zin.ru/index_e.htm

Top photo: Dr. N. Vereschagin sorting out the Pleistocene bison and horse bones collected by the 3rd IMC participants during the field trip to the paleontological sites in vicinity of Dawson, Canada. May 2003. Photo by Olga Potapova.

Bottom photo: From the left: Eddy Clay, Dr. N. Vereschagin, Dr. Larry Agenbroad (The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD), and Clara Clay. 3rd International mammoth Conference field trip, Yukon, Canada, May 2003. Photo by O. Potapova.

Cyril Walker, formerly curator of fossil birds in the Natural History Museum, died after a long illness on Wednesday, 6 May 2009, aged 70.

Cyril joined the staff of the then British Museum (Natural History) in 1958 as a scientific assistant and, apart from two years National Service in the Royal Army Education Corps, spent his entire career in the Museum, progressing through a series of promotions to senior scientific officer in 1985. His career was a combination of curation and research; his particular research expertise lay in fossil birds, backed up by his considerable renown as an enthusiastic bird watcher with a world-wide life list. He enjoyed a productive research collaboration with the late Colin Harrison, who worked in the Natural History Museum’s Sub-department of Ornithology at Tring, and together they published a series of papers through the 1970s on Mesozoic and Cenozoic birds, notably the rich avifauna from the Lower Eocene of the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. Cyril’s most outstanding research finding was his recognition of a new subclass of fossils birds, Enantiornithes, based on very incomplete skeletons from the latest Cretaceous in Argentina, which he published in Nature in 1981. Because the material was incomplete and lacked any skulls, his work was not seen as particularly significant at that time. Today, however, his work is recognized as a hugely important discovery in the history of avian palaeontology and he was gratified to see the growing discoveries and literature on enantiornithines, now much better understood as the dominant group of Cretaceous birds. He made a late return to Mesozoic bird research, publishing in 2007 (with Eric Buffetaut and Gareth Dyke) a final paper that outlined his early views on enantiornithines and the background to his discovery.

Cyril also developed an interest in fossil turtles and wrote a series of papers on trionychoid turtles with Dick Moody of Kingston Polytechnic/University and together with Moody, Sandra Chapman of the NHM, Gene Gaffney and Peter Meylan described important new genera from Mali and the Isle of Wight. He also wrote many popular articles on ornithology and several guides on birds and fossils. Cyril was a fine and generous colleague with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the collections in his care. He welcomed many research visitors from around the world and always put himself out to be helpful, supportive and convivial. He regarded it as a part of the job to introduce colleagues to the delights of English beer in the ‘Hoop and Toy’ pub. Cyril was a big personality,

Cyril was joint leader of a number of trans-Saharan expeditions in which the Natural History Museum participated. These expeditions gave him opportunities to demonstrate his talent as a brilliant field cook. He was a great ambassador who loved his subject and was proud to represent the Museum and his country in the driest parts of Africa. He took part in an ill-fated expedition to the Sokoto Basin in Nigeria with the Bev and Jenny Halstead, Eric Buffetaut and Dick Moody in 1979. As a result of internal political and academic tensions, an attempt was made to sabotage the project. The team were staying at a house prior to starting their work when it was surrounded at dawn by Nigerian troops and police. The Europeans were arrested and taken to a military barracks, and the same afternoon were “tried” — without any legal representation — by the local governor, an army general. The charge was attempting to steal “antiquities.” Having been found guilty, they were sent to Lagos, where they were interrogated at the somewhat infamous Ikoyi police establishment. Subterfuge ruled however, and a deal was offered by a secret police officer that the group would be supported if they stayed and said nothing. Dick Moody and Eric Buffetaut opted to leave the country (albeit as FBI Agents) whereas Cyril and the Halsteads were kept under house arrest in Ibadan. All were threatened they could expect several years in a Nigerian jail. In the event, after a month they were allowed to leave the country. Throughout this ordeal, Cyril remained his usual sanguine self and when the restraint of the house arrest was lifted — hired a taxi with the Halsteads to take them back to the Sokoto Basin, where he managed to collect some fossil turtle skulls which, strangely, disappeared on the way out of the country. 

Cyril also took part in a joint expedition to the Cretaceous of Queensland in Australia in 1978 with Alan Charig of the NHM, Barry Cox (King’s College London) and Dave Norman (then at Queen Mary College, London), together with a Queensland team led by Alan Bartholomai of Queensland Museum that discovered, among other things, the earliest herring. He led the Natural History Museum’s contingent (including Andy Currant, Phil Crabb, Angela Milner and Peter Whybrow) to Niger in 1988 with Dick Moody’s Kingston Polytechnic (now The University of Kingston) crew. The expedition collected Cretaceous dinosaur material near Agadez and featured in Sir David Attenborough’s BBC television series "Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives."

Cyril took on the task of planning and co-ordinating the move from the Natural History Museum’s outstation store at Ruislip to Wandsworth between 1990 and 1995 while continuing to spend one day a week on fossil bird curation and research. His final post was in the Bird Section at Tring from 1996 until he retired in February 1999. In retirement, he continued his bird research and publication on a collaborative basis until last year when his health began to fail.

Cyril leaves his long-term partner and latterly his wife, Judy Greenwood, and a step- family, with whom he found peace and contentment over more than twenty years. Gareth Dyke and Larry Martin have convened a special symposium on Mesozoic birds in Cyril’s honour during the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s first European meeting at the University of Bristol in September 2009. He knew of these plans and felt very honoured. Many of his colleagues fervently hoped he would be well enough to attend the meeting but it was not to be.


Angela Milner
Associate Keeper of Palaeontology
The Natural History Museum

Richard Moody
Emeritus Professor
Kingston University London

Gareth Dyke
University College Dublin 

Photo ©John Gooders.

Ann Schaffer (Elder), a member of SVP since 1985,  was born to Rebecca and Jimmy Schaffer in Feagaville, Maryland, on April 7, 1958.  She was taken from this life suddenly on March 31 as a result of complications from emergency surgery.
Ann earned a BA in geology from the University of Vermont, and a MS in geology/paleontology at Utah State University.

Ann began her career with the National Park Service in 1984 at Fossil Butte National Monument as a park technician. She then moved to Dinosaur National Monument and served there as a geology technician, paleontologist and museum curator.

Ann worked in the field and lab for sixteen years as a paleontologist, and made countless contributions to the field through excavations, publications and presentations at interagency and professional society meetings. Among her many contributions, Ann and a coworker were credited with the excavation and preparation of a new species of Allosaurus. In the lab, Ann skillfully prepared many significant specimens that were new to science. Her work as the first full-performance museum curator at the park helped ensure the future safe-keeping and protection of the park's vast collection. As curator, Ann set up guidelines and planning documents to guarantee that the collection would be managed appropriately in the future, conducted a 100% inventory of the collection, helped catalog nearly one million cultural and natural history items, and facilitated a Web-based exhibit of the park's fossils.

Starting in September 2008, during the final phase of her career, Ann was selected as chief of resource management at Colorado National Monument.  Her focus expanded beyond vertebrate paleontology to include the park’s historic structures, museum collections and archives, archeological surveys and wildlife management.  However, she continued to help other parks with paleontological issues as well.

Ann's expertise was called upon by other park units and government agencies throughout her career. She conducted museum program assessments, and paleontology surveys and excavations at several parks throughout the NPS, including Curecanti NRA, Grand Teton NP, Badlands National Park and Fossil Butte NM. Ann also aided the FBI in the seizure of a T. Rex from a commercial collector, helped ensure its safe preservation and provided support during the resulting court trial.

The National Park Service honored Ann on several occasions for her outstanding service.  She was given an award in 1993 for her work as the co-chair for the Third Conference on Fossil Resources in the NPS.  In 2005, her success at obtaining project funds in support of museum archives cataloging, coordinating GPRA, and using volunteer help was credited at Dinosaur National Monument.  Ann was also a recipient of the Intermountain Region Appleman-Judd Award for Cultural Resource Protection in 2004. This prestigious award is given each year to a handful of NPS employees for their valuable work in cultural resource management.

Ann Elder was a very special friend and colleague.  She was always willing to help and reach out to those in need.  Ann was also respected for her integrity.  She was never shy about speaking out on important issues. Her work was always at the highest standard.  She was respected and loved by all who knew her.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Tom Elder, of Vernal, Utah; her mother Becky Schaffer; her sister Sue, her brother Gary, and numerous nephews and nieces. She leaves behind her Aussie Shepherd, Cedar, and English Cocker Spaniel, Stikine, who were also very much a part of her life.

In lieu of flowers – Tom has requested donations in Ann’s name to the Mar-Lu-Ridge Organization which hosts camps for youth and others. Ann worked at Mar-Lu-Ridge as a camp counselor. Ann and Tom were married at the camp. The Web site is: http://www.mar-lu-ridge.org/. They are seeking donations to offer scholarships for campers for this summer. Address: Mar-Lu-Ridge, Conference and Educational Center, Office of the Executive Director, 3200 Mar-Lu-Ridge Rd., Jefferson, MD 21755
A memorial service was held in both Maryland at Mar-Lu-Ridge and in Vernal, Utah at St. James Catholic Church.

Please visit Sympathy Tree. com to add your thoughts about Ann – search Ann Schaffer Elder or use the link below:
http://www.sympathytree.com/annschafferelder1958/
  
Obituary Contributors:
Joan Anzelmo, Superintendent, Colorado National Monument
Rachel Benton, Park Paleontologist, Badlands National Park
Scott Foss, Regional Paleontologist, BLM - Utah State Office
Scott Madsen, Utah Geological Survey

Photo courtesy of NPS.

Registration for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 69th Annual Meeting and the 57th Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy is now open.

Register now for this meeting.  For full details about this meeting, view the Meeting Circular.
IMPORTANT!  Save the circular to your computer.  This will make future viewings quick and easy.

Dr. Daniel C. Fisher, professor and curator at the Museum of Paleontology and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, will be interviewed on the "Today" show Friday morning, April 24. He will speak about a baby mammoth from Siberia (Russia), discovered by local reindeer herders two years ago.  The mammoth is 40,000 years old. Fisher and his graduate student, Adam Rountrey, are part of international team studying the anatomy, physiology and taphonomy of the baby mammoth.  The mammoth is featured as the cover article of the current issue of National Geographic. 

For more information, read the University of Michigan press release.

Deerfield, IL (March, 2009) – Sharks are among the most popular animals featured in television and cinema. And today among sharks, the undisputed king is the great white, a giant predator that can exceed 20 feet in length. Despite the popularity of great whites, relatively little is known about their biology, and even less is known about their evolutionary origins. A new 4-million-year-old fossil from Peru described in this month’s issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology provides important evidence suggesting the shark’s origins may be more humble than previously believed.

Fossil shark skeletons are extremely rare because sharks do not have bony skeletons like most fishes – instead their skeleton is made of cartilage. The new specimen is the most complete fossil known from a white shark. It includes parts of the spinal column, the head skeleton, and a mouthful of 222 teeth.

“It is very unusual for a shark, which has a cartilaginous skeleton, to preserve these details in the fossil record,” said Mr. Dana Ehret, a graduate student at the Florida Museum of Natural History and lead author of the article.

In sharp contrast to the wide expanses of open water that it used to dominate, the new fossil was discovered in the dry desert region of coastal Peru. In 1988, Dr. Gordon Hubbell, a co-author of the paper, and local collectors were examining the 4-million-year-old sediments of the Pisco Formation when they came across the shark remains. These large areas of sediments in southwestern Peru are becoming increasingly well known for a variety of fossils of whales, birds, and even an aquatic sloth, Thalassocnus. 

Frequently only isolated teeth of shark are present in these ancient sediments. To get a complete picture of a shark’s dentition, scientists have to put these isolated teeth together using information from modern sharks. Having a fossil such as this one with its teeth in their natural positions is important because the shapes of particular teeth and their orientations in the jaw help determine how shark species are related to one another.

“The completeness of this specimen allows us to take a closer look at the interrelationships between white and mako sharks,” said Ehret.

The undoubted all-time kings of the shark world were the so-called “megatooth” sharks. The largest of these, such as Carcharocles (“Carcharodon”) megalodon were contemporaries of the Peruvian shark and may have reached lengths of 60 feet. With a jaw gape of more than 9 feet, they would have put great whites in the shade.

Nevertheless, many scientists have argued that the megatooths were close cousins of the great whites. However, the new specimen suggests that the modern great white shark is more closely related to the modern mako shark – a smaller shark that feeds mostly on fishes – than to the prehistoric giant ‘megatooth’ sharks. If true, then the modern great white and the megatooth sharks might have evolved to large size independently. The new fossil specimen was probably 17 feet long in life, similar in size to a large modern great white.

Because this specimen also preserved part of the spinal column, scientists were able to determine that the individual was at least 20 years old when it died. The age determination was based on counting the alternating light and dark bands present in the vertebrae, which calcify with age. Such bands have been shown to represent seasonal changes in modern sharks; this was tested in the fossil by examining difference in the isotopic composition of the dark and light bands, which reflects seasonal temperature changes. A modern great white shark of similar age likely would have been larger, suggesting that this fossil species grew at a slower rate.

“With the exceptional preservation of this Pisco Formation specimen we have a unique opportunity to advance knowledge about the ancient paleobiology of white sharks and their extinct relatives,” said Dr. Bruce MacFadden of the Florida Museum of Natural History, a co-author of the study.


ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Founded in 1940 by thirty-four paleontologists, the Society now has more than 2,300 members representing professionals, students, artists, preparators and others interested in vertebrate paleontology. It is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, with the object of advancing the science of vertebrate paleontology.

The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) is the leading journal of professional vertebrate paleontology and the flagship publication of the Society. It was founded in 1980 by Dr. Jiri Zidek and publishes contributions on all aspects of vertebrate paleontology.

Citation: Ehret, D. J., G. Hubbell, and B. J. MacFadden. 2009. Exceptional preservation of the white shark Carcharodon (Lamniformes, Lamnidae) from the early Pliocene of Peru. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, volume 29, No. 1.[Feature Article]

Journal Web site: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: http://www.vertpaleo.org

IMAGES
(top) Image 1: Dr. Bruce MacFadden (left) and Dr. Tom DeVries (right) relocate the original collection site of the shark fossil and reenact the original collecting photograph. [Photo by Dana J. Ehret.]

(middle) Image 2: Dana Ehret samples the vertebrae of the fossil using a MicroMill™, an automated drilling device connected to a computer [Photo by Jeff Gage, Florida Museum of Natural History © 2007

(bottom) Image 3: Photograph of the specimen as it appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, with nose toward the top of the photo and spinal column toward the bottom. [Photo by Dana J. Ehret]

CONTACT INFORMATION
Mr. Dana Ehret
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
dehret@flmnh.ufl.edu
352-273-1936 (office)
352-871-7944 (cell)

Dr. Bruce MacFadden
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
bmacfadd@flmnh.ufl.edu
352-273-1937 (office)

Mr. Paul Ramey
Marketing and Public Relations
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu
352-273-2054

Other Specialists:
Dr. Kenshu Shimada
DePaul University, Chicago, IL
kshimada@depaul.edu
773-325-4697 (office)

Dr. John Long
Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
jlong@museum.vic.gov.au
Phone: +61-3-8341-7420

 (Originally posted on March 11, 2009; original post is housed in the Archive section of the SVP News Page.)

How to know that your abstract has been successfully submitted and COMPLETED

Two E-mails should have been received by the submitting author:
1. One when the abstract was started, confirming an abstract was BEGUN. 
    An initial abstract CODE was assigned in the first E-mail.
2. A final, second, E-mail confirming that the abstract was COMPLETED.
    A final abstract NUMBER (not the same as the CODE above) was assigned in the second E-mail.     

NOTE: The second, final, E-mail is sent to both the submitting and primary author (if they are different).

NOTE: The submitting author must agree to the terms on the "Sign-Off and Agreement" page (part of the online submission process) in order for the abstract to be COMPLETED and for the Completed Abstract E-mail to be sent out. 

NOTE:  The authors may go back and edit their successfully submitted abstract, using their E-mail and abstract code to login, as often as they wish while the submission site is open.

IMPORTANT!
Extended Deadline and Eligibility Update
Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations

Please note that the applications deadline for the Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations has been extended until Monday April 20, 2009, NOON Central Time Zone (USA).  The eligibility criteria have also been expanded to include applications from a broader range of nations.

Applicants must meet the requirements below:

-- Have citizenship in, and currently reside in, an economically-disadvantaged nation, as defined by a ranking of <0.6 on the UN Development Index (http://hdr.undp.org/external/flash/hdi_map/). 
-- Be a first author on a submitted abstract for an oral or poster presentation
-- Submit an application by April 20, NOON Central Time Zone (USA), of the calendar year of the SVP meeting to be attended.

What to Submit
An application form (located on the Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations Web page), including an abstract and a one-page maximum (single-spaced) description of how the opportunity to present research at SVP will enhance the recipient's career goals in vertebrate paleontology.

For all information on this award, including how to submit, visit the Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations Web page.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2009

Chicago, IL – Project Exploration has released Discover Your Summer 2009, its third annual resource guide to summer science education opportunities for middle and high school students. The guide highlights 175 science programs—primarily in the Midwest—and offers tips on completing applications and preparing for interviews.

Discover Your Summer encourages students, especially minority youth and girls, to participate in summer science enrichment programs to broaden their horizons and prepare them for future education. Copies of the guide have been distributed to middle and high schools throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and the collar counties. The guide is available for free online at www.projectexploration.org/dys.

Programs in Discover Your Summer 2009 range from daytime classes at museums to weeklong residential camps at universities. Topics cover the full array of science and mathematics, from aerospace engineering to zoology. Students can get paid to do research, work in a lab, conduct field work in the mountains, or complete service learning hours. The guide focuses on programs offered in 13 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Chicago Public Schools Office of Mathematics and Science, the Mayor's Office of the City of Chicago, Motorola Foundation, and Science Chicago supported the development and distribution of Discover Your Summer 2009.


About Project Exploration
Project Exploration's highly personalized science immersion programs, fieldwork, and youth development initiatives significantly increase high school graduation rates among students from economically disadvantaged communities: over 95% of Project Exploration fieldwork participants graduate from high school. These students are three times more likely to enroll in a four-year college than their peers, and over one third of Project Exploration field alumni major in science once in college. At a time when four out of five jobs require science and technology skills, Project Exploration provides a new model for engaging and retaining today’s youth in science and technology.
For more information about how Project Exploration is changing the face of science, visit www.projectexploration.org.

###

Contact:
Laura Jansen
Project Exploration
Phone: (773) 834-7614
Email: ljansen@projectexploration.org

PROJECT EXPLORATION
950 E. 61st Street
Chicago, IL 60637
tel. 773.834.7614
fax. 773.834.7625
www.projectexploration.org

JAPV 24th Annual Meeting
XXIV Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados

May 4-7, 2009
San Rafael
Mendoza, Argentina

To see more information click here to access to the Web page www.xxivjapv.com.ar

After the Annual Meeting of the SVP and the Symposium of Comparative Anatomy and Vertebrate Paleontology (United Kingdom-France) in the northern Hemisphere, the JAPV is the oldest Annual Meeting of Vertebrate Paleontology. This meeting has been developed since 1984 in different universities and museums in Argentina. The total number of participants is around 200, 70% from different paleontological centers of Argentina, while the remaining 30% is from foreign countries.

The meeting is like the SVP meeting, with oral sessions, poster session, symposia, plenary conferences, and field trips. The abstracts of the scientific communications and the plenary conferences will be published in the Supplement of the Ameghiniana (Argentinean Journal of Paleontology).

Important dates:
March 15 deadline for discount in the inscription payment
March 30 deadline for abstract submission


Symposia
- ‘Molecules, fossils, and phylogenies’, Moderators: Dr. Ana María Báez and Dr. Diego Pol
- ‘Vertebrate Paleobiology. Methodological approaches to form and function’, Moderators: Dr. Sergio Vizcaino and Dr. Susana Bargo
- ‘Charles Darwin’s legacy to the Argentinean Paleontology’, Moderators: Dr. Teresa Manera de Bianco and Dr. Marcelo S. de la Fuente

Conferences
- Dr. Alberto Cione ‘The origin of South American marine and continental fishes’
- Dr. Jeffrey Wilson ‘Evolution of Sauropod Dinosaurs’
- Dr. Eduardo Tonni ‘The Quaternary in the Pampas Region and its mammal fauna: biostratigraphy and paleoenvironments’

Prize for the best student oral presentation

Exhibits
- First Meeting of Artists and Paleoartists

Prize for the best paleoartist work

SVP Awards, Grants and Prizes
Apply Today, or Nominate a Worthy Colleague 

SVP awards recognize distinguished achievement in vertebrate paleontology including the fields of research, service, paleontological art, fieldwork and preparation. Learn more about the various awards and submission guidelines, then use the easy online submission system to apply or nominate an esteemed colleague.

Applications and nominations for most* 2009 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) awards can be submitted beginning Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA), through Monday, April 20, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA).

Applications and nominations for most* SVP awards will be submitted using the SVP Online Award Submission System.

The prize amount for most SVP awards have been increased for 2009.

* Awards not using the new SVP Online Award Submission System are the Colbert Award, the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize, the Patterson Memorial Grant, and the Romer Prize.

CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH AWARD AND TO LINK TO THE SVP ONLINE AWARD SUBMSSION SYSTEM.

Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize)
The award given to the best student poster.
Submissions will be accepted through the SVP Online Abstract Submission System.

Richard Estes Memorial Grant
An award given for graduate research in non-mammalian paleontology.

Joseph T. Gregory Award
An award presented for outstanding service to the welfare of the Society.

Honorary Membership Award
An award presented for distinguished contribution to the field of vertebrate paleontology.

New!  Institutional Membership: A Program for Institutions of Economically Developing Nations
An award issued to increase access of electronic-based publications and news of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) for institutions based in areas with developing economies.
NOTE: The deadline for this award is NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Monday, June 1.

Jackson School of Geosciences Student Member Travel Grants
Grants given to provide traveling cost assistance to the SVP Annual Meeting for SVP Student Member Presenters.

John J. Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize
An award given for outstanding achievement in paleontological illustration and art.
NOTE: Submissions for this award must be sent directly to the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize Committee Chair. Please click on the link above for information on how to submit for the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize.

SVP President Blaire Van Valkenburgh is featured in an Economist.com article titled, "Tooth and Claw." Read the article.

Palaeontological Association Review Seminar, Lecture and Collections Visit / Field Outing
30 July through 1 August, 2009 in Street, Somerset, UK

THURSDAY, 30 JULY
Public Understanding of Science lecture titled: Street's Town Symbol: The Ichthyosaur Two Centuries Since Its Discovery.
Presented by world renowned ichthyosaur expert Professor Ryosuke Motani from the University of California, USA (and member of SVP).

Abstract: STREET THE ICHTHYOSAUR TOWN: A lizard-like reptile invaded the oceans about 245 million years ago in the Triassic Period and gave rise to fish-shaped descendants called ichthyosaurs or 'fish-lizards' which lived during the Age of the Dinosaurs. These strange creatures were first reported about two centuries ago, largely based on the fossils which made Street and Lyme Regis famous during the early 19th century. This lecture provides an accessible modern overview of our understanding of these intriguing animals, including some amazing features such as the largest eyes of any known backboned animal.

Fee: FREE to registrants of the Friday seminar (if this is booked at the time of registration for the seminar-See Friday, July 31 seminar below).
All Others: £3.00 for adults, £2.00 for children

FRIDAY, 31 JULY
Seminar Title: The Sea Dragons of Avalon: the early radiations of the marine reptiles and recovery from the Triassic-Jurassic faunal crisis, with special reference to Street in Somerset and the wider British record
Note: includes an optional Public Understanding of Science lecture on the evening of Thursday 30 July (free of charge to delegates). See above.

This seminar is open to all, but aimed at a professional audience or adults with an interest in geology or palaeontology. This is an up-to-date reassessment of Street's geology, fossil marine reptiles and their evolutionary importance. The day is planned to end with a visit to the Gillett Collection at the archive of Clarks Ltd.

Fee: £35 (£23 for full-time students and the unwaged) Fee includes: refreshments and a light lunch, and free entry to Thursday evening lecture (see above).

SATURDAY, 1 AUGUST
An optional field outing on Saturday 1 August to see some of the remaining historical quarry sites, the local scenery and its relation to geological structure; if possible a visit to a modern working quarry will also be arranged.

Fee: £7.50

Direct all enquiries to:
E-mail:  street2009@palass.org
Postal mail:
Dr. Leslie Noè
Curator of Natural Science (PalAss Street Seminar), Thinktank, the Birmingham Science Museum, Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG, UK.

NOTE: Please include your name and email or mailing address when enquiring.

Beginning Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA) through Monday, April 20, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA), abstracts for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 69th Annual Meeting will be accepted through the SVP Abstract Submission Site.

Important!
Abstract submissions for the Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize became available on:
Monday, January 19, 2009, NOON, Central Standard Time Zone (USA)

The Alfred Sherwood Romer abstract submission deadline will be:
Thursday, March 19, 2009, NOON, Central Standard Time Zone (USA)

Submissions are being accepted in the following categories: Symposia (invited participants only), Regular Sessions, Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize), Romer Prize Session and Preparators' Session.

Symposia
- Late Triassic Terrestrial Biotas and the Rise of Dinosaurs
- Molecular Tools in Paleobiology: Trees, Clocks, and linking Geno- with Phenotype
- New Perspectives on Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida
- The Evolution of Birds in the Mesozoic: A Symposium in Honor of Cyril A. Walker
- The Scientific Legacy of Mary Anning - Recent Advances in Marine Reptile Paleobiology and Evolution

Regular Sessions
Abstracts are accepted for oral and poster presentations in the following categories:

- Amphibians
- Birds
- Fish
- History of paleontology
- Mammals
- Reptiles
- Theoretical/geological

Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize)
Selected and presented on site at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's Annual Meeting, the Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award recognizes an outstanding poster presentation by a student. The award was named in honor of the Colberts' contributions to vertebrate paleontology.  All abstract entries for the Colbert Poster Session and, ultimately, the Colbert Award, are submitted through the SVP abstract submission site.  See the Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award page for all information regarding the award.

Romer Prize Session
The Romer Prize Committee of the SVP 69th Annual Meeting will accept a maximum of 16 submitted abstracts for competition in the Romer Prize Session. Students whose abstracts were not selected for participation will be given the option of having their abstract either considered for a regular session or withdrawn from the program. For more information on the Romer Prize, see the Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize page on the SVP Web site.

Preparators’ Session
A forum for presentations on current issues in paleontological preparation, ranging from field and lab techniques to specimen curation and exhibition design.  These presentations are selected by the SVP Preparators' Abstract Review Committee from abstracts submitted during the SVP abstract submission period. See the Preparators’ Session page for all information regarding the Preparators’ Session.

For more information, including submission and presentation guidelines, go to the Abstract Information area of the SVP Web site.

SVP Awards, Grants and Prizes
Apply Today, or Nominate a Worthy Colleague

SVP awards recognize distinguished achievement in vertebrate paleontology including the fields of research, service, paleontological art, fieldwork and preparation. Learn more about the various awards and submission guidelines, then use the easy online submission system to apply or nominate an esteemed colleague.

Applications and nominations for most* 2009 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) awards can be submitted beginning Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA), through Monday, April 20, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA).

Applications and nominations for most* SVP awards will be submitted using the SVP Online Award Submission System.

The prize amount for most SVP awards have been increased for 2009.

* Awards not using the new SVP Online Award Submission System are the Colbert Award, the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize, the Patterson Memorial Grant, and the Romer Prize.


CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH AWARD AND TO LINK TO THE SVP ONLINE AWARD SUBMSSION SYSTEM.

Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize)
The award given to the best student poster.
Submissions will be accepted through the SVP Online Abstract Submission System.

Richard Estes Memorial Grant
An award given for graduate research in non-mammalian paleontology.

Joseph T. Gregory Award
An award presented for outstanding service to the welfare of the Society.

Honorary Membership Award
An award presented for distinguished contribution to the field of vertebrate paleontology.

New!  Institutional Membership: A Program for Institutions of Economically Developing Nations
An award issued to increase access of electronic-based publications and news of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) for institutions based in areas with developing economies.
NOTE: The deadline for this award is NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Monday, June 1.

Jackson School of Geosciences Student Member Travel Grants
Grants given to provide traveling cost assistance to the SVP Annual Meeting for SVP Student Member Presenters.

John J. Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize
An award given for outstanding achievement in paleontological illustration and art.
NOTE: Submissions for this award must be sent directly to the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize Committee Chair. Please click on the link above for information on how to submit for the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize.

Bryan Patterson Memorial Grant
An award given for student fieldwork in vertebrate paleontology.
NOTE: This award is closed for submissions.

Predoctoral Fellowship Grant
An award given to promote a professional career in vertebrate paleontology.

Preparators' Grant
An award given to advance preparation and preparators.

New!  Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations
An award which enables scientists from nations with developing economies to present research at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) Annual Meeting.
NOTE: This award is closed for submissions.

Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize
An award given for best student presentation.
NOTE: This award opened January 19, 2009 and will close at NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Thursday, March 19.  Submissions will be accepted through the SVP Online Abstract Submission System.

A.S. Romer – G.G. Simpson Medal
An award given for for lifetime achievement in the field of vertebrate paleontology.

Morris F. Skinner Award
An award given for contributions to science through the collection of fossil vertebrates.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) is holding the SVP Annual Election of Officers online. The voting period is Wednesday, February 18, through Monday, May 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone USA.

A link to the election Web site is on the home page of the Members’ Only section of the SVP Web site.

Voting is only open to eligible voting members (Regular, Student and Second Members). Members will need the unique passcodes, specific to them that were E-mailed on Wednesday, February 18, in order to enter the election site to cast their vote.

This year, two (2) positions are open on the Executive Committee. Both positions have two candidates. The candidates are as follows:

The two (2) candidates for Secretary are:
Chris Bell           Darin Croft

The two candidates for Member-at-Large are:
David Fox           Kristi Curry Rogers

IMPORTANT! Members are also being asked to vote on seven (7) proposed changes to the SVP Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

If you have already requested a paper ballot it has been mailed to you. If you have not already requested a paper ballot and you will NOT have internet access between February 18 and May 18, 2009, you may request a paper ballot from the SVP headquarters at svp@vertpaleo.org. This request must be made by June 3, 2009.

Again, the polls will be open from NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Wednesday, February 18 until NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Monday, May 18, 2009.

Make your voice heard. Please vote!

Questions? Please contact the Business Office.

February 12 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and On the Origin of Species  was published 150 years ago this year.

In celebration of these milestones, the SVP will be offering an exceptional Darwin field trip during the SVP 69th Annual Meeting, which takes place in Bristol, UK,. The three-day Charles Darwin Heritage Tour includes visits to Down House (his family home for 40 years), the universities he attended and  institutions that hold major collections of Darwin material. 

Join us in Bristol in September and help us celebrate — field trip registration will be available in March. Watch the SVP Web site for details.

DEERFIELD, IL (December 2008) When you take a bite out of a hamburger or chomp down on a piece of gum, you share this function of the lower jaw with the vast majority of animals. But not all: for some animals, lifting the head rather than dropping the jaw is a good idea. This bizarre reversal of how feeding occurs was achieved in 210-million-year-old amphibians, as described in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The animals in question are plagiosaurs – a group of flat-headed, armored amphibians unrelated to living amphibians such as frogs, salamanders and caecilians. Fossils of this group of animals have been known for a hundred years, but finds of complete specimens have been elusive. The article, authored by a team led by Dr. Farish A. Jenkins, Jr. of Harvard University, describes new, relatively complete material of a plagiosaur called Gerrothorax pulcherrimus from the 210-million-year-old Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland. “With their very flat, heavily armored bodies, short, stubby limbs, massive shoulder girdles and well-developed gills, these amphibians are an oddity by any measure,” says Dr. Jenkins. “The animals could throw their heads upward and backward, creating a huge mouth gape with only the slightest lowering of the lower jaw… perfect for a bottom-dwelling ambush predator,” he continues. By special adaptation of the joint between the skull and first neck vertebra, the animal was able to raise its head relative to its lower jaw by as much as 50 degrees, giving it the wide gape it needed to swallow its unsuspecting prey. “That the same species is found in Greenland as well as Western Europe and Scandinavia suggests that their unique structure was hugely successful,” said Dr. Anne Warren of La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, a member of the team that conducted the study.

Bring the brightest minds and newest finds in paleontology to your city and institution – host an SVP annual meeting!

SVP is currently accepting proposals for annual meeting sites for 2011 and beyond. To get started, simply form a prospective host committee of no fewer than 2-3 members and submit a brief proposal (details below). The host committee will work closely with the SVP executive committee and business office on various aspects of the planning and execution of the meeting.

A brief (one-page) proposal letter, addressed to the SVP Executive Committee, should contain the following:
- Year(s) the proposal is good for (flexibility is very helpful)
- Venue proposed (city/town, province/state & country)
- Initial host committee members (two, at minimum, is enough to start) and their contact
information
- Institution(s)/organization(s) involved
- Any information that might be helpful in the evaluation of the site such as:


- New exhibits that might be opening prior to the proposed meeting
- Any events that will be happening simultaneous to the proposed meeting date
- New local infrastructures on the horizon such as an airport
- Local field trip areas of interest (a very general description only)
- Do NOT include: specifics about local hotels, facilities and convention center capacities and availabilities. SVP’s convention services team will do all of the specific hotel and site evaluations.

DEADLINE: Thursday, March 19, 2009.
The proposal letter should be addressed to the SVP Executive Committee and sent to: svp@vertpaleo.org

or faxed or mailed to:
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA
Phone: +1 847 480 9095, extension 249
Fax: +1 847 480 9282

Questions? Contact the business office at the contact information above. 

(Originally posted Jan. 14, 2009.)

The Patterson Memorial Grant application process for 2009 is closed Thursday, January 22, 2009 at midnight, Central Time Zone (USA).

Any applicant who has submitted an application by this deadline must submit their sponsor-signed application by Thursday, February 5, 2009.

Go to the Patterson Memorial Grant Web page to find out more about this award.