Women in Paleontology Day at the Orlando Science Center

Women in Paleontology Day

Orlando Science Center

Saturday May 7^th, 2016

10am — 4pm

For all ages  – you can touch the past, and change the future.  Meet with female professionals in the field of science, including Paleontology, Archaeology, Biology, Anthropology, Geology, and more.  Meet students from the University of Florida, members from the Florida Paleontological Society, amateur fossil enthusiasts from the Florida Fossil Hunters, and view various fossil collections and exhibits throughout the day.

Schedule:

* Exhibits open all day from 10am – 4pm.  Come visit and receive a fossil for you to keep! (while supplies last)

10:00-10:15   Meet and Greet

10:15-10:45   Presentation  Sara Turner – Bioarchaeologist, and Director of Education and Outreach, SKELETONS: Animals Unveiled.  Sara also has a B.A. and M.A. degree in Anthropology.  Talk Title: Dietary Reconstruction of a Medieval Skeletal Population and Education

Bio:  Sara Turner is an Educator and Bioarchaeologist. She holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and an M.A. in anthropology from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her research focused on reconstructing dietary patterns in individuals from the medieval period in Denmark using a variety of techniques such as isotope analysis and dental microwear on bone and teeth. She has participated in archaeological digs and fieldwork, presented at many conferences, and worked in collections at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Currently, she is Director of Education at Skeletons: Animals Unveiled, a museum in Orlando with 500 real animal skeletons from all around the world. Now she focuses on teaching and developing curriculum for students.

11:00-11:30   Feature Presentation via Skype from Zurich, Switzerland!!!

Dr. Catalina Pimiento, Colombian Paleobiologist. Catalina holds a bachelor degree in biology from the Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, a Master’s degree in Zoology and a PhD degree in Biology, both from the University of Florida.  Talk Title: Giant Sharks: Research, Education and Outreach

Bio:  Catalina Pimiento is a Colombian paleobiologist. She holds a bachelor degree in biology from the Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, a Master’s degree in Zoology and a PhD degree in Biology, both from the University of Florida. Catalina uses macro-ecological studies and meta-analyses to investigate the fossil record of sharks. She was particularly interested in understanding the extinction mechanisms of Megalodon, and in combining her scientific research with science education, educational technology and public outreach. Currently, Catalina holds a Postdoctoral position in the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

11:45-12:15   Presentation  Eleanor E. Gardner – Project Coordinator for the FOSSIL Project, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Geology.  Talk Title: Famous Female Paleontologists

Bio:  Eleanor has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA, and a Master’s degree in Geology from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.  She is the Project Coordinator for the FOSSIL Project, which stands for Fostering Opportunities for Synergistic STEM with Informal Learners.  This project is funded by the National Science Foundation for the purpose of cultivating a networked community of amateur and professional paleontologists, K-12 science teachers, and interested public.  Eleanor previously taught undergraduate geoscience courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and has always been passionate about paleontology outreach and education.  She specializes in avian bone taphonomy and has done field work in 10 states, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas.

12:30-1:00     Presentation  Sarah E. Allen – Paleobotany.  Sarah is a PhD Candidate, Department of Biology, University of Florida & Florida Museum of Natural History. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Geoscience.  Talk Title: “Why Fossil Plants Are Cool Too!”

Bio:  Sarah Allen is a graduate student at the University of Florida studying paleobotany.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Geoscience from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY.  While she has collected plant fossils from many different localities across the country, Sarah’s current research is focused on a flora from the Eocene of southwest Wyoming.  You can follow her work and find more information on her blog:  http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/museum-voices/bluerim/

1:15-1:45       Presentation  Dr. Cristina Robins – PhD, Invertebrate Paleontologist. Christina also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, and is currently the Project Manager and Post-Doctoral Associate for the Panama Canal Project – PIRE, a multi-million dollar National Science Foundation grant designed to complete salvage paleontology work during the construction phase of the Panama Canal Expansion.  Talk Title:    How do you name a new species?

Bio:  Cristina has a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Carleton College (Minnesota), and an MS and PhD in Applied Geology from Kent State University (Ohio). She is currently the Project Manager and Post-Doctoral Associate for the Panama Canal Project – PIRE, a multi-million dollar National Science Foundation grant designed to complete salvage paleontology work during the construction phase of the Panama Canal Expansion. She also teaches the Paleontology course at the University of Florida. She has completed geological and paleontological field work in 10 countries and numerous US states. Her research area is fossil squat lobsters, a group of crustaceans similar to hermit crabs, and has described over 50 new species.

2:00-2:30       Presentation  Dawn Mitchell – Vertebrate Paleontology. Dawn is a museum intern at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Dawn also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geophysical Sciences.  Talk Title:   Paleontology training outside the classroom

Bio:  Dawn Mitchell is a museum intern in vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. She earned her B.S. in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago and started gaining experience in fossil preparation, curation, and research while she was an undergraduate. As a museum intern at the Florida Museum, she has done fieldwork in Panama, Florida, and Nebraska and has presented research at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting. Topics of her research include the functional morphology of an early fossil mammal and the relationship between the latitudinal temperature gradient and fossil mammal beta diversity during the Miocene.

2:45-3:15       Presentation  Ashley Mason-Burns – Pathology and Forensic Osteology.  Ashley is an Educator at Skeletons: Animals Unveiled, America’s largest skeleton museum. Ashley also holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida.  Talk Title: “Osteological Preparation of Extant Species: From Flesh Eating Beetles to Skeletal Articulation”

Bio: Born in Kansas and raised on Hutchinson Island, Florida, she earned an M.S. from the University of Central Florida in Criminal Justice.  Ashley began self-teaching skeletal processing and articulation in 2013 and today she maintains and breeds colonies of flesh eating beetles for processing ethically sourced specimens. Most recently, she de-fleshed a 13 ft Burmese Python that weighed over 100 lbs! Her favorite programs to teach at the museum include Pathology and Forensic Osteology, which combines her love of criminal justice and bones. Ashley is a member of the Central Florida Gem and Mineral Society and the Florida Fossil Hunters. She’s collected fossils in Kansas, de-fleshed and vacuumed the brain tissue out of a Bengal Tiger skull, articulated a 4 ft Ball Python skeleton, and enjoys sharing this extraordinary and specialized passion with others every day.

3:15-4:00       View various fossil collections and exhibits

Exhibits: 

University of Florida – Paleontological Program

Florida Fossil Hunters (plus girls’ table)

The FOSSIL Project (featuring grad student Lisa Lundgren)

3D mapping and printing of fossils

Florida Paleontological Society – Carol Peterson, 2 tables

Two Medicine Dinosaur Center – 3 tables

Academy of Natural History Preservation – 1 table

Skeletons: Animals Unveiled – 2 tables

Rachel Narducci (fossil preparation) – 1 table