by Isaac Magallanes (@imagallanes)
My experience at NAPC 2019 was extremely positive and enriching. As a native southern Californian, I was looking forward to returning to my home state for the summer to present my master’s research which I had just finished defending about 2 weeks prior. On June 27, I gave a presentation titled “Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes provide new insights on climate and paleoecology during the Miocene of northern New Mexico” that summarized the findings of my master’s thesis research.
In addition, I also participated as a moderator for the symposium titled “Engaging Diverse Communities in Paleontology: Innovative educational initiatives that connect culture to natural history” alongside my fellow colleagues and FOSSIL project members Sadie Mills and Gabriel Santos. In this symposium, I saw many amazing education and outreach projects and initiatives that left me feeling encouraged and excited for the future of our field. There was a true feeling of community and camaraderie amongst all who attended and showed their support for not only the projects but the presenters and their vision.
As both a graduate student at the University of Florida and member of the FOSSIL project I received funding that gave me the opportunity to attend NAPC 2019. Having now graduated with my Masters I am thankful for having had the support from both the project and my fellow members throughout my time at UF.