Tina Woltz
Standford University, United States
June 20, 2023
Controls on the preservation of Proterozoic organic-walled microfossils
Organic-walled microfossils (OWMs)— the remains of prokaryotes as well as the more complex structures characteristic of eukaryotes— make up the bulk of the Proterozoicfossil record. Provided that ~ 75% of Proterozoic assemblages containing complex OWMs are preserved in shale, any bias introduced through this preservational pathway could greatly influence trends in early eukaryotic diversity. It has been suggested that low concentrations of total organiccarbon (TOC) and high concentrations of certain clay minerals (e.g.berthierine) are primary controls on the preservation of organic fossils. I find that the probability of a shale to contain well-preserved OWMs is strongly controlled by TOC concentrations and, to a lesser extent, total clay concentrations. Further, berthierine (and its diagenetic product, chamosite)has a small negative effect on the probability of finding well-preserved OWMs.Together, these findings suggest that future searches for OWMs should focus on organic-lean shales and that secular changes in TOC content within successions and through time could introduce preservation bias into fossil diversity trends.
Carmi Milagros Thompson
Ohio State University, United States
June 27, 2023
poco de todo: journeying into the world of museum careers
Museum careers are often inaccessible, opaque, and gate kept – in my presentation, I provide my personal insights into what some of those pathways to a natural history museum career might look like. In sharing my story, I hope to increase opportunity and possibility for those interested in a natural history museum career. All perspectives are needed for maintaining and preserving the record of natural history for the worlds to come – so let’s share knowledge and make the field better for all!
Team JOIDES Resolution (The Ocean)
July 04, 2023
Images of Melody Lindsay (top left), James Kowalski (top right), Tiffany Liao (bottom left) and Claire Jasper (bottom right).
Careers at Sea
We will be joined by a group comprised of early career shipboard technicians and scientists sailing on board International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 395.
“Expedition 395 scientists are embarking on a groundbreaking expedition to continue their study of the interaction between the Icelandic mantle plume and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Positioned over the mantle plume, the Reykjanes Ridge is an ideal location to explore mantle dynamics, crustal accretion, paleoceanography, and climate. The expedition plans to recover sedimentary and basaltic cores by penetrating ~130 m into the igneous seafloor at sites adjacent to the Reykjanes Ridge. Expedition 395 has three primary objectives; (1) to determine the origin of the unusual but characteristic V-shaped Ridges (VSR) and V-shaped Troughs (VST) which are visible on bathymetric maps of the North Atlantic, (2) to test hypotheses about the hot mantle plume that exists under Iceland (much like the plume that exists under Hawaii) and how its changes through time are cyclical and affect crustal formation and the deep circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean, and (3) to gather data about how hydrothermal fluid chemistry varies with the age and the morphology of crustal rock as well as with the overlaying sediment thickness.”
(Taken from https://joidesresolution.org/ , with permission from Jennifer C. Field, IODP Expedition 395 Outreach Officer)
Learn more about our speakers below!
Expedition Website: https://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/reykjanes_mantle_convection_and_climate.html
Melody Lindsay
Inorganic Geochemist on the Science Team for Expedition 395.
Melody currently works at Bigelow labs in Maine. She is interested in subsurface active microbes and the influence they have in sediment-ocean interface. On this expedition, Melody is responsible for analyzing interstitial water samples.
James Kowalski
Curatorial Specialist for IODP.
James has been working as curator on the JOIDES Resolution since Sept 2022. His interest started in an oceanography lecture in undergrad when he learned about research at sea. James made it a career goal to have a job in that field. As curator, he is responsible for documenting and organizing the
recovery of core.
Tiffany Liao
Temporary Technician for IODP.
Tiffany would like to find a permanent position on a ship and is using this temporary position as a springboard. Her responsibilities include helping in the core lab and imaging.
Claire Jasper
Sedimentologist on the Science Team for Expedition 395.
Claire is a third year PhD candidate at Columbia University at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Claire is using artificial intelligence and image detection to study the change in the ice-sheets in Antarctica and the North Atlantic.
We will also be joined by the cruise Onboard Outreach Officer – Jennifer C. Field (Nipmuc Regional High School, USA).
Sarah Kachovich
IODP Manager for ANZIC at the Australian National University
July 12, 2023
Pal(a)eoPathways – Science Program Management: Tiny Time Capsules: Unveiling Ancient Worlds through 3D Scanning of Radiolarians
The study of Earth’s ancient ecosystems and climatic conditions relies heavily on micropaleontology, the analysis of microscopic fossils. However, micropaleontologists have long used traditional microscopy techniques to study radiolarians, but recent advancements in 3D scanning technology have revolutionised their application and accessibility to study Earth processes. This talk underscores the significance of anoxia in Earth’s history and highlights the vital role of micropaleontology in deciphering past environments. Furthermore, it will emphasise the transformative impact of 3D scanning technology on the study of radiolarians, enabling a deeper understanding of their taxonomic and ecological importance and their potential as indicators of global climate change.
Gabby Kitch
NOAA, USA
July 25, 2023
Pal(a)eoPathways – Building a bridge from research to policy
Gabriella (Gabby) Kitch is a trained isotope geochemist and paleoceanographer who now utilizes her background as an Earth System Scientist to co-lead the NOAA’s involvement in (marine) carbon dioxide removal. Gabby completed her PhD at Northwestern University where she coupled her analytical work and research opportunities with intensive courses in science policy, science communication, and management. Due to a mix of factors including her upbringing and love for interdisciplinary problems, during the pandemic Gabby started looking towards a field she could make a meaningful impact to. She became a John A. Knauss fellow focused on International Policy with the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, which grew into the her current role. While each path is unique, Gabby’s story can help outline a path of moving from paleo research into a policy role. Gabby is currently the Carbon Dioxide Removal Program co-lead, at the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program.
Bruno Vila Nova
ABAP developer and SAP analyst, Delaware Consulting
August 1, 2023
From fossils to code, and from academy to industry: changing careers is possible (Pal(a)eoPathways)
For 15 years, give or take, Bruno Vila Nova worked collecting, preparing and describing fossils. From this extensive background, to a (seemingly) unrelated career in software development, something must have aligned enough to allow this transaction. The benefit of hindsight is that we can look back, and see how different steps connected, and made this possible. Here in this talk he will show that this shift is not as weird as it sounds, and can be more common – and simpler than you imagine.
Luke Grinham
purple shirt. He is standing against a white backdrop.
Editor at Communications Biology, UK
August 8, 2023
Pal(a)eoPathways – A career as an editor
The editorial sector is a valid career path for scientists of all disciplines, including
palaeobiologists. In this talk, the pathways from research to editorial will be explored, and key
attributes for a successful career in manuscript editing will be highlighted. The role of the editor
in different publishing models will be presented, as well as defining the differences between
academic and professional editors. The talk will draw on both Luke’s experiences and those of
colleagues who have had different avenues into the sector.
Shreya Arora
Bates College, USA
August 15, 2023
Can we predict an earthquake?? What have we learnt from Paleoseismology?
A long-standing goal of earthquake scientists has been to predict future earthquakes to minimize seismic hazard. The February 2023 Turkey tragically claimed more than 45,000 lives made the stakes even higher to accurately assess the seismic risks. In her talk, Dr Arora talks about the Paleoseismology -‘study of past earthquakes’ that provides crucial information for the Seismic Hazard Assessment.
Anwesha Saha
everything turns out to be part of a single tree of life (ToL). Evolutionary process is a giant jigsaw-puzzle, where scientists from across the globe and specializations continue to add the pieces to reveal the real picture.
IImage Description: The graphic for today’s seminar titled “Towards filling the gap: Lagomorpha
evolutionary puzzle” consists of 2 sections. On Right Hand Side is the diagram of
Darwin’s evolutionary tree and Left-Hand Side, a multi-coloured rabbit jigsaw puzzle on
black background depicting as “Evolution”. Six individual pieces of the rabbit has unique
colour code where different branch of evolutionary biology are mentioned. Green is
“Systematics”; Yellow is “Paleobiology, Geology and Climate Science”; Dark Purple is
“Machine Learning & Statistics”; Light Purple is “Museology, Genomics & Morphometrics”
and “Biophysics, Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation”.
Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Science
August 29, 2023
Towards filling the gap: Lagomorpha evolutionary puzzle
Reconstructing comprehensive genus- and family-level phylogenies for Lagomorphs (order of hares, rabbits and pikas) remained challenging owing to high degree of homoplasy in morphological characters and long-term hybridization from recurrent introgression and incomplete lineage sorting, revealed by genomic research. Additionally, primary research focus was limited to a few species of genus Lepus & Ochotona so far. Despite availability of some notable lagomorph fossils, the phylogeny remained incomplete as few monotypic extant taxa was difficult to acquire or due to some unknown reasons. Here, we present novel mitogenomic data of lagomorphs to explain their enigmatic evolutionary history. Finally, I will briefly mention my preceding research on other taxonomic groups (molluscs, frogs) to highlight the importance of bridging the gap between different research fields and establishing strong research collaborations to produce robust evidence of complex evolutionary processes.
Pal(a)eoPERCS 