Palaeo 2010

The Alberta Palaeontological Society is holding it's annual sympsium at Mount Royal University March 13th & 14th.

I'm excited to see Dr. Scott Sampson of the Utah Museum of Natural History present as he is easily the best speaker I've ever seen. There will be a book signing afterwards so don't forget to bring your "Dinosaur Odyssey" books along!

Below is a list of speakers and events shamelessly stolen right from Phil Benham's email (although I'm sure he won't mind). : )

PALEO 2010 Annual Paleontology Symposium Presented in conjunction with the C.S.P.G. Paleontological Division, Alberta Palaeontological Society and Mount Royal University Earth Sciences Department

Lectures and Poster displays (Saturday, March 13th, 2010, 8:30 AM-5:15 PM) Workshops (Sunday March 14th, 2010, (9:00 AM- 4:00 PM)

Saturday lecture events and poster viewings are free and require no registration. Sunday workshops do require registration and minor fee.

Mount Royal University 4825 Richard Road S.W. Calgary, Alberta

Saturday March 13th Lectures (held in Jenkins Theatre) Speakers confirmed so far include (talk titles are tentative):

8.30-8.45 AM Introduction by APS President Wayne Braunberger

8.45-9.15 AM Craig Dylke. New Zealand's fossils: remnants of a lost continent

9:15-9.45 AM Danielle Fraser, Jordan Mallon, Rob Furr, and Jessica M. Theodor, Univ. of Calgary Using high dynamic range imaging in vertebrate paleontology

9.45-10.15 AM Lisa Bohach, FMA Heritage The art, culture and science of Iniskims

10.15-10.30 AM Coffee Break

10.30 -11.00 AM Darren Tanke, Royal Tyrrell Museum Reconstruction of scows used in early paleontological research and a commemorative expedition planned for 2010.

11.00-12.00 PM Marianne Collins, ArtoFact. History, mystery and baywatch: Illustrating the animals of the Burgess Shale

12-1.30 PM Lunch break and Poster Session

1.30-2:00 PM Scott Persons, University of Alberta Changing the face of tyrannosaur rear ends: tail muscle reconstruction in theropod dinosaurs

2.00-2.30 PM Ariana Carabajal, Museo Carmen Funes, Argentina, and Philip Currie, University of Alberta. Cranial endocast of the Jurassic theropod Sinraptor dongi (Currie & Zhao)

2.30-3:00 PM Victoria Arbour, Mike Burns, University of Alberta My ankylosaur is a big dumb tank! Ankylosaur reconstructions in the scientific literature and popular media

3.00- 4.00 PM Philip Currie, University of Alberta Dinosaurs in science and art

4.00-4.15 PM Coffee Break

4.15-5.15 PM Scott Sampson, , Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah Dinosaurs of the lost continent of Laramidia (Book signing afterwards)

WORKSHOPS (Sunday March 14th), Room B213, Mount Royal University.

9 -12 AM: Permian Vertebrate Fossils from North Central Texas Presenter: Jason Anderson, University of Calgary Cost: $15 per person. This workshop will cover the faunas typical for the classic Permian localities of northern Texas. There will be a brief introduction to the history of collecting in the Permian of Texas. This will be followed by a survey of the most common fossils found. Small collections of fossils from a few localities will be provided for workshop participants to examine and identify. Screenwashed sediments may also be available for participants to examine for fossil remains.

Jason Anderson is a paleontologist and Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Paleontology, coeditor of Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution (with Hans-Dieter Sues), and a contributing author to Prehistoric Life, The McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology 2009, and the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science, 10th Edition. He is the author of over 30 articles on the early evolution of Paleozoic tetrapods.

1- 4 PM Make-a-Saurus Presenter: Brian Cooley Cost: $25 per person including cost of materials Using a variety of simple materials and methods, participants will learn how to make their own dinosaur which they will be able to take home at the end of the workshop. Children should wear clothes that they don't mind getting dirty.

Brian Cooley has been making sculptures of dinosaurs for over twenty-five years. His sculptures may be seen in museums all over the world, most notably the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta. He and his wife, Mary Ann Wilson, are co-authors of the children's book Make-A-Saurus.

Make cheque payable to the Alberta Palaeontological Society, P.O. Box 35111, Sarcee Postal Outlet, Calgary Alberta, Canada T3E 7C7. Deadline for workshop registration is March 1st, 2010

University of Alberta Biennial Palaeo Symposium

The Bienniel Palaeo Symposium is being held at the University of Alberta at Edmonton on January 30th. Here's some info shamelessly stolen off of facebook:

The 3rd Biennial Symposium takes place Saturday, January 30, 2010, in the Earth Sciences Building room 3-27.

8:30: registration table opens

9 – 9:30 Alison Murray, “Late Cretaceous actinopterygian fishes from Morocco”

9:30 – 10 Lindsey Leighton, “The influence of predation on community composition and evenness: A case-study from Eocene molluscan communities”

10 – 10:30 coffee break and posters

10:30 – 11:00 Clive Coy, “What species is that faeces?”

11:00 – 11:30 Kevin Aulenback, “What’s really out there? The conifers (gymnosperms) of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Cretaceous) of Drumheller, Alberta.”

11:30 – noon Duane Froese, “Alaska’s last mammoth - no bones about it.”

Noon – 1:30 pm lunch and posters

1:30 – 2:00 Pierre Lemelin, “Functional morphology of the wrist joints in strepsirrhine primates: Importance of laboratory-based experiments to infer behaviour in extinct species.”

2:00 – 2:30: Sally Leys, “Evolution of multicellular animals: lessons from sponges.”

2:30 – 3:30 – coffee break and posters

3:30 - 4 Takuya Konishi, “Evolution of Plioplatecarpinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae)—new insights into their pelagic adaptations”

4 – 4:45 keynote: George Pemberton, “Assessing permeability/porosity trends in bioturbated media”

There will also be more than 20 posters covering dinosaurs, champsosaurs, fish, mammals, turtles, pterosaurs, and arthropods.

Following the symposium (January 30), there will be a wine and cheese reception at Leva Cappucino Bar, located close to campus at 11053 86 Ave, beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $10 each and can be reserved by emailing uofaps@ualberta.ca. Tickets will be available for purchase and pick-up at the symposium registration desk, and include entrance to Leva, one free glass of wine, and refreshments. Attire is business casual/semi-formal.

GeoCanada 2010 conference

The GeoCanada 2010 conference "Working with the Earth" is being held in Calgary May 10-14, 2010. There are numerous technical sessions, workshops and short courses of interest. It's being held at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park which is conveniently accessible by transit (C-train). Unfortunately, abstracts (preferably up to 4 pages) are due January 15th. For more information go to http://www.geocanada2010.ca/.

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a lovely holiday season and that 2010 brings lots of great things. It looks to be a busy one for me, but I'll try to keep the blog updated on paleo goings-on around Alberta. Cheers! : )