UCMP's Cindy Looy is leading a project to collect 130,000 years worth of sediment data from Clear Lake in order to better understand how life has adapted to climate change. Along the way, members of her team will report back to us with all the progress and drama from the field. Here's our first set of dispatches. From Ivo Duijnstee: Thu, April 26 First mud It has begun. Except for some minor delays, the Clear Lake drilling expedition had a relatively smooth start. When our … [Read more...] about Dispatches from Clear Lake, part 1
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A special night at UCMP
Cal Day is the one day of the year when lucky members of the public can tour UCMP's collection. But this year, on the night before Cal Day, UCMP hosted a special event to take some of our closest friends behind the scenes. This invitation-only event included sneak previews of Cal Day exhibits, tours of the collection, the paleo art of William Gordan Huff, and fossils recovered during the construction of the Caldecott Tunnel's fourth bore. UCMP-affiliated faculty curators, scientists, … [Read more...] about A special night at UCMP
Cataloging the archives: Geology camp 100 years ago
Looking at UCMP's modern offices and collections space, one might not appreciate that the paleontology tradition at Berkeley stretches back more than one hundred years. But now the CLIR/UCMP Archive Project is bringing this history to light. Some of the oldest supplemental locality files I have come across this semester contain class reports and geologic maps prepared by a Cal field geology class in the summer of 1911. Led by Bruce L. Clark, who eventually became the first director of the … [Read more...] about Cataloging the archives: Geology camp 100 years ago
UCMP awarded a two-year collections improvement grant
We are pleased to announce the receipt of a grant of ~ $470,000 from the National Science Foundation – a two-year collections improvement grant to "Complete the rehabilitation of the orphaned USGS fossil invertebrate collection at UCMP." In 1997 the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) accepted responsibility for an extensive invertebrate collection (170,000 fossils from 12,100 localities) the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Menlo Park. Unfortunately, the comprehensive … [Read more...] about UCMP awarded a two-year collections improvement grant
Photo shoots for UCMP science
This semester, the UCMP has been excited to host a visiting photographer, UC alum Dave Strauss. A self-described "computer guy" for the last 42 years, he is also an avid naturalist, hiker, and mountain biker. Dave finds inspiration at the UCMP through the opportunity to use his talents to communicate evolutionary and historical knowledge to the broader community. Collaboration with Dave has provided many opportunities to contribute to science. He has confronted technical challenges … [Read more...] about Photo shoots for UCMP science
Erin’s Adventures in Marine Conservation: A quick introduction to a snail’s tale
Follow Erin Meyer as she takes us on a journey through the Caribbean, on the tail of an important snail she hopes to conserve. To learn more about her seasonal trips, visit her blog - "Adventures in Snail Conservation." … [Read more...] about Erin’s Adventures in Marine Conservation: A quick introduction to a snail’s tale
Another award winner!
Lucy Chang, who is advised by Charles Marshall, has been awarded a three-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Lucy started as a Ph.D. student at Berkeley in 2010 with a general interest in paleoecology. Upon notification of this award, Lucy initially expressed both gratefulness and shock, but is now settling in to the wonderful realization that this will give her just the time and resources needed to move forward on a dissertation topic with an interdisciplinary … [Read more...] about Another award winner!
Big awards for UCMP grad students
Two graduate students in Tony Barnosky's lab, Emily Lindsey and Kaitlin Maguire, recently received the good news that they were the recipients of prestigious awards. Emily had this to say about her Fulbright grant: "I received a Fulbright award to travel to Uruguay from March to December, 2013 (the academic year for the Southern Hemisphere). I will be working with colleagues at the National Museum of Natural History in Montevideo, where we will be putting together a database of … [Read more...] about Big awards for UCMP grad students
Field work during a mass extinction
Imagine that a “time machine” allowed you to go back in time — back exactly 64,999,995 years ago, just five years before the crash of the meteor that marked the end of the Age of the Dinosaurs. You have just enough time to do your field work, analyze your data, and write your Ph.D. dissertation. Your field work starts in the closest emerged land to the Chicxulub impact site. In no time at all you begin discovering new species of dinosaurs that are unknown from the fossil record, and you … [Read more...] about Field work during a mass extinction
Judy Scotchmoor receives the Friend of Darwin award
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has awarded Judy Scotchmoor a Friend of Darwin award for her tireless commitment to evolution education. NCSE explains that the Friend of Darwin award "is presented annually to a select few whose efforts to support NCSE and advance its goal of defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools have been truly outstanding." Read more about Judy, the award, and other Friends of Darwin. … [Read more...] about Judy Scotchmoor receives the Friend of Darwin award
Cataloging the archives: Unearthing a type
This semester, one of the foci of the CLIR/UCMP Archive Project has been cataloging what are called “supplemental locality files.” These files contain materials (other than field notes) that are relevant to UCMP collections, such as polaroid pictures of fossil sites, letters of correspondence involving UCMP scientists, and environmental impact reports for land development proposed in areas with known fossil sites. As such, they are unique records of how collections came to be, and how … [Read more...] about Cataloging the archives: Unearthing a type
UCMP loses a long-time Friend and alum – Nestor John Sander
This morning I was saddened to learn that long-time Friend of UCMP, Nestor John Sander (AKA Sandy) passed away. He was nearly 98. Sandy graduated from Cal with a B.A. in paleontology in 1936 and completed his Masters in 1938. He then joined Standard Oil Company of California and was sent to Saudi Arabia the same year. There he was assigned to map the subsurface contours of a major anticlinal fold that is now the largest oil field in the world, Ghawar. This more than qualified him for an … [Read more...] about UCMP loses a long-time Friend and alum – Nestor John Sander
Bay Area Field Guide: Point Reyes
Point Reyes and the surrounding area in Marin County is a beautiful place to visit and learn about local geology, paleontology, botany and zoology. Marin County contains large outcrops of the Franciscan Complex rocks. These rocks, mostly Cretaceous in age, are a mélange of rocks that originated to the west and accreted to the California coast as the Pacific Plate subducted beneath the North American Plate. The Franciscan Complex includes metamorphics, chert, greywacke, shale and pillow basalts. … [Read more...] about Bay Area Field Guide: Point Reyes
Understanding Evolution and Understanding Science February updates
The UCMP's Understanding Evolution and Understanding Science websites have been updated for February with the following features: Evo in the News: Hybrid sharks aren't "trying" to adapt on Understanding Evolution examines the recent discovery of hybrid sharks near Australia and misconceptions about the discovery's meaning. Cells within cells: An extraordinary claim with extraordinary evidence on Understanding Science shows how an unlikely idea — that the merging of cells played a prominent … [Read more...] about Understanding Evolution and Understanding Science February updates
Paleo-cartoonist Hannah Bonner visits Berkeley
Writer and illustrator Hannah Bonner paid a visit to Berkeley on January 11 to discuss the scientific and creative processes behind her series of paleontology books for children. Born in and based out of Mallorca, Spain, Bonner received a degree in art and has since worked primarily as a freelance artist and illustrator. Her credits include creating artwork for Scholastic, WGBH, and the Smithsonian Institute. At the latter she met her UCMP host, Cindy Looy, who, along with Ivo Duijnstee, … [Read more...] about Paleo-cartoonist Hannah Bonner visits Berkeley
UCMP authors make NSF’s 2011 “Hit Parade”
The work that resulted in the Nature paper "Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?" came in at #3 on a list of the year's top news and discoveries from NSF-supported research, as measured by NSF web visitor statistics. The paper's UCMP co-authors include Tony Barnosky, Susumu Tomiya, Brian Swartz, Charles Marshall, Emily Lindsey, Kaitlin Maguire, and Elizabeth A. Ferrer. See the complete NSF "hit parade." Read a PDF of the Nature paper. … [Read more...] about UCMP authors make NSF’s 2011 “Hit Parade”
Bay Area Field Guide: Tilden Park
I think it took us all by surprise to learn that Tilden Park contains several fossil localities and has a rich history with the UCMP. Don Savage, a former professor of paleontology and past chair of the Department of Paleontology at Cal, found a gomphothere jaw by Inspiration Point off Nimitz Way in 1961 and John C. Merriam collected the type specimen of Eucastor lecontei from deposits near Vomer Peak. Underlying the beautiful rolling hills of the park are terrestrial deposits of the Miocene. … [Read more...] about Bay Area Field Guide: Tilden Park
The Amber Files: Words from the University Explorer
"More than 300 years ago, Sir Francis Bacon spoke of amber as 'a more than royal tomb' for tiny insects. Twentieth century scientists may quite agree." But how do insects end up as amber fossils? What else is found in amber? How are these amber fossils prepared for study? The answers to these questions can be found in one of the hidden collections of UCMP's archives — the 1561st broadcast of "The University Explorer." This show was narrated by Hale Sparks, former head of broadcasting … [Read more...] about The Amber Files: Words from the University Explorer
Jere Lipps appointed as Director of The Cooper Center in Orange County
Becoming emeritus usually means an opportunity to slow things down a bit, but that has certainly not been the case for UCMP curators Jim Valentine, Bill Clemens, or Carole Hickman by any means. But starting a new job? Well, welcome to "retirement" defined by Jere Lipps! Jere has just accepted the position of Director of Orange County's John D. Cooper Center for Archaeological and Paleontological Curation and Research. The Cooper Center is a partnership between O.C. Parks and California State … [Read more...] about Jere Lipps appointed as Director of The Cooper Center in Orange County
Relicts of the Bug-men
What are bug-men and how did their existence benefit UCMP? Watch and listen to this slideshow about an obscure link recently discovered by UCMP micropaleontologist Ken Finger. Click cover page below to download the full article. … [Read more...] about Relicts of the Bug-men