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NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STATE MUSEUM theMammoth FEBRUARY 2012 IN THIS ISSUE SundaySunday with with a Scientist a Scientist Welcome New Museum Curators ............6 Dinosaurs & Disasters 2012 ................ 8-9 Sunday with a Scientist ................... 10-11 A Walk Through Time ....................... 14-16 Entomology Update................................17 Ashfall Fossil Update: Cynarctus .......18-19 Read more & MORE! on pages 8-9. The Mammoth is available in color online. friendsofthemuseum.org MORRILL FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM UNIVERSITY OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEBRASKA HALL Mark Brohman, President STATE MUSEUM STAFF CALENDAR Lois Mayo, Vice President David Rowe, Treasurer Director: Priscilla C. Grew AT A GLANCE Diane Pratt, Secretary EX-OFFICIO Associate Director: Mark Harris Priscilla C. Grew Karen Amen Mike Madcharo Informal Science Education: Judy Diamond, Curator February 19 Marcia Hollestelle ADVISORY COUNCIL Sunday with a Scientist Michael Leite Education Coordinator: Kathy French Judy Diamond “Snakes: Past & Present” Keely Rennie-Tucker Museum Associates: Ann Cusick Connie Pejsar 1:30-4:30 p.m. Lynn Sobotka Cindy Loope Norm Smith Diann Sorensen Annie Mumgaard Mike Zeleny Ina Van der Veen February 24 Mark Sorensen Mel Thornton ASHFALL CHAPTER Friends of the Museum Research Partnerships Coordinator: Brett Ratcliffe Annual Meeting & Dinner Natasha Vavra Robin Huebner, Art Zygielbaum President 5:00-8:00 p.m. Anthropology: Alan Osborn, Curator *Invitations will be mailed to current Friends NAGPRA/Collections Assistant: Susan Curtis members. RSVP required. CONTACT INFORMATION Nebraska Archaeological Survey: Alan Osborn Director’s Offi ce (402) 472-3779 March 18 Botany: Robert Kaul, Curator Museum Information Line (402) 472-2642 Collection Manager: Thomas Labedz Sunday with a Scientist School Program Reservations (402) 472-6302 Collections Assistant: Linda Rader “Ashfall Fossil Beds” Friends Offi ce (402) 472-3779 1:30-4:30 p.m. Mueller Planetarium (402) 472-2641 Entomology: Brett Ratcliffe, Curator Nebraska Hall Offi ce (402) 472-2643 Collection Manager: M.J. Paulsen April 12 Ashfall Fossil Beds (402) 893-2000 “Titanoboa: Monster Trailside Museum (308) 665-2929 Geology: R.M. (Matt) Joeckel, Curator Snake” Reception & Museum Geological Specialist: Karl Baumgarten Premier Event Invertebrate Paleontology: Robert Diffendal, Curator A private event for Friends www.museum.unl.edu and volunteers. Join us for Parasitology: Scott Gardner, Curator a special reception and a Collection Manager: Gabor Racz private screening of the CONNECT Smithsonian documentary at WITH US! Vertebrate Paleontology: Jason Head, Curator the Van Brunt Visitors Center Ross Secord, Curator & Ross Media Arts Center Collection Manager: R. George Corner Preparators: Gregory Brown 5:30-9:30 p.m. MORRILL HALL Robert Skolnick *Invitations will be mailed to current Friends South of 14th and Vine Streets (402) 472-2642 Ellen Stepleton members. RSVP required. University of Nebraska Highway Salvage Paleontologist: Shane Tucker Lincoln, Nebraska April 15 Zoology: Patricia Freeman, Curator Sunday with a Scientist Open Year Around Collection Manager: Thomas Labedz “Food Science” Monday-Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Thursdays: 9:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. (Open Late!) Affi liated Courtesy, Adjunct, and Emeritus Faculty: 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Anthropology: Thomas Myers Closed Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Entomology: Mary Liz Jameson April 20 December 24-25, and January 1 Geology: Samuel Treves “Minerals & Meteorites” Planetarium Closed Mondays & Husker home football Invertebrate Paleontology: David Watkins Exhibit Grand Opening game Saturdays Parasitology: John Janovy, Mary Lou Pritchard Vertebrate Paleontology: Robert Hunt, Jr., *Invitations will be mailed to current Friends Michael Voorhies members. RSVP required. ASHFALL FOSSIL BEDS Zoology: Hugh Genoways, Paul Johnsgard 86930 517 Avenue (402) 893-2000 Ashfall Fossil Beds Superintendent: Rick Otto April 28 Royal, NE 68773 Museum Specialist: Sandy Mosel Astronomy Day Located seven miles north of Highway 20 between 9:30a.m.-4:30 p.m. Royal and Orchard, Nebraska. Trailside Museum Staff Assistant: Pattie Norman Open Seasonally. Accounting Clerk: Judy Ray museum.unl.edu For schedule, visit ashfall.unl.edu Discovery Shop Manager: Marisa Kardell Graphics Design Specialist: Joel Nielsen TRAILSIDE MUSEUM Mueller Planetarium Supervisor: Jack Dunn Public Relations Coordinator, Friends Liaison, PO Box 462 (308) 665-2929 and Mammoth Newsletter Editor: Dana Ludvik Crawford, NE 69339 Public Service Associate: Linda Beran Located on Highway 20 at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Research Collections Staff Secretary: Gail Littrell Scientifi c Illustrator: Angie Fox Open Seasonally. For schedule, visit trailside.unl.edu 2 T H E M A M M O T H Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum FROM THE DIRECTOR DEAR FRIENDS, Please join me in thanking our Friends officers and Board members who are completing their terms at the 2012 annual meeting. We sincerely appreciate their hard work and dedication in supporting the State Museum, and their commitment to ensuring that the Museum will be a treasured Nebraska institution for many years to come. Mark Brohman has ably served as your President for the past two years, and Mark has generously agreed to be nominated for the Board Secretary vacancy on the 2012 nomination slate. During Mark’s term as President, the Friends assigned a high priority to growing the membership, and the Board has worked cooperatively with Mark Harris, Dana Ludvik, and Museum staff on innovative ways to attract new members. As a result of this partnership between the Friends and the State Museum staff, Friends Priscilla Grew and her husband Ed Grew present at the “Sunday with a Scientist” event membership has dramatically increased from 401 in January about rocks and minerals on Dec. 18. 2010 to 719 in February 2012—a grand accomplishment! Diane Pratt joined the Board in 2008 after years of On a personal note, I continue to feel I have the best enthusiastically volunteering at Museum events, and she imaginable job that combines my hobbies (rocks, minerals, has done a wonderful job as Friends Secretary since 2010. fossils, museums, national parks) with my work at UNL! Diane consistently prepared detailed, accurate meeting My husband Ed came from Maine to volunteer with me minutes in record time, so that all Board members and the in December to share our love of rocks and minerals with Museum could keep good track of the meeting decisions families at Sunday with a Scientist. Morrill Hall was full of and deliberations. We are delighted that Diane will continue activity, with faculty presenters being joined by over a dozen to serve as a Board member and Museum volunteer, after volunteers from the Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club who completing her two years as Secretary. demonstrated lapidary techniques for visitors. Museum Education Coordinator Kathy French collected comments Karen Amen is completing 6 years on the Board, which for the exit survey which asked visitors what they liked follows her earlier term on the Board in 1992-1994. Karen best at the event. Among the responses: “the pretty rocks” served as your President 2006-2008, and as Treasurer in (from a 5 year old girl); “crystals”; “different than the usual 2008. Under Karen’s leadership, the Board established museum”; “I like seeing scientists”; and “awesome!” Music the Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum to my ears. endowment at the University of Nebraska Foundation in 2006, and began a new era of working together with — Priscilla C. Grew, Director the Foundation in fundraising for the Museum. I am particularly delighted that during Karen’s last year on the Board, the Friends decided to make another major donation to their Foundation endowment in support of the Museum. I would also like to thank Judy Diamond for her service since 2003 as the Museum Curator representative on the Friends’ Advisory Council. Ross Secord, Curator for Vertebrate Paleontology, has agreed to be nominated for the Council at the February meeting. February 2012 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT GREETINGS FRIENDS MEMBERS! The Friends of the University of Nebraska This will be my last State Museum President’s message as I have 2012 Annual Meeting served my second term, and a new President will be elected at the Annual Meeting on February Join us Friday, February 24 24th. The past two years have at Morrill Hall gone by rapidly, and it has been a privilege and an honor to serve Hosted by the Friends, Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill, and the as the President of the Friends organization and being associated University of Nebraska Foundation Mark Brohman with such a fi ne institution as the Friends President 5:00 p.m. - Friends Business Meeting UNL State Museum. 5:30 p.m. - Hors d’oeuvres & Music by Sarabande I want to thank the full board and Museum staff for making my service a pleasure. 6:30 p.m. - Program I want to congratulate Museum Director Priscilla Grew on 7:00 p.m. - Talk about modern & fossil snakes by recently being designated as a lifetime national associate of the Jason Head, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology National Research Council of the National Academies. I also want to congratulate the Museum’s Anthropology Curator, Jason Head Alan Osborn, for his research on prehistoric life in southwest Nebraska that was recently featured on Nebraska Educational Television’s “Nebraska Stories.” The last congratulations go out to this year’s Anderson and Tuttle Award recipients that will be honored at Annual Meeting. I want to encourage all Friends members to attend the Annual Friends of the University of Nebraska State Museum meeting to be held on February 24th in Morrill Hall. If you have an opportunity, I would also encourage you to attend the business meeting at 5:00 p.m. in the downstairs auditorium. The business meeting will last about 15 minutes, and we will elect new board members and new offi cers. The meeting is open to all Friends members. At 5:30 p.m.