Highlights Inside CURRENT HAPPENINGS in PALEONTOLOGY

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Highlights Inside CURRENT HAPPENINGS in PALEONTOLOGY The Newsletter of Highlights Inside Calvert Marine Museum . • News from the CMM • Shal1( Fest RePort yOLUf'1 ~ i7 N//IJ1!#. 1. Paleontology Department • ZOne 17 holdings of the CMM • Fall Field Trips (still awaiting • Minutes of .June meeting August 2002 word for Lee Creek) Whole Number ~1' The CURRENT HAPPENINGS IN ever. While Pat, Steve, Hammon, Sandy, Cheryl, PALEONTOLOGY and Scott talked fossil sharks indoors, I had the AT THE CALVERT MARINE "pleasure" of dissecting a somewhat smelly Atlantic MUSEUM Spiny Skate outdoors. However, none of the food vendors seemed to notice ... strange. My sincere thanks to those who helped make this year's festival FROM THE CURATOR a great success. My former assis.timt, Scott Werts is We very much regret the passing of long-time club now a graduate student at John Hopkins University member Bernie Strean. Donations to the Calvert in Baltimore. He is studying under Dr. A. Hope Marine Museum in his memory will be used to Jahren in the Department of Earth and Planetary "" purchase reference volumes for our paleontology Sciences. She is a oaleoclimatologist, the perfect library. This way, there will be a tangible and match for Scott as he pursues his interests in lasting memory of Bernie and his interests in the geology, paleontology, and climatology. I very earth sciences. much enjoyed working with Scott. I took great On behalf of the membership, I would like to. pleasure in reminding him that all of science, and thank the officers and contributors to our fossil club indeed all of knowledge, flows from the central hub for 2001-2002. They included Sean Kery that is vertebrate paleontology. _In spite of the fact (President), Chuck Soares (Vise President), Skip that he didn't espouse my views, I wish him all the Snelson (Treasurer), Pam Platt (Secretary), Cheryl best. Snelson (Membership Coordinator), Mike Ellwood I would like to welcome Bill Counterman as my (Editor of the Ecphora), and Robert Ertman, and new assistant. Bill has a wealth of p~actical Kathy Haberny (Field Trip Coordinators). paleontological experience and the uncanny ability Needless to say, we are all very grateful for their to find fossils where others do not. He is certainly efforts on our behalf. an asset to this department. ..welcome aboard! I am delighted to welcome our incoming slate of Scientific illustrator and artist Mary Ellen Didion• officers for 2002-2003. They are: Grenda Dennis Carlsey is cUrrently working on a drawing of one of (President), Chuck Soares (Vice President), Paul the fossilized partial dolphin skulls in our Murdoch (Treasurer), Flo Strean (Secretary), Pam collection. I hope that over the next couple of years Platt (Membership Coordinator), Hillary Murdoch to accumulate high quality illustrations of a goodly (Editor of the Ecphora), and Robert Ertman, and number of the dolphin skulls in our collection in Kathy Haberny (Field Trip Coordinators). view of a potential exhibit and guidebook/reference SkarkFest was just that! Pat Fink, Steve volume on the diversity of Miocene dolphins from "" Grossman, Hammon Hobbs, Sandy Roberts, Calvert Cliffs. Cheryl Snelson, Scott Werts, and myself were tired but exhilarated after our busiest SharkFest 2 The Ecphora August 2002 I will be attending this year's annual meeting of locations along Calvert Cliffs to our attention. With the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. It will be help from the Galowitch's, Murdoch's, Chris held at the Sam Nobel Oklahoma Museum Gateau, and Nicholas Murdoch, most of these of Natural History in Norman, Oklahoma from cetacean remains have now been quarried, but new October 9-12. specimens continue to come to light!! I would like This year, PRAD (Patuxent River Appreciation to acknowledge the Maryland Division of Days) will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Natural Resources and the Board of Warrior's October 1th and 13th. Unfortunately, I will not be Rest Sanctuary for permission to quarry several present as I will be attending the annual meeting of specimens from the cliffs just south of Parkers the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Norman, Creek ... During my two week absence in early July, Oklahoma. In spite of my absence, the Club will Scott and Bill collected a partial dolphin skeleton exhibit fossils for both days. If you would like to from the lower Calvert Formation in southern Anne have a hand in the fossil festivities please don't Arundel County. Needless to say, I am very hesitate to give either myself (410.326-2042 ext. grateful to all who have contributed including 28) or Bill Counterman (paleo assistant, 410.326• donations of shark's teeth for the Museum's 2042 ext. 61) a call. You do not need to commit to Discovery Room. being there for both days, or even all of one day. We will be grateful for whatever time you can Stephen Godfrey donate to the cause. Bill will be coordinating the paleontology/CMMFC contributions to the two-day event. PUBLIC LECTURE TO FOLLOW The exhibit guidebook entitled "Sirenians & Sirens NEXT MEETING - Sea Cows and Mermaids" has been published and is for sale in the Museum's gift shop. If you have Following our club meeting on Saturday, October any interest in the paleontology and natural history 19th, Dr. Robert Hazen will give a public lecture in of sea cows, this is a concise one-stop reference the Calvert Marine Museum's auditorium starting at booklet. 2:30pm. Our distinguished guest will lecture on: "Emergence and the Origin of Life: FASCINA TING FOSSIL FINDS What the Calvert Cliffs Can Teach Us" We have had some wonderful specimens donated Among the most profound unanswered questions to our collection. These include a deciduous (baby) asked by scientists and philosophers, alike, are tooth of the Miocene elephant, Gomphotherium those that relate to the origin, evolution and calvertensis. The specimen was collected as float distribution of life in the universe. To tackle life's on Cove Point Beach by Fay Fratz back in 1981! ... origin in the laboratory using the scientific method Earlier this year, Flo Strean took us to one of her is a daunting challenge. The new field of emergence. collecting grounds along the Patuxent River. The - the study of complex systems that arise through lack of rain and low winter tides resulted in large the interaction of many components - provides a exposures of bed 17, Choptank Formation. There powerful framework for that search. we collected baleen whale bones including a lovely We are surrounded by emergent systems. Atoms lower jaw that Flo had found and generously bond to form crystals. Molecules link to form cells. donated to our permanent collection ... Jean Ants interact to form colonies. Brain cells network Hooper's been at it again. She picked up a superb to form the COflsciousmind. In each instance, fossil crab, Necronectes drydeni from bed 20 of the numerous interacting individual "agents" produce St. Mary's Formation ... Dan Galowitch donated a complex systems with new, often delightfully small section of a Eurhinodelphis skull. ..Paul unexpected properties and behaviors. Murdoch keeps us hopping. He has brought both dolphin and baleen whale fossils from several -------------- ------ .- 3 The Ecphora August 2002 ----..... Simple emergent phenomena observed during Prof. Hazen is active in presenting science to a walks along the cliffs of Calvert County are general audience. At George Mason University he pointing toward a deeper understanding of emergent has developed courses and companion texts on phenomena, including the most wonderful emergent scientific literacy. His books with coauthor James property of all - life. Trefil include the best-selling Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy and The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, now in its third edition. Trefil BIOGRL\PHICAL INFORMATION and Hazen also served on the team of writers for the Robert M. Hazen National Science Education Standards. He teaches courses on symmetry in art and science, on images Robert M. Hazen, research scientist at the of the scientist in popular culture, and on scientific Carnegie Institution of Washington's Geophysical ethics. Hazen serves on the Committee on Public Laboratory and Clarence Robinson Professor of Understanding of Science of the American Earth Science at George Mason University, Association for the Advancement of Science, and' received the B.S. and M.S. in geology at the on Advisory Boards for NOVA (WGBH Boston), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1971), and Encyclopedia Americana, and the Carnegie the Ph.D. at Harvard University in earth science Council. He appears frequently on radio and (1975). After studies as NATO Postdoctoral Fellow television programs on science, and he recently at Cambridge University in England, he joined the recorded The Joy of Science, a 60-lecture video Carnegie Institution's research effort. course produced by The Teaching Company. He Hazen is author of more than 230 articles and 16 was recently named Mineralogical Society of books on science, history, and music. A Fellow of America's Distinguished Lecture for 2002-2003. the American Association for the Advancement of In addition to his scientific activities, Robert ~ Science, he has received the Mineralogical Society Hazen is a professional trumpeter. He has of America Award (1982), the American Chemical performed with numerous ensembles including the Society Ipatieff Prize (1986), the ASCAP-Deems Metropolitan, New York City, Boston, and Taylor Award (1989), the Educational Press Washington Operas, the Royal, Bolshoi, Jeoffrey, Association Award (1992), and the Elizabeth Wood and Kirov Ballets, the Boston Symphony, the Science Writing Award (1998). Hazen's recent National Symphony, and the Orchestre de Paris. He research focuses on the role of minerals in the is presently a member of the Washington Chamber origin of life, including such processes as mineral• Symphony, the National Gallery Orchestra, and the catalyzed organic synthesis and the selective Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra.
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