Palæontological Society Bulletin AlbertaVOLUME 28 • NUMBER 1 www.albertapaleo.org MARCH 2013 ALBERTA PALÆONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS MEMBERSHIP: Any person with a sincere interest in President Wayne Braunberger (403) 278-5154 palaeontology is eligible to present their application for Vice-President Cory Gross (403) 617-2079 membership in the Society. (Please enclose membership Treasurer Mona Marsovsky (403) 547-0182 dues with your request for application.) Secretary Arnold Ingelson (403) 249-6748 Past-President Dan Quinsey (403) 247-3022 Single membership $20.00 annually Family or Institution $25.00 annually DIRECTORS Editor Howard Allen (403) 274-1858 THE BULLETIN WILL BE PUBLISHED QUARTERLY: Membership Vaclav Marsovsky (403) 547-0182 March, June, September and December. Deadline for sub- Programs Harold Whittaker (403) 286-0349 mitting material for publication is the 15th of the month Field Trips (To volunteer contact the President) prior to publication. COMMITTEES Society Mailing Address: Fossil Collection Howard Allen (403) 274-1858 Alberta Palaeontological Society Library Reg Spratley (403) 263-0556 P.O. Box 35111, Sarcee Postal Outlet Public Outreach Cory Gross (403) 617-2079 Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 7C7 Social Dan Quinsey (403) 247-3022 (Web: www.albertapaleo.org) Symposium Vaclav Marsovsky (403) 547-0182 Website Vaclav Marsovsky (403) 547-0182 Material for the Bulletin: The Society was incorporated in 1986, as a non-profit Howard Allen, Editor, APS organization formed to: 7828 Hunterslea Crescent, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2K 4M2 a. Promote the science of palaeontology through study (E-mail: [email protected]) and education. b. Make contributions to the science by: NOTICE: Readers are advised that opinions expressed in 1) Discovery 2) Collection 3) Description the articles are those of the author and do not necessarily 4) Education of the general public reflect the viewpoint of the Society. Except for articles 5) Preservation of material for study and the future marked “Copyright ©,” reprinting of articles by exchange bulletins is permitted, as long as credit is given. c. Provide information and expertise to other collectors. d. Work with professionals at museums and universities to add to the palaeontological collections of the province (preserve Alberta’s heritage). Upcoming APS Meetings Meetings take place at 7:30 p.m. in Room B108, Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary, Alberta. Friday, April 19, 2013—Sarda Sahney, University of Bristol. Separating Science from Spin: How a Laboratory Discovery Becomes a Media Sensation (See Page 4). Friday, May 24, 2013—Alycia Wilson, Mount Royal University. The Cretaceous Guitarfish, Myledaphus bipartitus: Age and Growth. June, July, August, 2013—Field Trips, no General Meetings (See Page 5). ON THE COVER: Tabulate coral, Syringopora sp., Lower Carboniferous, Mount Head Formation, Alberta. APS collection specimen number APS.1986.21. Scale bar = 1 cm. Photo by Howard Allen. APS Bulletin 2 March 2013 Membership Director: Vaclav Marsovsky (2nd of 2 APS Annual year term). Committee Chairperson positions are not up for election but are appointed by the Board. Current General Meeting committees are: May 24 Committee Current Chairperson Term Fossil Collection Howard Allen Unlimited By Dan Quinsey, Past-President Library Reg Spratley Unlimited Logo Design Cory Gross Limited Public Outreach Cory Gross Unlimited his Notice of Motion is submitted to the Alberta Social Dan Quinsey Unlimited TPalaeontological Society (APS) membership for Symposium Vaclav Marsovsky Unlimited consideration in compliance with Sections 4.1 An- Website Vaclav Marsovsky Unlimited nual General Meeting and 4.4 Notice of the Alberta Palaeontological Society Bylaws. If you would like more information about Board The APS Annual General Meeting will be held positions or are interested in chairing or participat- on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in Room B108, ing on a committee, please contact Past President Mount Royal University, 425 Mount Royal Gate SW, Dan Quinsey at (403) 247-3022 evenings and week- Calgary, Alberta. ends or by e-mail: [email protected]. Proposed actions on the Agenda will include the All inquiries will be kept confidential if requested. election of Officers and Directors and a Motion to donate $1000.00 towards the proposed Mount Motion Royal University East Gate Entrance Fossil Display: MRU East Gate Entrance Fossil Display: The The Cretaceous Sea in Western North America. All Cretaceous Sea in Western North America eligible voting Members are requested to attend! The proposal—Changing the Face of Education: A Elections Campaign for Mount Royal University. Members are encouraged to review the APS It is the intent of the display to provide students Bylaws regarding voting, elections and the positions and the general public the opportunity to view life of Officers and Directors for more details. Updated sized reconstructions of extinct marine vertebrate Bylaws have been provided separately with this issue animals that swam in the Cretaceous seas of western of the Bulletin. North America. If you would like to chat about the possibility The variety of types of marine reptiles and fish will of serving on the Alberta Palaeontological Society provide viewers the opportunity to see the variations Board of Directors, nominate a Member or be nomi- in skeletal arrangements and the relationships they nated for any of the open positions, please contact have with each other. The East Gate entrance is the Past-President Dan Quinsey at (403) 247-3022 or by primary entry into the main building on campus. e-mail: [email protected]. All inquiries will Most people coming to Mount Royal University pass be held confidential. through this area every day as they go to classes, the Up for election are the following positions: bookstore, food services, the library and most ad- ministrative offices. The display will be viewed daily Position Term by thousands of people. President 1 Year The display will consist of the large plesiosaur Vice President 1 Year Elasmosaurus sp. dominating the area at the East Secretary 1 Year Gate entrance of the main building. It will be sus- Treasurer 1 Year pended at the height of the second level to permit Field Trip Co-ordinator 2 Years the upper portion to be viewed from the second level Program Co-ordinator 2 Years balcony and the underside of the specimen to be viewed at the main level. The following positions are not up for election: A small turtle (Protostega sp.) will serve as the prey Editor: Howard Allen (2nd of 2 year term); of the plesiosaur and will be mounted several metres APS Bulletin 3 March 2013 away from the jaws of Elasmosaurus on the east wall. Watching the action will be a flying reptile (Ptera- nodon sp.) suspended from the ceiling. In addition, Upcoming two large fish (Xiphactinus sp. and Pachyrhizodus sp.) will be mounted on the west wall in the entrance. Xiphactinus is the predator and Pachyrhizodus the Events prey. At a later date, a male Pteranodon and Creta- ceous marine invertebrates will be added. April The goal of the project is to initially raise $100,000 through private and corporate donations to fund Sarda Sahney Phase 1 of the display. Additional funds will be University of Bristol required to add Phases 2, 3 and 4. Total cost of the project is estimated at $200,000. Currently, an Separating Science from Spin: anonymous donor has agreed to match donations up to $50,000 for Phase 1. How a Laboratory Discovery The Alberta Palaeontological Society is sincerely Becomes a Media Sensation grateful to Mount Royal University for providing a venue and equipment for our Board Meetings, Friday, April 19, 2013, 7:30 p.m. General Meetings, Annual General Meeting, Annual Mount Royal University, Room B108 Symposium (including workshops) and Micro-sort- n the last few decades public consumption of sci- ing events. We would like to show our appreciation Ience stories has increased dramatically. Perhaps by contributing $1000.00 towards the East Gate En- this is because of improving science education in trance Fossil Display. This donation will be matched schools or a greater accessibility to information due as indicated above. To read more about the Mount to recent advances in communications; regardless of Royal University project, visit the APS website: www. the reason, people are reading fiction and non-fiction albertapaleo.org. science stories more widely. Science-related stories The Alberta Palaeontological Society Board of are featured by all major news outlets, in the form of Directors voted unanimously during the Executive health news, environmental realizations, technologi- Board Meeting held February 6, 2013 to bring the cal advances and occasionally pure science stories. following motion to the Membership during the May How does a scientific discovery become news? A 24, 2013 Annual General Meeting: scientist must take many steps to create a story which Motion: To donate $1000.00 from Alberta Pa- is palatable to the public, a course of action in which laeontological Society excess revenues accumulated researchers take guidance from communications during the 2012 year to Mount Royal University to experts. Often this means stripping down the science be used towards the proposed East Gate Entrance and increasing the amount of contextual information Fossil Display. to allow a layman to fully understand the implica- (See updated Bylaws included with this issue.) o tions of the work. A specific aspect of the story may be exaggerated to make the science seem more “sexy” and this may be used as a “hook” to create a personal connection between the reader and the story. Fossil Prep & Collections After a story is processed in this manner it may Symposium April 20–22 be hard to distinguish the science from the spin. A greater understanding of the process of how scientific at Royal Tyrrell Museum exploration, discovery, and invention becomes news enables readers to more critically analyze content The 6th Annual Fossil Preparation and Collec- distributed through news agencies and be better able tions Symposium will be held at the Museum in to separate reported research from the hype that sur- Drumheller.