Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations is Now Open To Receive Applications
SVP has established a new program to promote opportunities for international scientists to attend the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP). This annual award provides travel expenses to enable recipients from economically developing nations to present research in any area of vertebrate paleontology at the Annual Meeting.
Application materials will be accepted (by E-mail, fax or standard postal mail) between December 1, 2008 and January 31, 2009 at midnight Central Time USA.
It is my privilege to announce two new SVP programs designed to serve vertebrate paleontology in developing nations:
Program for Scientists from Economically Developing NationsA program designed to enable scientists from nations with developing economies to present research at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) Annual Meeting. There will be at least one award granted in 2009.
The program will be managed by the new Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations Committee, chaired by Nancy Stevens, with members: Larry Flynn,Eva Koppelhus, Octavio Mateus, Sifa Ngasala (student member) and Anne Schulp. Read more about the program.
AND
Institutional Membership: A Program for Institutions of Economically Developing NationsThis program is established to promote access by scientists and students to the scientific activities of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The program is particularly intended for those who are based at institutions with limited funds and therefore limited opportunity for membership in SVP. Institutions would be promoted by Society members for “Institutional Membership,” which would offer electronic access to the Society, gratis.
The program will be managed by the Membership Committee, chaired by Larry Flynn.Read more about the program.
A Call for Patterson Memorial Grant Award Applications
Applications for the Patterson Memorial Grant Award are due Tuesday, January 15, 2009. The application date was moved up so the winners could be selected in April and the grant funds could be used for summer projects. The award, named in honor of Dr. Bryan Patterson, supports graduate and undergraduate student field work in vertebrate paleontology.
NEW! There is a new Patterson award amount this year of $2,700 if one award is made, or $1,350 per award if two awards are given.
To apply for the award, follow the instructions and complete and submit the electronic application by midnight central time zone, January 15, 2009. Mail the sponsor signed copy (postmarked) no later than January 30, 2009. Faxed copies of the signed application will NOT be accepted. Applicants and their sponsors must be SVP members or pending members. The Patterson Grant award winner(s) will be notified by March 14, 2009.
A Call for Symposia The Program Committee for the SVP 69th Annual Meeting, to be held at the University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, September 23-26, 2009, is calling for symposia proposals.
Proposals should include a concise description of the symposium topic including its significance and specific relevance to the particular meeting time and location (if appropriate), and a list of speakers and preliminary titles. Symposia are four hours in duration and include 16 presentation slots. Five or six poster presentations are also welcome. Proposals should not exceed two pages in length.
Please send proposals to Jason Head, program committee chair at: jason.head@utoronto.ca .
The deadline for proposal submission is Monday, December 1, 2008.
Jason J. Head
SVP Program Committee Chair
A Call for Field Trips and Workshops
The Host Committee for the SVP 69th Annual Meeting, is calling for workshop and field trip proposals, including pre- and post-meeting events.
The 30-minute video of SVP member interviews – as seen at the awards banquet at the 68th Annual Meeting in Cleveland - is now available on the SVP Web site (under the "Society" tab) .
WE ARE SVP celebrates the extraordinary world of vertebrate paleontology and provides a unique glimpse into the diversity of its scientists and pursuits. It is introduced and narrated by Sam Waterston, long-time star of television's "LAW & ORDER."
To complement WE ARE SVP, thirteen in-depth videos will further explore many of the topics raised in the main video. These are also available on the same page on the Society's Web site.
WE ARE SVP is the first video produced by our society. It was produced and directed by Steven Cohen with scientific consultants Louis H. Taylor and Louis L. Jacobs, all SVP members. The society gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Executive Producer Mr. Ray H. Marr of Shade Tree Studios, in Dallas, Texas, for his contribution of film, editing crew, and editing studio.
WHAT IS A VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGIST? NEW VIDEO HAS AN ANSWER.
Few scientific pursuits fascinate like digging up fossils. But despite this fascination with fossil-hunting – one aspect of the field of vertebrate paleontology – most people would be hard pressed to explain what a vertebrate is, or what a paleontologist does. Now a 30-minute video provides just such an explanation. And in the process, the sponsors hope to educate, entertain and perhaps inspire a few future paleontologists.
WE ARE SVP a 30-minute video sponsored by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), premiered on the society’s website at: http://www.vertpaleo.org/video/WeAreSVP/index.cfm , on October 29, 2008. This video celebrates the extraordinary world of vertebrate paleontology and provides a unique glimpse into the diversity of its scientists and pursuits. It is introduced and narrated by Sam Waterston, long-time star of television’s “LAW & ORDER.”
“This video shows the breadth of our members, their research and what motivates them,” said Catherine Badgley, assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan and past president of SVP. “It shows how relevant vertebrate paleontology is to environmental challenges today.”
In WE ARE SVP, scientists discuss their research and its broad implications: evidence for evolution, insights into global climate change and a better understanding of extinction.
“This video gives the public the inside story on our membership—why they became paleontologists, what inspires their research and what they do on a day-to-day basis,” said Blaire Van Valkenburgh, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles and current president of SVP. "Children of all ages who love dinosaurs and sabertooth cats will enjoy learning about the folks behind the fossils," said Van Valkenburgh.
Scientists also describe the exhilarating experience of finding fossils in the field and studying them in the laboratory. WE ARE SVP illustrates why paleontology is the preferred gateway into the world of science for many young people.
To complement WE ARE SVP, thirteen in-depth videos further explore many of the topics raised in the main video. These will also be available on the society’s website.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, founded in 1940, is the premier scientific society for vertebrate paleontology: the study of vertebrate fossils, evolution and ecology. Currently, the society has over 2,300 members from more than 50 countries. WE ARE SVP is the first video produced by the society.
WE ARE SVP was produced and directed by Steven Cohen with scientific consultants Louis H. Taylor and Louis L. Jacobs, all SVP members. The society gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Executive Producer Mr. Ray H. Marr of Shade Tree Studios, in Dallas, Texas, for his contribution of film, editing crew and editing studio.
Contacts:
Blaire Van Valkenburgh Louis H. Taylor
President of The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology SVP Development Committee Chair
Professor 4931 W Rowland Ave
UCLA Dept. of Ecology & Evo Bio Littleton, CO 80128-6419
621 Charles E. Young Drive South loutaylor44@aol.com
PO Box 951606 (303) 972-8955
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606 bvanval@ucla.edu
(310) 794-9398
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Dr. Yousry Attia was Egypt’s principal vertebrate paleontologist. He received his Bachelor’s degree in geology from Cairo University, and worked for many years with Duke, Michigan and Penn paleontologists. Yousry rose to become director of the Egyptian Geological Museum, where he retired in 2006.
Yousry was born on February 6, 1952, and died one week ago, October 11, 2008. He died at the airport in Cairo on his way to continue a paleontological field project in Saudi Arabia.
Yousry is survived by his wife Ekram, two sons Saad El-Din and Mohammed, and
two daughters Venus and Marwa, living in Cairo.
Biography and photo courtesy of Philip D. Gingerich.
It is with the deepest regret that I report that John A. Wilson passed away yesterday in Austin, Texas, at the age of 93, where he was surrounded by his family.
Jack, as he was known to his many friends, was born on November 3, 1914, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He received a BA degree in 1937 and a PhD in 1941 from the University of Michigan, where he studied under the supervision of E. C. Case. Jack served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during 1943-1945, and saw action in the Pacific during WW II. He taught geology at the University of Idaho School of Mines from 1940-1942 and, following the war, from 1945-1946.
In the fall of 1946, Jack moved to Austin where he joined the staff of the Department of Geology at the University of Texas. He was promoted to Professor of Geology in 1955 and taught until 1976, when he retired and became Professor Emeritus. In 1948, Jack founded the University of Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory and its graduate training program. To date, some 90 students have earned graduate degrees from the program that Jack started, and over the course of a long and productive career he had a profound impact on thousands of students in the most positive ways. Even during his retirement, Jack remained active in field work and was deeply involved in the Texas graduate training program.
Jack was a charter member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. He served the SVP as secretary-treasurer from 1949-1951 and as president in 1952. Jack was awarded the Romer-Simpson Medal by the SVP in 2000 at the Mexico City meetings. Jack worked in many different areas of vertebrate paleontology during his long career, but he is best known for his pioneering research on the Tertiary mammals and biostratigraphy of west Texas and Mexico.
Jack was a giant in our profession and he leaves an exceedingly high standard of professional accomplishment and integrity, a very high bar for the rest of us to live up to.
Tim
Biography and photos courtesy of Timothy Rowe, J. Nalle Gregory Regents Professor of Geology and Director, Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory
Top photo:Here is Jack pondering Rooneyia, which was the find of his lifetime. Bottom photo:Jack at the SVP 67th Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas (2007). He had just been interviewed for the “We Are SVP” DVD which was unveiled at the 68th Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.
Andrei Sher of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on August 11, 2008. Sher was an authority on the paleoecology of the Siberian tundra-steppe biome.
Biography courtesy of Margarita Erbajeva.
Photo courtesy of Alisa Winkler.
Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis (from now on FCPTD), Fundación Teruel SIGLO XXI and Dinópolis, with the purpose of rewarding palaeontological research and promoting it among teenagers, declare open the Sixth International Award in Palaeontology Research (Paleonturology 08) based on the following requirements:
1st.- Any palaeontological research paper published in 2007 in any language and format can apply for the award. That is, the papers either published in 2007 or the ones accepted for their publication during 2007, provided that their publishing date could be justified.
2nd.- The papers can be entered by:
A) Their author. Supposing it is signed by several authors, one of them, preferably the first author, will certify that all the others accept to be represented by him to all intents and purposes before the organisation. In case there is more than one author, we understand by author the first person signing it or the one who can prove being the representative of the others.
B) Any other person or organisation.
3rd.- It is compulsory to present four printed copies or a PDF file and a registration form with the data required in ANNEX I. The author will ensure that the copies –or the file- and the Annex I are in the hands of the organisers before November 15, 2008. This is the address where these files/forms should be sent:
4th.- The jury will be made up of three outstanding researchers (appointed by the organisers) and by the Managing Director of the FCPTD, acting as a Secretary, but without a right to vote. Its constitution will be known at the same time as their decision.
5th.- The jury will act with complete freedom and, in addition to their normal powers -to propose and make a decision, awarding or declaring the award void-, will interpret the present Requirements. The decision of the jury will be final.
6th.- The decision of the jury will be announced in Teruel before the end of the year 2008. It will also be advertised on the media. All the participants requesting a certificate of the decision will be sent a copy.
7th.- The Sixth International Award in Palaeontology Research Paleonturology 08 is endowed with a Four Thousand Five Hundred Euros (4.500 €) prize –indivisible and subject to the current fiscal legislation- and, prior to its acceptance, the author will be committed to writing a version to popularise the awarded paper paying special attention to additional graphics that may be required. It has to be sent to the organisation within a period of four months from the notification of the award and to relinquish the publication rights to the organisation. The organisation will use it to publish a popular version (it will be translated, if necessary), and will collaborate with the author to reach the required didactic level (students between 15 and 17 years of age). The mentioned right has to be exercised within a year from the date of the decision.
The amount of the award will be paid in its 50% within a period of two months from the notification of the award and the remaining 50% when the popular version is handed in.
8th.- A previous jury, composed by experts in Palaeontology, will select the number of papers they estimate relevant, in any case not less than ten. If a shortlisted paper has not be entered by its author, the organisation will propose to him the acceptance of the commitments established in the 7th requirement. In that case he will compete for the award; otherwise, or in the event of not replying within two weeks, he will be withdrawn from the final deliberation.
9th.- The organisers of this award are neither committed to attend the mail nor to provide information on the titles selected by the previous jury. These titles will be entered in the record of the meeting of the jury.
10th.- Entering papers for this award implies the acceptance of these requirements by the author.
PREVIOUS WINNERS: PALEONTUROLOGY 03: Faunal change, environmental variability and late Pliocene hominin evolution. René Bobe, Anna K. Behrensmeyer & Ralph E. Chapman (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA). Journal of Human Evolution, 42: 475-497. 2002.
PALEONTUROLOGY 04: Rib fabrication in Ostreoidea and Plicatuloidea (Bivalvia, Pteriomorphia) and its evolutionary significance. Antonio G. Checa & Antonio P. Jiménez-Jiménez (Universidad de Granada, Spain). Zoomorphology, 122: 145-159. 2003.
PALEONTUROLOGY 05: Dinosaur gastralia; origin, morphology and function. Leon P.A.M. Claessens (Harvard University, USA). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 24: 89-106. 2004.
PALEONTUROLOGY 06: Postcranial Skeletal Pneumaticity in Sauropods and Its Implications for Mass Estimates. Mathew J. Wedel (University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, California, USA). In: The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology (Curry, K.A. & Wilson, J.A., ed.). Univ. California Press, 201-228. 2005.
PALEONTUROLOGY 07: The eyes of trilobites: The oldest preserved visual system. Euan Clarkson, Riccardo Levi-Setti & Gabor Horváth (Univ. Edimburgo, Univ. Chicago & Univ. Lorand Eötvös, Budapest). Arthropod Structure & Development, 35: 247-259. 2006.
For the position of Vice-President
Philip J. Currie
For the position of Member-at-Large Julia Clarke
The SVP election for 2008 was held by electronic ballot starting Thursday, June 5 at 12:01 a.m. Central Time Zone (USA) and ended Friday, September 5, 2008 at midnight Central Time Zone (USA).
The SVP Nominating Committee consists of: Mary Dawson (chair), John Flynn and Farish Jenkins.
14:53:29 | 
Dr. Yousry Attia was Egypt’s principal vertebrate paleontologist. He received his Bachelor’s degree in geology from Cairo University, and worked for many years with Duke, Michigan and Penn paleontologists. Yousry rose to become director of the Egyptian Geological Museum, where he retired in 2006.
Jack, as he was known to his many friends, was born on November 3, 1914, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He received a BA degree in 1937 and a PhD in 1941 from the University of Michigan, where he studied under the supervision of E. C. Case. Jack served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during 1943-1945, and saw action in the Pacific during WW II. He taught geology at the University of Idaho School of Mines from 1940-1942 and, following the war, from 1945-1946..JPG)
Jack was a charter member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. He served the SVP as secretary-treasurer from 1949-1951 and as president in 1952. Jack was awarded the Romer-Simpson Medal by the SVP in 2000 at the Mexico City meetings. Jack worked in many different areas of vertebrate paleontology during his long career, but he is best known for his pioneering research on the Tertiary mammals and biostratigraphy of west Texas and Mexico.
Andrei Sher of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on August 11, 2008. Sher was an authority on the paleoecology of the Siberian tundra-steppe biome.