Collaboration
Within the department I collaborate with J.
D. Rimstidt and M.
Schreiber.
External collaborators include M.G. Simões (São
Paulo State University, Brazil); R.K.
Bambach (Harvard University); T.K.
Baumiller (University of Michigan);
K.W. Flessa
& D. Dettman (University of Arizona);
P.H. Kelley
(University of North Carolina);
J.H. Nebelsick
(University
of Tübingen, Germany); F.T. Fürsich (Würzburg, Germany);
K. Gürs (Kiel, Germany); W. Oschmann (University
of Frankfurt, Germany); T.M. Demko (U. Minnesota, Duluth).
Current graduate students
| Susan Barbour Wood | Ph.D. candidate | Quantitative paleoecology of Ordovician marine fossil assemblages |
| Megan E. Brown | MS candidate | Holocene extinctions of freshwater mussles |
| John Huntley | Ph.D. candidate | The fossill record of predation (starting Fall 2003) |
| Rich Krause | Ph.D. candidate | Evolution of body size, Mississippian carbonate mounds, taphonomy |
| David Rodland | Ph.D. candidate | Stable isotopes, post-extinction recovery patterns, encrustation patterns |
| Jennifer Stempien | Ph.D. candidate | Morphometrics of Pliocene bivalves, body size trends in Lower Paleozoic brachiopods |
Previous students
| Name/Links | Thesis/Dissertation | Now |
| Monica
Carroll
MS (2001) |
Quantitative Estimates of Time-Averaging in Brachiopod Shell Accumulations from a Holocene Tropical Shelf (SW Brazil), Unpublished Master's Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 36 pp. (Advisor: Michal Kowalewski) (Other Committee Members: Richard K. Bambach, Madeline Shreiber) | Ph.D. candidate
University of Georgia |
| Alan
Hoffmeister
Ph.D. (2002) |
Quantitative Analysis of Drilling Predation Patterns in the Fossil Record: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertations, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 304 pp. (Advisor: Michal Kowalewski) (Other Committee Members: Richard K. Bambach, J. Fred Read, Patricia H. Kelley, Stephen Scheckler) | Post-doctoral researcher
Indiana University |
| Matt
Powell
MS (2000) |
Morphometric Characterization of a Mercenaria spp. (Bivalvia) Hybrid Zone: Paleontological and Evolutionary Implications, Unpublished Master's Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 41 pp. (Advisor: Michal Kowalewski) (Other Committee Members: Bruce J. Turner, Richard K. Bambach) | Ph.D. candidate
Johns Hopkins University |
Research Facilities
Digital Paleobiology Lab and Fossil Record Data Analysis Lab include
a digital image analysis system and several powerful desktop computers
equipped with specialized hardware, software, and freeware (Apples and
PCs are both available). Fossil Prep Lab includes standard equipment for
extracting and processing fossiliferous rocks and sediments. Follow this
link to learn more about our research facilities.
Funding
Our research has been externally funded by the National
Science Foundation (Geology
and Paleontology), the Petroleum
Research Fund, and Oak Ridge Associated
Universities.
Current Projects
Applied and pure research in North America, South America, and Europe
with a primary focus on marine benthic invertebrates (mollusks, brachiopods).
Current projects (below) involve a variety of biological and geological
topics including ecology, biometry, ichnology,taphonomy, macroevolution,
Quaternary geology, and paleogeography. To learn more about the current
research of our group visit Virginia
Tech Paleobiology Home Page
Department of Geological Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
4044 Derring Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0420
Last updated: March 6, 2003
