Jasper Bateman, looking for fossils in the Devonian Silica Shale during a mid-conference field trip, near Milan, MI.
Jasper Bateman, a rising sophomore Geology major from Buffalo, NY, and Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Sciences Thomas Hegna presented their respective research at the 12th North American Paleontological Convention.
Bateman, who also has a minor in Museum Studies, presented a poster about their research, “Investigation of a unique end-Devonian extinction locality in Western New York,” on rock exposures at the Dunkirk Beach that preserve the first phase of the End-Devonian mass extinction.
Dr. Hegna presented a lecture on appendage preservation in Ordovician trilobites and its evolutionary implications.
In addition to their presentations, Bateman and Hegna went on a field trip to the Silica Shale, toured museum collections and attended many other lecture sessions.
Hegna also worked with a high school student who presented her research on clam shrimp diversity at the conference, as well.
The convention, held June 17 to 21 at the University of Michigan, was based in the university’s Museum of Paleontology. Funding for Bateman and Hegna to attend the conference was provided by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
