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Schedule |
Meeting Dates | Field Trips
Smithsonian Paleontological Training Program
Meetings are scheduled on a quarterly basis and for Saturdays. Meetings are scheduled to begin promptly at 12:30 PM in the conference room on the top floor of the CMM. All meetings are open to the public - you do not have to be a current CMMFC member to attend a meeting. Members are encouraged to come early to see the new on-goings at the CMM and to bring and set-up their own recent fossil finds. Various related fossil topics, club issues, etc. are discussed at the meetings as well as updates from the Paleo Staff of the CMM are given on recent finds and new additions to the Museum's permanent collection. Whenever possible, these new items will be on display. Beverages and snacks are usually provided and additional "finger food" contributions are always appreciated. Meetings are usually an hour to an hour and a half in length and are, whenever possible, followed by a free public lecture by a visiting distinguished guest in the auditorium downstairs.
The meeting/event schedule for 2010 is as follows:
Saturday, September 18
CMMFC meeting at 1 p.m. in the lounge.
CLICK HERE for a PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum flyer to share with friends
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Saturday, September 18 at 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Susan Kidwell will give a presentationon the Geology of Calvert Cliffs. Dr. Kidwell is the William Rainey Harper Professor at the University of Chicago. Her primary research focus at present is the new field of conservation paleobiology, which uses very young fossil records to evaluate the human footprint in coastal ecosystems. The Miocene strata of Calvert Cliffs, where she started her research career, nonetheless remains a favorite field area for geological research and teaching on the formation of marine sedimentary records. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Thursday, October 21 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Stephen Godfrey will present Uncovering the Past: The Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs. Dr. Godfrey is the curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum, and one of the foremost researchers on Mioncene marine fossils. His many publications focus primarily on the diversity of dolphins from Calvert Cliffs and what they tell us about the origin and evolution of the living families of these amazing marine mammals. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Saturday, November 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Jeff Halka will present The inexorable Slide: Current Rates of Erosion of Calvert Cliffs. Mr. Halka is the acting director and state geologist with the Maryland Geological Survey. His research interests center on deciphering the Quaternay history of the Chesapeake Bay, and determining how the present distribution and charateristics of surficial sediments are both related to and influenced by that history. He also works to apply his knowledge of sediment processes to research and management questions concerning the health and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Thusday, January 20 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Ralph Eshelman will present Who Cares? The Human Perspective on the Calvert Cliffs. Dr. Eshelman, the first director of the Calvert Marine Museum, has published and lectured extensively on a wide variety of topics. A specialist in maritime history, War of 1812, polar exploration, vertebrate paleontology, and cultural resource management, Dr. Eshelman is also deeply interested in the Calvert Cliffs formation and the interaction of humans and environment this represents. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Saturday, February 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Michael Fenster and Dr. Barry Knisley will present Tigers in the Cliffs: The Role of Calvert Cliffs as an ecosystem for the Endangered Puritan Tiger Beetle. Dr. Michael S. Fenster is professor and chair of the environmental studies program at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and specializes in coastal, estuarine and nearshore dynamics. Dr. Barry Kinsley is a professor of biology at Randolph-Macon and has done extensive research on the Puritan tiger beetle. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
PEM Talks: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum
Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Doug Samson will present Shifting Shoreline: The Complex Case of Cove Point Marsh. Dr. Sampson is the senior scientist with the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and a member of the Science Advisory Group for the Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust. The Conservancy has held a conservation easement on 600 acres of land owned by Dominion LNG at Cove Point, including the 150 acre Cove Point Marsh, since 1993. In the museum auditorium. FREE.
Please remember to call in for yourself and family members, or for another club member, on the date and time indicated. Current memberships in both the fossil club and the Calvert Marine Museum are needed to go on the trips. Information on directions, lodging, meeting times and meeting places will be provided at the call-in. Unless otherwise stated, all call-in’s are to Kathy at (410) 549-4701
Upcoming CMM Club Meetings and Field Trips
Check back for upcoming dates.
Non-CMMFC Field Trips
 | Smithsonian Paleontological Training Program OFFERED BY |  |
Do you ever wonder what it's like to be behind the scenes at the Smithsonian? Here's your chance to find out! The Department of Paleobiology is offering a series of programs on fossils at a nominal fee to help train current and future volunteers. Call 202-357-4030 to reserve a place.
The purpose of the Paleontological Training Program (PTP) is to acquaint interested members of the public with fossils and the history of life, as well as methods of paleontological collecting, conservation, collections management, and the nature of research at the Museum of Natural History. We hope the PTP will also serve to encourage participants to volunteer in areas of research, collections management, or other departmental activities as well as increasing the knowledge of current volunteers.
A fee per student is charged to cover the cost of the term.
Contact: Jennifer Young, young.jennifer@nmnh.si.edu, (202) 357-4030.
Web Information: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/departments/paleo.html/ptp.html