BBHC offers field trip for Fern-filled Fauna of the Bighorn Basin

Fossilized vegetation of the Bighorn Basin

From the Buffalo Bill Historical Center:

Dr. Scott Wing describes his job like this, “As a research scientist and curator at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History the three major parts of my job are research, collections, and outreach.”

All three come together on July 9, 2011, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with a plant fossil field trip to the Big Cedar Ridge in the southeastern Bighorn Basin. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center co-sponsors the outing—dubbed Fern-filled Fauna of the Bighorn Basin—with the Wyoming Native Plant Society, Washakie Museum, and the University of Wyoming Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center. There is no charge for the trip; however, pre-registration is required by contacting Emily Buckles at emilyb@bbhc.org or 307.578.4110.

Poets meet paleontologists this weekend in Casper

Dee the Mammoth fossil

"Dee and the Mammoth" book

Paleontologists and geologists are in Casper through Sunday for the 17th Annual Tate Conference. It will feature topics ranging from “Asian Elephant Behavior” to “Ice Age Discovery in Snowmass Village.”


Friday presentations include discussions on “Climate Change at the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary,” The Largest Mounted Mammoth in North America, Dee the Mammoth,” “Cats of the Camelot Local Fauna,” and others. Saturday presentations will include talks on ambush predators, the Dire wolf of Rancho La Brea, Pleistocene bear communities, the giant short-faced bear, and Porcupine Cave. The day will end with Keynote speaker Steven R. Holen, curator of archeology for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Holen will speak on the exciting discovery and current excavation project the museum is engaged in at Snowmass Village, Colo., “Ice Age Discovery in Snowmass Village: A Mid-to Early Wisconsin Fossil Locality High in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.” The excavation is the largest-ever excavation the museum has ever been involved in. As of May 24, 2011, museum crews had found more than 100 bones which included two mastodon skulls; two mastodon pelvises; three mammoth tusks; mastodon vertebrae, ribs, wrist and ankle bones, and large bones including the upper arm and forearm; a sloth forearm; bison wrist bone; and deer pelvis. Registration is $40 each for the first and third field trips June 2 and 5, and $150 for the Friday through Saturday portion of the conference, June 3 and 4. To register stop by the Tate Geological Museum on the Casper College campus, or call the museum at 268-2447, 800-442-2963, ext. 2447, email dschaff@caspercollege.edu, or visit www.caspercollege.edu/tate.

Meanwhile, poets and writers are gathering June 3-5 in Casper for sessions like these:

• "The Ghost That Got Into My House" (after the James Thurber story) by Lucia St. Clair Robson
• "Appropriate Appropriating" by poet Chris Fishbach
• Pete McCarthy's sessions on online marketing and social media
• The ever-popular open mic sessions on Friday and Saturday nights
• A closing talk by Tom Empey, actor, director and recently-retired chair of the Casper College theatre department

FMI: http://www.wyowriters.org/Resources/WWINC_ConferenceBrochure2011.pdf

If you are a writer and geologist, you would have a tough time choosing events.

The big question is: Is Casper big enough to accommodate both poets and paleontolgists this weekend?

Tune into this blog Monday to find out.

Breaking news: Robots take over Casper College

Poster for a W.P.A. stage performance of R.U.R., circa 1939

Robots take center stage in Casper College’s latest production: “R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots).” Under the direction of Bill Conte, theatre instructor, the play is described as “a fantastic melodrama in three acts and an epilogue” by playwright Karel Capek.

“Written by Capek 90 years ago, ‘R.U.R.’ is a fascinating vision of a future that is not too far removed from our present. A landmark in the genre of science fiction, ‘R.U.R.’ is the great-grandfather of every novel, film, or TV show in which robots are important aspects of the plot. In fact, it is because of this play, originally written in Czech, that the word ‘robot’ (meaning ‘worker’) became part of the English language. This far-seeing play is more socially relevant now than it was when it was written,” said Conte.

Despite its social relevance today, Conte noted that two words from Capek’s description of “R.U.R.” – “fantastic” and “melodrama” – “are guiding our interpretation of the work. In the 1920s, the melodrama found a home in the exciting new technology of film. Our production embraces this history and the acting style is a replica of the highly emotive and presentational techniques of the melodrama, a style that carried over into the films of the day.”

In addition to the acting style, Douglas Garland’s costume and make-up designs “were developed from the perspective of how a designer in the 1920s film industry might imagine the future, while Sean McIntosh’s set and lighting design are executed in the stark, unsettling style of the German Expressionist silent filmmakers. Of course, as in all movies of the time, music underscores the action in good melodramatic fashion, and we have some terrific music composed especially for this show by Gary DePaolo,” Conte added.

“R.U.R.” will run April 28 through 30 and May 3 through 7 each evening at 7:30 in the Black Box Theatre located in the Gertrude Krampert Theatre Complex. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students ages 5 to 18.

Tickets can be purchased at the Krampert Theatre Complex box office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, by phone at 268-2500, or one hour before each performance, for that performance only.

"Starry Night" -- as seen from a Landsat satellite

The USGS Earth Resources Observation & Science Center offers an image gallery of artsy shots from satellites. Here's an example entitled "Van Gogh from Space."

In the style of Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night," massive congregations of greenish phytoplankton swirl in the dark water around Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants that form the first link in nearly all ocean food chains. Population explosions, or blooms, of phytoplankton, like the one shown here, occur when deep currents bring nutrients up to sunlit surface waters, fueling the growth and reproduction of these tiny plants. Taken July 13, 2005.

"Religion Versus Science" author at Second Story Books on Feb. 25

Dr. Ron Frost, author of "Religion Versus Science," will be at the Second Story Book Store, 105 Ivinson Avenue in downtown Laramie on Friday, February 25, 6:30-8 p.m. for a book signing. FMI: (307) 745-4423

2nd part of EO Wilson's interview with Jeff Lockwood

If the box/screen doesn't appear, just click on the play icon at bottom left and the video will start.

Interview by Jeff Lockwood with EO Wilson

This just in from Jeff Lockwood, Professor of Natural Sciences & Humanities at UW:

The reason I’m sharing this with you is that the interview focused on Wilson’s novel, Anthill. He provides an exceptionally eloquent account for why fiction and literature are vital to modern science—indeed, he suggests a moral obligation of scientists to cultivate their capacity as storytellers in order to communicate vital knowledge to the public. In short, the preeminent biologist in the world provides a compelling argument for why an ongoing collaboration between writers and natural scientists is critical to our society. So, if the university administrators that adore science (quite honestly, I do) ever needed a reason to foster the MFA program in creative writing, here it is.

This is the first part of a two-part interview:

Write and explore your way through Yellowstone this summer

Not too early to start planning your summer...

Casper College offers the Yellowstone Experience at Yellowstone National Park May 27-June 5, 2011. This seven-credit curriculum includes three courses: ENGL 2055 90, Creative Writing in the Wild; BIOL 2110 90, Yellowstone Field Science; and PEAC 2084 90, Outdoor Living Skills.

Instructors are Terry Rasmussen and Dr. Will Robinson.

A $500 nonrefundable course fee is due by March 25.

FMI: trasmuss@caspercollege.edu or wrobins@caspercollege.edu.

Tate Geological Museum hosts mammoth holiday celebration and "Dee and the Mammoth" book launch

Tate's Mammoth ready to party!

From a Casper College press release:

A festive time is in store for all who attend the Tate Geological Museum's Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

According to Deanna Schaff, director of museums, the event will include the sale and signing of the new children's book Dee and the Mammoth by Gene Gagliano, author, and Zachary Pullen, illustrator. Both Gene and Zac will be on hand to autograph all copies sold during the open house, said Schaff.

"The book will include a documentary of the entire story of Dee the mammoth from discovery to display in DVD form, along with an audio version of the book, Schaff noted.

In addition to Gagliano and Pullen, Laramie ceramics artist Jodie Atherton will also be at the open house with a display of her unique dinosaur mosaics currently for sale. "These one-of-a-kind sculptures are about recycling, history, and the melding of art and science. I create these mosaics on plaster jackets that were used by the Tate to transport fossils safely from the field back to the prep lab," Atherton said. For every work sold, Atherton will donate 20 percent of the proceeds back to the Tate.

Perennial favorite Santasauraus will be on hand and those attending are encouraged to bring their camera for a photo opportunity with not only Santasauraus, but also the museum's newest member, Dee the mammoth.

The gift shop within the museum will feature 10 percent off purchases and free gift-wrapping.

The Tate Geological Museum Holiday Open House is free and open to the public.

FMI: Lisa S. Icenogle, Information Coordinator, Casper College, 307-268-2372

"ReVisioning the (W)hole" at UW



Ghost Fish by Margaret Haydon

Ceramic Fish Ball by Margaret Haydon















The University of Wyoming will host the fourth annual "ReVisioning the (W)hole" conference at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, in Room 506 of Coe Library.

The 90-minute presentation and panel discussion, free and open to the public, will focus on the intersections between science and art from numerous perspectives, including studies of the ancient sturgeon, psychological and pop cultural presentations of male identities and perceptions of beauty and ugliness in the insect world. A reception follows.

"This conference has two primary objectives," says organizer Meg VB-Wood, from the UW Department of English. "We want both to recognize and celebrate the on-going interdisciplinary/integrated projects on campus and beyond and to stimulate future work that looks at blurring, enlarging, and/or redefining disciplinary boundaries."

The presenters at this year's conference are Margaret Haydon, UW associate professor of art; Daniel Fielder, assistant professor of art at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington; and Jeffrey Lockwood, UW professor of philosophy and creative writing. UW professors Barbara John and Mark Ritchie will serve as moderators.

The conference is supported by the UW Foundation.

"Humans, Bison and Elk: The Archaeology of Jackson Hole" presentation July 8 in Grand Teton N.P.

From a University of Wyoming press release:

Jackson Hole's rich archaeology history is the topic for the summer seminar series Thursday, July 8, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Ken Cannon, Utah State University Archeological Services director, will discuss "Humans, Bison and Elk: The Archaeology of Jackson Hole" at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue will be held at 5:30 p.m. with a $5 per person fee; reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.

Past research work along the Wilson-Fall Creek Road on the National Elk Refuge, and in southern Teton County, have revealed insights about the valley's original occupants. Cannon will discuss some of the key sites that have contributed to the current state of understanding about the inhabitants and how they made a living in one of the most beautiful valleys in the world.

Teton County Library's "Geologists of Jackson Hole" series explores Iceland

Geologists of Jackson Hole: “How The Earth Was Made: Iceland.” On Tuesday, May 4, 6 p.m. Presented with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, this film hunts for clues to the mystery of what powerful forces are ripping Iceland apart and lighting its fiery volcanoes. Here lava rips huge tears in the ground and new islands are born from the waves. Yet Iceland has a history of being covered in, and carved by ice. Locked in a titanic battle, fire and ice collide as glaciers explode and cataclysmic floods decimate the landscape. Iceland's volcanoes have had ramifications far beyond the shores of Iceland, causing climatic chaos and devastation across the planet; a fate which may one day happen again. Cost: Free. Location: Teton County Library's Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.

Laramie writer publishes first novel

Laramie writer and artist John A. Guthrie has just released his first book.

According to John, "Edge of Heaven" is the first in a post-apocalyptic series of six novels.

Each signed and numbered first edition copy includes a sample of the author's DNA on the signature page. This figures prominently in the fifth book in the series, "John-Tar," in which a 21st century sci-fi author's DNA is grown into an avatar in the 28th century.

The book is available at bookstores in Laramie, Cheyenne and Jackson in Wyoming and Fort Collins, Colo. Find out more about "Edge of Heaven" at http://www.edgeofheavenbook.com/

UW prof's book explores ancient stone tools

From a UW press release:

Modern humans and their hominid ancestors relied on chipped-stone technology for more than two million years and colonized more than 99 percent of the Earth's habitable land. Yet there currently exist only a handful of informal models to explain variability in archaeological lithic (stone) assemblages.

Because the fundamental processes of making, using and discarding stone tools are at root exercises in problem solving, Todd Surovell, assistant professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology, asks what conditions favor certain technological solutions.

He addresses those questions theoretically in formal mathematical modeling in his recently published book (see above), "Toward a Behavioral Ecology of Lithic Technology: Cases from Paleoindian Archaeology," published by University of Arizona Press.

Surovell constructs a series of models designed to link environmental variability to human decision making as it pertains to lithic technology. To test the models, Surovell uses data from the analysis of more than 40,000 artifacts from five Rocky Mountain and Northern Plains Folsom and Goshen complex archaeological sites. The primary result is the production of powerful new analytical tools useful in interpreting archaeological assemblages.

In his 280-page book, Surovell promotes modeling and explores the general issues governing technological decisions. His models can be applied to any context in which stone tools are made and used.

Surovell's research interests are in behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherer studies, mathematical modeling, lithic technology and Paleoindian archaeology.

For more information, contact Surovell at (307) 766-3239 or e-mail surovell@uwyo.edu.