Science Pub - Bringing Fossils to Life at the John Day Paleontology Museum March 13, 2008

Bringing Fossils to Life at the John Day Paleontology Museum
with Ted Fremd
Thursday, March 13
7 p.m. – 8:30 or 9 p.m.
Luna, 30 E. Broadway, Eugene www.lunajazz.com
(Presentation begins at 7, but come early if you want to order food and drinks and get a seat!)

Any good poet must begin with the scientific view of the world; and any scientist worth listening to must be something of a poet.
--Edward Abbey, author and former National Park Service Ranger

A team of paleontologists, artists, and designers fused science and art to create the murals on display in the new exhibit gallery at John Day Fossil Beds http://www.nps.gov/joda. The work entailed re-creating extinct environments and extinct animals by studying tens of thousands of fossils and hundreds of rugged, layered outcrops. To understand the nature of ancient systems of life, paleontologists worked closely with ecologists, geologists, biologists, botanists, zoologists, entomologists, sedimentologists, climatologists, physicists, and chemists—just to name a few. Each provided an piece of the puzzle. Join us to find out more about these "dead things found in the ground" (otherwise known as fossils) and the challenges of giving them a new life.

Ted Fremd http://www.vertpaleo.org/education/paleoprofiles.cfm is the chief paleontologist at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and a science advisor for the Western region of the National Park Service. As the conductor of this project, he has first-hand knowledge of the “scientific story behind the scenery” that went into making this museum factually accurate.. Located "out in the middle of nowhere," this new facility has startled unsuspecting visitors with its attention to scientific detail and beautiful art and rockwork.

Science Pub is open to anyone and everyone; no RSVP is necessary. Tell your friends. We hope to see you there!

Science Pub is held every second Thursday at Luna in downtown Eugene and is co-sponsored by OMSI http://www.omsi.edu, University of Oregon’s College of Arts & Sciences http://cas.uoregon.edu, and The Science Factory http://www.sciencefactory.org.

Questions? E-mail sciencepub@omsi.edu or call 503.797.4517. Visit http://www.omsi.edu/sciencepub for a description of upcoming Science Pubs.

Official Website: http://www.omsi.edu/sciencepub