Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology

SPECIAL EVENT

Meet the Science Authors: Fossils and the Evolution of Modern Birds

15 June 2006

AAAS Auditorium
Washington, DC

For the first time, AAAS hosted the authors of a recently released paper in Science . Dr. Hai-lu You of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, Dr. Matthew C. Lamanna of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , and Dr. Jerald D. Harris of Dixie State College, St. George , Utah described their latest fossil discoveries related to the evolution of modern birds.

The research, directed by Dr.You, was sponsored in part by the Discovery Quest Program for The Science Channel The evening's presentation also included a short clip from The Science Channel's special feature, “Rise of the Feathered Dragons.”

Read more about the authors:

• Jerald D. Harris, Ph.D.
• Matthew C. Lamanna, Ph.D.
• Hai-lu You, Ph.D.

Welcome Alan I. Leshner, AAAS chief executive office and publisher of the journal, Science
Introductory Remarks Brooks Hanson, deputy editor for physical sciences, Science
Presentation by the Authors – Part I Jerald D. Harris, Ph.D. Matthew C. Lamanna, Ph.D.
Video Presentation (MOV, 10MB)
Presentation by the Authors – Part II Matthew C. Lamanna, Ph.D.
Audience Q&A

NEWS FROM AAAS

Read about the event here.

BIOGRAPHIES

	DR. HAI-LU YOU is Senior Researcher of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing. He received his Ph.D. degree in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, in 2002. His current research focuses on the anatomy and phylogeny of horned and duck-billed dinosaurs and Mesozoic birds, as well as their paleoecology, paleoenvironment, and biogeography. Dr. You led numerous international expeditions to dig for dinosaurs in the land of the dragon, China, and with others, he has named eight new dinosaur genera since 2003, including the largest-toothed herbivorous dinosaur in the world.
	DR. JERALD D. HARRIS is Director of Paleontology in the Science Department at Dixie State College, St. George, Utah. His discoveries have included a new diplodocoid sauropod (Suuwassea) from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Montana. His research interests include Mesozoic biotas and paleoecology; evolutionary rates, patterns, and processes; phylogenetic systematics and taxonomy; taphonomy and the fossilization process; and paleobiogeography, biostratigraphy, and their phylogenetic implications. Dr. Harris received his Ph.D. degree in Earth and Environmental Science, with an emphasis on Vertebrate Paleontology, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004.
	DR. MATTHEW C. LAMANNA is Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He published his first Science paper in 2001, while he was still a graduate student, after his friend and co-author, Josh Smith, spotted a bone protruding from sand in Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis. The bone proved to be a fossil from one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered, a giant sauropod from an Upper Cretaceous mangrove deposit (Science, 26 October 2001). Dr. Lamanna received his Ph.D. degree in Earth and Environmental Science in 2004 from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include non-avian and avian dinosaur evolution, paleoecology, and paleobiogeography.