One of the most important endeavors members of groups underrepresented in STEM can undertake is finding their community of support. The Paleontological Society recognizes the importance of inclusion and belonging and nurturing scientists throughout their career paths. We now offer conference grants to support our members’ participation in the annual conferences of SACNAS (The National Diversity in STEM Conference) (https://www.sacnas.org/) and the National Association of Black Geoscientists (http://www.nabg-us.org/). With this announcement, the Paleontological Society is offering conference gr ..read more

  September 22 was National Voter Registration Day, and it provided a good opportunity to remind all Paleontological Society members in the United States to register to vote ( https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote). According to the U.S. Constitution (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript), voting is a right, as well as a vital privilege and responsibility. A U.S. citizen who is 18 years or older before Election Day, who meets their state’s residency requirements, and is registered to vote by their state voter registration deadline is eligible to vote. You ca ..read more

Paleontological Research Institution Launches Virtual Toolkit to Learn about the Earth and its 4.5-billion-year History ITHACA, NY-The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is pleased to announce the launch of Earth@Home™, a free online toolkit for learning about Earth and its 4.5-billion-year history. Earth@Home™, which launched on August 24, is rich with free interactive content about Earth and its life, with a focus on geology, paleontology, climate, and the connections of Earth’s different systems. The major components of this platform include regionally-based guides to Earth science ..read more

Hello everyone! This post is part of the Paleo Policy Profiles series which will showcase paleontologists who are currently science policy professionals. For this interview, we talked with Thomas Olszewski, a researcher at the Institute for Defense Analysis’ Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). This interview was compiled by Stephanie Plaza-Torres and Lyndsey Farrar, Paleontological Society / AGI Policy Interns. Where do you currently work? I work at the Institute for Defense Analysis’ Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), which is a Federally Funded Research and Developme ..read more

2020 PS Officer Candidates    Representative At Large Danita Brandt Michigan State University. Click here to view Danita biography         Nicole Bonuso California State University-Fullerton. Click here to view Nicole biography     Journal of Paleontology Editor (uncontested) Ellen Currano University of Wyoming. Click here to view Ellen biography         Treasurer (uncontested) Jonathan R. Hendricks PRI Science Communication Director. Click here to view Jonathan biography         President Elect Anne Raymond Texas ..read more

The Paleontological Society recognizes the importance of educational and research practices that foster diversity and inclusion.  We value the contribution of diverse opinions, strategies, and experiences at the sessions, short courses, and workshops that we sponsor at meetings of the Geological Society of America and the North American Paleontological Convention as they are an integral part to the advancement of our field.  However, many of our colleagues who work extensively on inclusive educational and research practices might not qualify for research-based funding for conference ..read more

Virtual Policy Interns: Introduction (This following is a report from Stephanie Plaza-Torres and Lyndsey Farrar, Paleontological Society / AGI Policy Interns) Hello Paleontological Society! My name is Stephanie Plaza-Torres and I am currently working – remotely – as a Paleontological Society / American Geosciences Institute Policy Intern. I graduated with a B.S. in Geology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez last year and this fall I start my PhD in Geology at the University of Colorado Boulder.   Currently I am working on a project focusing on the digital data and metadata be ..read more

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) this month welcomes four geoscience university students to an innovative remote adaptation of the traditional AGI/AAPG Geoscience Policy Summer Internship and AGI/Paleontological Society Policy Internship. Because of limitations presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, AGI has retooled its geoscience internships to be done remotely while still providing the policy-relevant experience. “We are pleased to have four very talented young geoscientists joining us this summer to work on projects to support the geosciences’ role in polic ..read more

Women in Vertebrate Paleontology Annalisa Berta and Susan Turner For centuries, women have played key roles in defining and developing the field of vertebrate paleontology. Yet very little is known about these important paleontologists, and the true impacts of their contributions have remained obscure. In Rebels, Scholars, Explorers, Annalisa Berta, and Susan Turner celebrate the history of women “bone hunters,” delving into their fascinating lives and work. At the same time, they explore how the discipline has shaped our understanding of the history of life on Earth. Berta and Turner begin by ..read more

Dear colleagues, With the funding of our Paleosynthesis project we are now making our second big step, aiming to strengthen Paleontology in Germany but also worldwide. Our first step was the nomination of candidates and their election for our Advisory Board by the German paleo community. Now we want to involve paleontologists from all over the world. As a relatively small but scientifically diverse community, we need to know how to fortify paleontology and to prepare our scientific field for a promising future. Your ideas will help to find focus for the entire discipline but also help in selec ..read more