Welcome! Thanks for joining us for-- “Women in Paleontology: Tara’s Take”

1. Welcome! Thanks for joining us for-- “Women in Paleontology: Tara’s Take” Presented by Taormina (Tara) Lepore Science Teacher and Research Associate Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology and The Webb Schools This webinar will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern time. • If you didn’t enter your first and last name in the “Guest” field, please close this window and log back in using your full name (necessary to keep track of attendance). • If you joined us early and are waiting— • Please enjoy the background music. If you can’t hear it, make sure your computer speakers are turned on. • Feel free to write a question in the Chat Box! We will try to answer it during the presentation. • Don’t forget to join the myFOSSIL community at www.myfossil.org • Having technical problems? Ask us for help by typing in the chat box or check the troubleshooting guide at https://www.idigbio.org/wiki/index.php/Web_Conferencing

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4. Outline • Purpose: Women in Paleontology – A Diverse Arena • Why Paleontology? Tara’s Story • How Do I Find My Path? • Q&A • Wrap-up & survey

5. Why Women in Paleontology? A Diverse Arena

6. Why Women in Paleontology? A Diverse Arena • Since the days of Mary Anning, women have been a part of the paleontology crowd. • Visibility and mentoring is key to supporting women and female-identifying people from all sorts of diverse backgrounds.

7. Recent Inspirations • Paleo Fest 2016: Women in Paleontology • Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 2016: Women in Science Social • A long line of inspirational mentors – academic and personal

8. Mentors: Women in Paleontology Image courtesy of Karen Chin Image courtesy of T. Lepore

9. Why Paleontology? -Curiosity about the natural world -Wrote a letter to Ostrom… -Strong interest in biology and geology -Finding your own supports and mentors -Don’t let road blocks hold you up; math, test anxiety, etc.

10. All In Good Time My timeline: 1984-forever – an interest in vertebrate paleontology 1999-2002 – HMNH/MCZ Volunteering 2001 – Earthwatch Internship 2002-2006 – UMass Amherst (Bachelor’s in Biology) 2006 – Mammoth Site Internship 2007-2008 – Ecotarium Internship 2007-2010 – Pharmaceutical Industry 2010-2012 – CU-Boulder (Master’s in Museum and Field Studies) 2011 – GeoCorps Internship at Fossil Butte Nat. Mon. 2012-2015 – Teaching science in public schools 2015-2016 – Paleontological consulting 2016 – present – The Webb Schools and Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology 2016-present – Research with Dinosaur Journey, CO

11. Volunteering and Internships -Harvard Museum of Natural History (MCZ) -The Trustees (MA) -The Ecotarium -Denver Museum of Nature and Science -Houston Museum of Natural History …seek out local opportunities!

12. Volunteering and Internships GeoCorps Opportunities – a great gateway into research, meeting potential advisers, and recommendation letter writers! https://www.geosociety.org/geocorps/

13. Volunteering and Internships

14. Independent Reading -Check out resources at your local library, online, and books recommended by your science teachers or professors. -Become acquainted with research papers in your area of interest. Try to read a little every day! #365magazines #365papers

15. Undergraduate Research Mapped and identified 300+ tracks on a public site next to the Connecticut River.

16. Graduate Research What were my questions? -Why were weird impressions preserved? What are they? -What animal made the droppings? -Can we classify the inclusions? Tissue-Bearing Theropod Coprolites From the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, Laramie Formation) Of Colorado What did I find? -Probable tyrannosaurid droppings -Lots of interesting inclusions, or “morphotypes” -Implications for taphonomy, bacterial mat preservation, diet

17. Park Service and Public Lands

18. Work in Education -Harmony School of Science (Sugar Land, TX) and Waltrip Senior High School (Houston, TX) Nasal bone measurement = 90.37 mm

19. Staying Involved in Research and Professional Societies

20. Work in Consulting and Mitigation

21. Work in Consulting and Mitigation

22. Webb and the Alf Museum

23. How Do I Find My Path? -Think carefully about your interests. There are many avenues to paleontology. -What do you want to study? What excites you? -Take courses: school, online, outside your “comfort zone” -Talk to people in the field! Find a mentor.

24. Finding Your Passion and Learning New Skills -Continue to read independently in your own field of interest. Can you picture yourself writing and reading academic papers? -Stay strong in math, science, writing, and art. But, don’t be discouraged if you are set back. -Take a computer programming class (R, HTML, Java)

25. Field Experience

26. Field Experience

27. Field Experience

28. Field Experience

29. Networking: Volunteering -One of the absolute best ways to network and get your “foot in the door”! -Test out your limits and your interests -Spend time exploring your favorite subjects -…Looks good on the ol’ resume -Is field work for me? Lab work?

30. Networking: Internships -More substantial training experiences -Try to get them in college or during high school if possible -Don’t be afraid to branch out to new parts of the country/world or into new subjects -Often paid opportunities (huzzah!)

31. Research Projects -Be involved and active in your research organizations -Find a local fossil preparation lab -Undertake a senior thesis or other research project; cross-register for a class -Talk to students and teachers in paleontology: these are your colleagues and mentors!

32. Social Media and Blogging -Start a blog! Here’s mine: www.outboundadventurer.com -Connect on social media! @taorminalepore @outboundtreks -Join Paleontology Education on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/paleontologyeducation -Blogging on PLOS -Social Media for Paleontological Society

33. Q&A • Feel free to ask me any questions! • Looking for volunteering and internship opportunities? • Webb Schools / Raymond M. Alf Museum • Diverse career pathways in paleontology

34. Q&A Image thanks to Ethan Kocak @blackmudpuppy!

35. Wrap-up & Survey • This concludes the presentation. Thanks! • The next webinar in this series is: -Feb 22, Brenda Hunda (Cincinnati Museum Center) • Remember to take the short (5 to 10 minutes) feedback survey at: http://tinyurl.com/WiPTara • Visit us at myFOSSIL to access: this Powerpoint, recorded webinars, participate in webinar forum, and connect with others.