Re: ROYAL TYRRELL MUSEUM UPDATES CANCELLED

["Thomas B. Kellogg" <tomk@iceage.umeqs.maine.edu>]

        As a micropaleontologist who teaches an undergraduate Dinosaur
course, I have enjoyed Darren Tanke's periodic reports on the Royal Tyrrell
Museum's activities. His comments have always been clearly stated,
pertinent, and interesting. Many of them have served as discussion topics
for my class. While it was clear to me from the start that Darren lacks an
advanced degree, the quality of his communications demonstrated his
extensive field and laboratory expertise, and especially his fascinating
work on Paleopathology etc.
        I for one consider the ban imposed "by middle and upper management
at the Royal
Tyrrell Museum" on Darren's  bimonthly and monthly lab and field updates as
a great loss to all dinosaur afficianados, to the Dinosaur Scientific
Community at large, and to subscribers to this list.  Truly this is a most
regretable case of over-reaction.  Nearly every professional scientist, in
all specialties, has had the unfortunate experience of being misquoted. In
fact, if a scientist writes or says anything that gets picked up by others,
some degree of misunderstanding or misquotation is almost assured. And many
of us have had experience of that degree being considerable.
Unfortunately, those of us with advance degrees have the crutch of
"Academic Freedom" to lean on to prevent our " middle and upper management"
(Deans, Directors, Chairs, etc.) from taking such drastic steps as at the
Royal Tyrrell Museum.  But IMHO, Darren Tanke has demonstrated the
expertise to deserve no less treatment than tenured faculty.
        I would hope that the "middle and upper management at the Royal
Tyrrell Museum" would reconsider their action as soon as possible and let
Darren resume his newsletters. Lacking that action, I hope that the
"Professional" Dinosaur Paleontologists who subscribe to this list will
contact the Royal Tyrrell Museum to express their support for Darren.


Thomas B. Kellogg
Professor of Geological Sciences
  and Quaternary Studies
5790 Edward T. Bryand Global Sciences Center
University of Maine
Orono, ME  04469-5790

(207) 581-2194
(207) 581-1203 fax

Thomas B. Kellogg
Professor of Geological Sciences
  and Quaternary Studies
5790 Edward T. Bryand Global Sciences Center
University of Maine
Orono, ME  04469-5790

(207) 581-2194
(207) 581-1203 fax