Paul Sereno lecture at Fernbank MNH

[MKIRKALDY@aol.com]

Paul Sereno visited Fernbank MNH in Atlanta this afternoon, giving
a slide lecture to the University of Chicago Alumni.  The talk was 
entitled "Dinosaurs on Drifting Continents."  Wonderful images of
Morocco, Niger, _Suchomimus_, two new sauropods for which he
is trying to obtain funding for mounting and display, and discussion
of waiting for a couple of weeks for a major announcement.  Hint:
Downy will not just be a fabric softener.  Look for other major 
papers this fall.  (He gave a lot more details, but Tom Holtz would 
be mad at me if I didn't "wait for the publication.")

The lecture was very wide-ranging and at a surprisingly high level
for a general audience, which included some children.  Continental
drift was just one of the many topics discussed, and I heard new
information on  _Tyrannosaurus rex_ vs. _Carcharodontosaurus_ 
braincase studies, a certain new structure found on _Confuciusornis_, 
and a new methodology for measuring dinosaur activity levels. 

One of the questions at the end of the lecture asked his advice 
on college preparation for a career in paleontology.  He said to be sure
to do _very_ well in whatever one takes in college, but especially in
science courses.  In choosing graduate students, he looks for a high
energy level, the ability to do independent research, and those who
get involved.

One thing I would add is to take some public speaking courses along
the way.  Dr. Sereno spoke without notes for an hour and a half, then
answered questions for another half hour and kept his audience
enthralled.  It is not a coincidence that the paleontology TV programs 
feature mostly the same faces---Currie, Sereno, Bakker, Horner, 
sometimes Kirkland and now Holtz. They all can express their ideas 
in an interesting and telegenic manner.  No program wants an hour of 
dead air on dead dinosaurs. 

As I alluded to above, Dr. Sereno is going to be sponsoring and 
participating in a fund-raising marathon run to raise money for mounting
and display of two new sauropods which his team found--one almost 
fully grown and the other a juvenile.  I will have more details on this 
when I receive them.  

Dr. Sereno was flying to Casablanca tonight from Atlanta to dedicate 
a new museum.  Future trips include going back to Niger and to the
Gobi in 2000.

Mary
mkirkaldy@aol.com