On September 24th, Maureen Long will present “Earthquakes and volcanoes and tsunamis, oh my!: The science of natural disasters”
When the earth twitches buildings fall, volcanoes erupt, and killer waves reshape the ocean shore. Join us this Saturday to learn from Prof. Maureen Long about how earth scientists can recognize such past events in the geologic record, and how we might predict them in the future.
Time: Demonstrations by Synapse of Yale Scientific Magazine from 10am - 11am; Talk from 11am - noon.
About Maureen Long: Long is an observational seismologist who works on problems related to mantle dynamics, with a focus on subduction zone processes, the structure and evolution of continental lithosphere, and the dynamics of the deep mantle. Her research group uses observations of seismic anisotropy in the Earth’s mantle to address major unsolved problems related to mantle dynamics, from the lithosphere to the core-mantle boundary. In particular, they work on the dynamics of subduction systems, using seismic observations and geodynamic models to understand the behavior of slabs and the pattern of mantle flow induced by subduction. Results from this work bear on fundamental aspects of subduction geodynamics, such as thesubduction zone water cycle, the generation and transport of melt, the mechanical coupling between slabs and the ambient mantle, and slab morphology, rheology, and evolution. We also investigate seismic anisotropy and its relationship to structures such as subducting slabs and low shear velocity provinces (LSVPs) in the deep mantle. This research encompasses investigations of anisotropy in the mid-mantle (transition zone and uppermost lower mantle) and in the D” region at the base of the mantle. They are also interested in how subduction (and rifting) processes affect the structure, evolution, and deformation of continental lithosphere, both in regions of present-day tectonic activity (such as Cascadia and western South America) and in regions that have been affected by subduction and continental breakup in the past (such as eastern North America). Long’s research encompasses a substantial field component, with recent and ongoing seismometer deployments in the Pacific Northwest, Peru, the Appalachian Mountains, and offshore eastern North America.
On October 15th, Jacques Gauthier will present “Birds are Living Dinosaurs/Dinosaurs are Stem Birds.”
Tastes like chicken you say - or should it be tastes like apatosaurus? Come listen to Prof. Jacques Gauthier tell us how we know the dinosaurs didn’t really all disappear, they just learned to fly.
Time: Demonstrations by Synapse of Yale Scientific Magazine from 10am - 11am; Talk from 11am - noon.
About Jacques Gauthier: Gauthier is a vertebrate paleontologist, comparative morphologist, and systematist, and one of the founders of the use of cladistics in biology. Currently he is a Professor of Geology and Geophysics and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Vertebrate Zoology at Yale University. His master’s thesis, the content of which was published in 1982, is a classic work on the paleontology and phylogeny of the lizard clade Anguimorpha that remains a core reference for morphological research on Xenosauridae and Anguidae in particular. His PhD thesis constituted the first major cladistic analysis of Diapsida, as well as arguing for the monophyly of the dinosaurs. He followed this with an important paper on the origin of birds from theropods. This was the first detailed cladistic analysis of the theropod dinosaurs, and initiated a revolution in dinosaur phylogenetics, in which cladistics replaced the Linnaean system in the classification and phylogenetic understanding of the dinosaurs. More recently, he has argued together with Kevin de Queiroz for replacing Linnaean taxonomy with the PhyloCode. In addition to his theoretical work on systematics and taxonomy, Gauthier continues to study the anatomy and relationships of diapsids, particularly lepidosaurs. His lizard work currently focuses on Scincomorpha, following on a career-long interest in the unusual clade Xantusiidae. He is a principal investigator on the National Science Foundation-funded effort to reconstruct the phylogeny of lizards and snakes (Squamata) using gross anatomy and molecular structure, building on his earlier work in collaboration with Richard Estes and Kevin de Queiroz, which established the most widely accepted phylogeny of the group.