For Immediate Release —April 6, 2009
Contact:
David Irwin
Media Relations Manager
(585) 245-5516
irwin@geneseo.edu

Dinosaur Expert David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum to Deliver Sixth Annual SUNY Geneseo American Rock Salt Lecture

GENESEO, N.Y. – David C. Evans, associate curator in vertebrate paleontology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and a dinosaur expert, will deliver the sixth annual American Rock Salt Lecture on Geology April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in 202 Newton Hall at the State University of New York at Geneseo.  Evans oversees dinosaur research at the museum and will address “New Insights into the Paleobiology of Crested Duckbilled Dinosaurs.”  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Evan also is an assistant professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto, where he earned his doctorate.  His research has led to publications on systematic and evolution of dinosaurs, functional morphology and phylogenetic methods and theory.  He remains active in the field searching for and collecting dinosaur and other vertebrate fossils.

His lecture will address how the duckbilled dinosaurs provide one of the clearest windows into dinosaur biology and evolution because of their extensive fossil record.  New research provides a fresh look at the function of their bizarre head crests, and documents a remarkably detailed record of their evolution into the twilight of the Mesozoic Era.

"We are proud to provide this support of the geological sciences at SUNY Geneseo,” said Joseph G. Bucci, a Geneseo alumnus and vice chairman of American Rock Salt.  “Bringing in speakers like Dr. Evans gives us all a valuable perspective on science and how history impacts our lives today.”

In addition to the lecture, Evans also will speak with students about his research, graduate school, career options and other topics of interest. 

American Rock Salt Company LLC and Geneseo's department of geological sciences formed a partnership in 2003, and the first American Rock Salt lecture was held in the spring of 2004. This important educational partnership is a model program offering a mutually beneficial relationship between the company and the college. As a result of the partnership, Geneseo students intern at American Rock Salt and tour the expansive mine; the company provides support for undergraduate research; and company executives and other experts deliver talks on campus, including the annual American Rock Salt lecture.