Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Patty Ralrick



I am originally from Bellevue, Nebraska, and came to Alberta for the first time in 1997 to learn vertebrate paleontological field techniques through the Royal Tyrrell Museum. In 2005, I moved to Alberta to persue a masters degree through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at the University of Calgary. My thesis project involved the taphonomic description of a 1200 year old (on average) mass mortality of mostly vertebrates at Little Fish Lake near Drumheller. I completed this project in 2007.

Currently, I am a PhD student with the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Calgary and am studying the microvertebrate fauna of the Latest Cretaceous Scollard Formation. This formation includes the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary which is when the dinosaurs and other life forms went extinct. The Scollard Formation can be found in outcrops along the Red Deer River valley. I plan on prospecting for new microvertebrate localities, as well as collecting, washing and sorting material while on the scow trip. Some of this work will be featured on this blog during the expedition. The fossils found will be included in my research project.

I will be on the scow for the entire trip. Besides conducting research, I will be the main cook for the crew and have some prior experience in this area. I have been experimenting with old recipes and am looking forward to cooking and baking on the wood burning stove. I believe this trip is the chance of a lifetime and am excited to be included as a part of the crew.

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