Speaker
Amanda Falk is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Centre College in Danville, KY (hosted by Curtis Congreve)

Seminar Title
Birds, Dirt, and Lasers: A New Look at Old Fossils

Abstract
Recent discoveries of incredible fossil birds from East Asia have captivated vertebrate paleontologists. New techniques and new technologies allow us to revisit some of these specimens and make new discoveries. Laser-stimulated fluorescence reveals soft tissues of the Early Cretaceous basal bird Confuciusornis that appear very modern. Revisiting the morphology of avian feet and hindlimbs from a different perspective reveals new trends in morphospace occupation, as well as interesting links–or lack thereof–between morphology, phylogeny, and ecology. Finally, this ties together into examining fossil avian behavior through amazing tracksites that have been discovered in Korea.

Bio
Amanda Falk is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Centre College in Danville, KY. She teaches comparative anatomy and physiology, human anatomy and physiology, paleontology, natural history of the vertebrates, and various introductory science courses. She graduated with a BS in Biology from Lake Superior State University, and an MS and PhD in Geology from the University of Kansas. She is very much a cat person, and if a cat happens to interrupt this colloquium presentation, she expresses her deepest apologies.