Dr. Wann Langston, Jr. (1921-2013)

Last night we lost one of the most influential paleontologists of the 20th century, Wann Langston, Jr.

Wann’s lifelong fascination with fossils spans nine decades; his influence on the field of vertebrate paleontology will undoubtedly last for generations to come. From the age of four, Dr. Langston was captivated by ancient life, and spent a childhood in the pursuit and reconstruction of vertebrate skeletons. Spending much of his formative years visiting museums, he met many of the influential paleontologists of the time, and gained entry early into the study of fossils. Volunteering in a paleontology laboratory preparing fossils during his teenage years, he participated in his first scientific collecting trip at the age of 17, joining a team from the University of Oklahoma in the Big Bend of Texas. After graduating with a BS in Geology from the University of Oklahoma, he served in the United States Navy, returning to the University of Oklahoma at the end of World War II for an MS under J. Willis Stovall. After teaching for a few years at Texas Technological College, in Lubbock, Texas, he entered the Ph.D. program at the University of California, Berkeley to study the Permian amphibians of New Mexico with Charles Camp, completing his degree in 1952. Wann remained there as a lecturer and Chief Preparator until 1954, when he moved to Ottawa to assume the position of Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the National Museum of Canada. Nine years later, he trekked to The University of Texas at Austin, where he subsequently spent 50 years contributing to the world’s knowledge of fossil reptiles. His research spanned many groups of animals, and he is widely known for his work on North American dinosaurs, Permian amphibians, and North and South American crocodilians. Dr. Langston's fieldwork continued to expand the collections at UT, and he was responsible for many of the public displays of dinosaurs and other fossil reptiles exhibited

Wann with his panel mount of Dilophosaurus weatherilli at Berkeley.

throughout Texas. His paleontological legacy consists of field collections, skeletal reconstructions, an unparalleled personal library, and over 100 publications, as well as innumerable students and colleagues that have been touched by his knowledge and skills. Specimens that he collected or mounted can be viewed at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of Texas Tech University, Big Bend National Park, among many others institutions around the United States and around the world.

Wann was a multi-talented individual, comfortable in the field, preparation lab, classroom, research office, and welding shop.  I have had the privilege of working with Wann in the lab over the four years that I've been at UT, and I have learned an enormous amount from him. I'm going to miss Wann very much.

Only 8 days left!

Reposted from Preplist
Eight days remain for early registration and abstract submission for the 6th Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium at the RTMP.

Workshops will include:
Cast painting
Adhesives and consolidants, next chapter by Amy Davidson
An introduction to safe hoisting and rigging
Digital specimen photography and curation of digital archives
Plaster types and their uses
Silicone moulding rubbers by Silicones Inc.
Air scribe care and maintenance by Bill Murray
Vacuum casting
And the adaptation of lab and field techniques for public programs.


More information will follow soon on the official website

New! Air-scribe

 

Ca. early 1960s(?) From the VPL archives

Results of 2011 SVP Preparators Grant

In February of 2012 The University of Texas at Austin hosted a writing workshop to support the 2011 SVP Preparators Grant, which was awarded to Matthew Brown for the proposal titled "Teaching fossil preparation methods, developing standards and curricula" submitted by Brown, Amy Davidson, and Matt Smith. In addition to Steve Jabo and Marilyn Fox, the group set out to "define standards for preparation and identify necessary skills and abilities required to competently prepare fossils." Two products were completed, a white paper outlining essential competencies for preparation, and a sample curriculum for teaching paleontological laboratory methods.

The Grant Report as submitted to the SVP Grant Committee can be downloaded here.

 

Laboratory documentation survey

Dear colleagues,

As part of a project examining lab methods in vertebrate paleontology, I've put together a quick survey to get a general sense of what kind of and how much information we record about lab methods. If you are associated with an institution responsible for the preparation and conservation of fossils, three minutes of your time to answer the 8 multiple choice questions would be greatly appreciated. An analysis of the completely anonymous answers may be included in reports to committees or via the paleo literature. At minimum, I'll post the results on a blog in a few weeks.

The survey will be open for 10 days, simply click the link below, answer the eight questions, and click Done. That's it!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5KNMW7G


Thanks in advance for your time.

1,2,3,4, I declare a thumb war

 Avulsion fracture of the proximal phalanx due to a repetitive stress injury of the ulnar collateral ligament. Not what I wanted to hear going into the field season. Utah Geological Survey preparator Scott Madsen (formerly National Park Service) has given several talks about the frequency of work related injuries in paleontology over the last ten years, and the safety message always bears repeating.


This joint has been hurting for a few weeks, but since my body (hands and arms in particular) is always feeling twinges or aches I ignored it, as they always go away at some point. But not this time. After bumping my thumb on a doorknob and feeling an explosion of pain that was clearly not tendonitis, I decided to have it looked at. The initial diagnosis was a strained or torn UCL, and the radiologist called the next day to inform me that the bone was fractured as well. This injury seems to be consistent with a condition called Gamekeeper's Thumb, or when acute, Skier's Thumb. 


There wasn't a single traumatic event that immediately led to the pain, I know that I first took note a month ago during Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals. While at a bar watching the Rangers lose, I remember asking for a cup of ice to numb the pain in my thumb. Earlier that day I had been trying in vain to open a consolidant bottle that was firmly glued closed, I hate to think that event may be what triggered the fracture, but I suppose it shouldn't be ruled out.
 
Since posting the xray on Facebook, I've since heard from a number of colleagues who have experienced similar pain. The takeaway is that joints and bones aren't supposed to hurt like hell all the time, and it is worth having these things checked out before long term damage is done. If you've suffered work related injuries in the lab or field, let me know and I'll pass the info along to Pedro Viegas, who has been collecting data on similar injuries. For hand safety, he recommends these anti-vibration gloves.

My next few weeks are doomed to taking it easy and wearing a goofy looking (and quite uncomfortable) cast to immobilize the thumb. Hopefully I can be good and give the hand some time off from airscribes, chisels, pinvises, shotguns, truck ignitions, shirt buttons, using a fork, taking off socks, driving stick, sculpting, writing, typing.... Jeez, I sure use my right thumb a lot.  

Madsen, S. 2002. Work-related injuries and illnesses related to preparation and fieldwork. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Supplement to No. 3

Madsen, S. 2008. The Preparator: a survivor’s guide. First Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium, Abstracts of Papers 1:14

Berkeley fossil preparation position

The University of California Museum of Paleontology is hiring a fossil preparator. For more information click this link and search for job code 14091.

06/12/2012    Scientist, Museum, Sr #14091    14091    Main Campus-Berkeley

Contact Assistant Director Mark Goodwin for more information.
mark@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-9745