Curator's Forum

What do the Museum’s curators do? The Curator's Forum lecture series lets you find out. Get acquainted with the latest Museum research being done in fields ranging from archaeology to zoology.

These informative presentations are held Wednesday evenings in Murch Auditorium. There is a reception after every lecture, to meet the Curator and ask questions. Light refreshments are served. Proceeds support the Museum's Collections & Research Division.

We hope to see you there!


	25 Years of Change at Presque Isle State Park Dr. Jim Bissell, Curator of Botany and Director of Conservation Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 7 pm The Museum's Botany Department staff and volunteers have spent hundreds of days since 1985 surveying the 3,000-acre Presque Isle peninsula in Pennsylvania. Presque Isle contains the finest complex of sand dunes, dry sand plains and coastal wetlands along the U.S. coast of Lake Erie. Museum research shows that some rare species are only present during years when Lake Erie water levels are near record highs; others are only present when the water level is low. During these investigations, plants not reported for more than a century were rediscovered and several plants new to Pennsylvania's flora were found. Based on department data and recommendations, a major restoration by several universities, state agencies, park staff and the Museum will occur at Presque Isle in 2012 and 2013. Dr. Bissell will discuss the threat of invasive plants to this wetland habitat and the need to steward this and all wetlands on the southern shores of Lake Erie.
	Down But Not Out: Status of the Common Mudpuppy in the Grand River Dr. Tim Matson, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 7 pm In Ohio, lampricides have been used since 1986 to control the population of sea lamprey, an invasive and parasitic invader from the Atlantic Ocean. Certain non-targeted species are particularly sensitive to lampricides, among them the common mudpuppy, which is Ohio's second largest aquatic salamander. Dr. Matson will review population estimates from the 1980s and compare those with natural history and population data collected during the last several years to evaluate the current status of the mudpuppy. He'll also review the status of the mudpuppy in the nearby Ashtabula River.
	Ohio Hopewell: Seeking the People Behind the Mysteries Dr. N'omi Greber, Curator of Archaeology Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 7 pm About 2,000 years ago in Southern Ohio, people with no cities or sizable villages built enormous public monuments. They crafted intricate images of mythic heroes and creatures from other worlds but left no books to tell us these tales. They produced beautiful fabrics and costumes for pageantry, worked copper, cut mica and chipped obsidian—all acquired from far away places. They knew the geology of their land and traced patterns in the sky. Based on the material remains they left behind, what can we learn about the people? Dr. Greber will show examples of objects, buildings and earthworks and discuss the possible role of these within the daily lives and celebrations of Ohio's Hopewell people.
	Stones for a Monument: Geological Aspects of the Rehabilitation of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Dr. Joe Hannibal, Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 7 pm The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a splendid Victorian structure built to honor Cuyahoga County soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War. Dr. Hannibal, along with the Museum's Curator of Mineralogy Dr. David Saja, has been involved with multiple geological aspects of the rehabilitation of this monument. This talk will explore these geological aspects and their broader implications.
	The Origins and Evolution of Praying Mantises Dr. Gavin Svenson, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 7 pm Research using DNA has revealed a complicated history of distribution and evolution within the praying mantis insect group. With the origins of praying mantises at the beginning of the Jurassic—and most modern lineages originating during the late Cretaceous—many of the divergences appear to be associated with the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana (when all major continents in the Southern Hemisphere formed a single land mass). This pattern of origin and diversification led to many instances of striking convergences in unrelated mantis groups. Dr. Svenson will discuss his research that aims to create a new and accurate classification system for praying mantises that reflects true evolutionary relationships.
	Early Hominid Locomotion: Did Lucy Watch Her Relatives Climb Trees? Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Curator of Physical Anthropology Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 7 pm Lucy's species, Australopithecus afarensis, lived between 3.7 and 2.9 million years ago. Numerous fossil remains and the 3.7 million-year-old tracks discovered at Laetoli, Tanzania, indicate that members of this species were fully committed to upright walking. However, recent discovery of a partial foot from the Woranso-Mille study area of Ethiopia, dated to about 3.4 million years ago, indicates that there was another Ardipithecus ramidus-like group with a grasping big toe. Dr. Haile-Selassie will talk about the discovery and interpretation of the specimen and its profound implications for the diversity of early human ancestors.