Megan Paustian
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, PA
Dear National Science Foundation:
I am quite grateful to have been invited to participate in the RTP program,
which has made this about the most interesting and enlightening summer I have
experienced yet. I am majoring in Biology with an Environmental Science concentration,
and I intend to work towards a Ph.D. in an ecological or environmental field.
It is my hope to work as a research biologist for the government or a non-profit
institution. Working and touring behind the scenes at the National Museum
of Natural History has allowed me a better understanding of the career of
a research scientist. By spending time with my scientist advisor, I have observed
the range of activities in which a biologist participates from day to day,
such as research, writing papers, contacting other experts for assistance,
and attending or giving lectures.
The field of paleobiology has always entertained my curiosity. I have been
baffled that scientists can reconstruct past ecological communities from the
irregular, fragmentary fossil record. Fortunately, I have been able to lift
my confusion by performing paleobotanical research. For my project, I learned
how paleobiologists identify (or try to identify) fossil plants, how to quantify
the relative abundance of species or genera from a fossil location, and how
fossil plants are classified and named. In addition, I practiced other important
scientific skills such as preparing and photographing fossils and presenting
the research results through a poster, a research paper, and a talk.
My research contributes to the study of the climate-induced ecological shift
in plant assemblages between the middle Pennsylvanian and early Permian. Significantly,
this was the only point in earth’s history when the biota experienced
a change from ice-age to global warming conditions comparable to that of the
present. The results will be published.
This type of broad paleoecological study would not be possible at my small
college or at any place without extensive fossil collections. In order to
complete a baseline ecological study with the highest possible statistical
certainty, I needed to work with a large number of fossils from a single geological
bed. I also frequently needed to refer to identified and published specimens
which are stored only in a few institutions such as the NMNH.
I am pleased to have had this opportunity to work with the world-class Smithsonian collections. Thank you for providing support for this internship. It makes me glad that the National Science Foundation recognizes the value of this experience.
Sincerely,
Megan Paustian
Research Training Program, 2002