Horizons 2018 Archive
February 22
Breathing Life into T. Rex
Dr. Greg Erickson
Greg Erickson, PhD, has published many papers on the ontogeny and growth patterns of alligators and dinosaurs, especially on the theropod Tyrannosaurus rex. Erickson has also been contributing when naming and describing some dinosaur genera, like Guanlong (2006) and Limusaurus (2009). He is also a strong proponent to the idea of a dinosaurian origin of birds. Erickson has also been featured in BBC’s program The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs, in which he estimates the bite force of Tyrannosaurus rex. He was also featured in an episode of Science of Sex Appeal (Discovery Channel), which discusses how dinosaurs reproduced.
March 22
Genes Wagging the Tail:
Genetics of Complex Traits in Domestic Dogs
Dr. Elaine Ostrander
Executive Director, Tiny Earth
Elaine Ostrander, PhD, is an American geneticist at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. She holds a number of professional academic appointments, currently serving as senior scientist and head of the NHGRI Section of Comparative Genomics. She is known for her research on prostate cancer and for conducting genetic investigations with Canis familiaris, the domestic dog model. In 2007, her laboratory showed that most of the variation in body size of domestic dogs is due to differences in a single gene.
April 25
Science and Ecosystem Management in the Florida Keys:
Recent Successes and Challenges
John Hunt
John Hunt is the manager of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s South Florida Regional Laboratory. He manages the research operations of the spiny lobster, queen conch, Keys finfish, and restoration ecology programs. John has lived in Marathon for 36+ years. He and his wife Kathy have four adult children. Three live in Marathon; one lives in Colorado. He will be discussing a range of applied science and management issues in the Florida Keys, from the science that has influenced fisheries and ecosystem management in the Dry Tortugas to coral diseases.
May 23
The Gulf of Mexico:
History, Nature, and Hope
Dr. Jack Davis
Jack Davis, PhD, is a professor of environmental history and sustainability studies at the University of Florida. Davis is the author or editor of several books, including An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century and The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea. The Wall Street Journal called The Gulf a “wide-ranging, well-told story, by turns informative, lyrical, inspiring, and chilling.” Davis, who lives on future Gulf-front property in Gainesville, is working on a new book, Bird of Paradox: How the Bald Eagle Saved the Soul of America.