After a year of Zoom and outdoor lectures, the Collegiate Peaks Forum Series will reopen their lecture series with a reception and a presentation by two outstanding paleontologists. The event will be held at the Salida SteamPlant Ballroom and Theater on Sunday, September 19.
The reception will be held in the SteamPlant Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. followed by the lecture in the Theater at 7:00 p.m. Reservations are required for the reception. Please RSVP to treasurer@collegiatepeaksforum.org with your name, contact information, and the number of attendees in your group. COVID-19 safety protocols, including limited capacity, social distancing and masking, will be in place.
The lecturers for this celebratory event reopening the CPFS will be Dr. Tyler Lyson, curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Dr. Ian Miller, formerly of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and currently Chief Scientist and Innovation Officer for the National Geographic Society.
courtesy image
They will present “The Colorado Fossil Discovery that Rocked the World.” Sixty-six million years ago, a six-mile-wide asteroid slammed into Earth and caused the extinction of more than 75 percent of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. This was the single worst day for life on Earth. How and when life rebounded in the aftermath of the extinction has been shrouded in mystery due to a poor fossil record.
A new discovery east of Colorado Springs preserves a remarkably complete fossil record with entire fossil mammals, turtles, crocodiles, and plants, and paints a picture of how and when life rebounded after Earth’s darkest hour. Drs. Lyson and Miller will present their discoveries and discuss their significance in tracing the regeneration of the earth’s plants and animals after the destruction by the asteroid.
Dr. Tyler Lyson is the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he is responsible for the fossil reptiles collection. Dr. Lyson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in geology and paleontology from Yale University and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. Lyson was a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the Denver Museum in 2014.
Dr. Ian Miller is Chief Scientist and Innovation Officer with the National Geographic Society. From 2006 to 2021, he was Curator of Paleobotany and Director of Earth and Space Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Dr. Miller received his Ph.D. and M.A. in geology and paleobotany from Yale University and his B.A. from Colorado College.
Recent Comments