Susannah M. Porter

Email:jlmoore@umail.ucsb .edu

John Moore's research focuses on problematic early Cambrian skeletal animals. He is studying microfossils assemblages from SE and SW Sha'anxi, China, that we collected together with Guoxiang Li in September 2008. He has completed a study of the problematic fossil Cambrothyra, formerly described as 'vase-shaped microfossils' but instead likely to be coeloscleritophoran sclerites intermediate in form between halkieriids+siphogonuchitids and chancelloriids.

Email: lriedman@umail.ucsb.edu

Leigh Anne is interested in the ecology of Neoproterozoic organisms. Her research focuses on two areas: the paleoecology of Doushantuo chert assemblages, and the pattern of biotic turnover in pre-Sturtian organic-walled microfossil assemblages from Svalbard and Australia.

 

Chris is interested in sorting out the taxonomy and evolution of orthothecid hyoliths--among the first shelly animal fossils to appear in the Cambrian Period. He is working on the genus, Cupitheca, an engimatic early Cambrian septate fossil that is likely related to several orthothecid hyolith taxa.

Marites is focusing on a 'small shelly fossil' assemblage that Susannah and colleagues Mike Vendrasco and Guoxiang Li collected from a new locality, Dailibaoqing, in Yunnan, China, not far from the Meishucunian type section. In particular, Marites has discovered a number of specimens of Dabashanites, a poorly known coeloscleritophoran with multi-lobed sclerites. She is currently working on characterizing the morphology and microstructure of these sclerites.

Willie likes to describe his main interests as 'airplaines, trains, boats'. He also loves animals and gains great insight into their behavior by imagining himself as one of them. He tells his mother, for example, that he cannot run fast because he 'is a turtle'. (Citing the same reason, he also asks for broccoli for breakfast.) In his free time, Willie likes to watch the Mahna Mahna song with his father on YouTube.