specifics on Smithsonian Symposium

[Jenny Lando <jenny@amnh.org>]

Dinosaurs in the New Millennium
a symposium hosted by the Smithsonian Institution

On December 13-14, 2003, the Smithsonian Institution will host a symposium
entitled Dinosaurs in the New Millennium.  This will be the first
symposium hosted by the museum focusing on dinosaur science.  Speakers
from eleven different universities and museums in England, Canada, and the
United States will discuss a wide variety of topics, including dinosaur
growth, diet, and health, as well as the world in which they lived.

>From 9-4:45 on Dec. 13, research scientists will discuss what we know
about different aspects of dinosaur biology, and present a roadmap for new
theories and discoveries in the coming decades.  Each talk will last for
30 minutes, and each session of talks will be followed by a
question-and-answer session for the audience.  Dinosaur Curator Matthew
Carrano will host the symposium and present one of the talks.

On Dec. 14, world-famous dinosaur paleontologist Jack Horner will begin
the day with a keynote speech at noon.  Horner is Curator of Paleontology
at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, and a Senior Scholar
here at the Smithsonian Institution.  Horners talk, Dinosaur Science in
the 21st Century, will be followed by a moderated roundtable discussion.
Horner will be joined by selected speakers from the previous days talks,
who will spend an hour on-stage discussing a variety of current issues in
dinosaur science.

>From 3-5 p.m., Smithsonian paleontologists will give a series of talks on
The World of Dinosaurs.  These will cover topics ranging from ancient
plants and flowers, to Mesozoic plants and insects, to the extinction of
the dinosaurs.

All of the events will be free open to the public, and take place in Baird
Auditorium.  Please enter at the Constitution Avenue entrance if you wish
to attend the talks beginning before 10 a.m. on Saturday.



Smithsonian Dinosaur Symposium
Day 1 (December 13, 2003)

Dinosaurs in the New Millennium
1. Welcome and Introduction
        Cristian Sampr (Director, Smithsonian Institution)      9:00-9:10
(10 min)
        Matthew Carrano (Smithsonian Institution)       9:10-9:15 (5 min)

2. Dinosaur systematics: pitfalls, targets, and directions
        Jeffrey Wilson (University of Michigan) 9:15-9:45 (30 min)

3. Paleobiogeography of dinosaurs: problems and prospectus
        Matthew Lamanna (University of Pennsylvania)    9:45-10:15 (30
min)

break           10:15-10:30 (15 min)

4. Dinosaur functional and biomechanical analysis: more than just rubbing
bones together
        Steve Gatesy (Brown University)         10:30-11:00 (30 min)

5. Reconstructing dinosaur growth patterns
        Gregory Erickson (Florida State University)     11:00-11:30 (30
min)

6. Dinosaurs in the lens of developmental evolution
        Hans Larsson (McGill University)        11:30-12:00 (30 min)

morning Q & A session   12:00-12:15 (15 min)

lunch           12:15-1:45 (90 min)

7. Patterns of dinosaur evolution: long-term changes in a long-lived group
        Matthew Carrano (Smithsonian Institution)       1:45-2:15 (30 min)

8. Traces of the Mesozoic: the legacy and potential of dinosaur tracks
        Joanna Wright (University of ColoradoDenver)    2:15-2:45 (30 min)

break           2:45-3:00 (15 min)

9. Bizarre structures in dinosaurs: assessing function and behavior in
extinct animals
        Scott Sampson (University of Utah)      3:00-3:30 (30 min)

10. Are we due for a paradigm shift in dinosaur paleopathology?
        Elizabeth Rega (Western University)     3:30-4:00 (30 min)

11. Dinosaur feeding and diet: approaches and perspectives
         Paul Barrett (Natural History Museum, London)  4:00-4:30 (30 min)

afternoon Q & A session 4:30-4:45 (15 min)



Smithsonian Dinosaur Symposium
Day 2 (December 14, 2003)


Keynote and Roundtable
Keynote address: Dinosaur science in the 21st century
        Jack Horner (Museum of the Rockies)     12:00-1:00 (60 min)

Roundtable discussion
        selected participants from Day 1        1:00-2:30 (90 min)

break           2:30-3:00

The World of Dinosaurs
1. What the dinosaurs ate
        Scott Wing      3:00-3:30 (30 min)

2. Asteroid impact at the end of the dinosaur era
        Brian Huber     3:45-4:15 (30 min)

3. Plant-insect associations in the shadows of the dinosaur world:
ecological
data and evolutionary implications
        Conrad Labandeira       4:30-5:00 (30 min)

15 min breaks between each talk