SVP 73rd Annual Meeting Summary
Welcome from the 2013 Host Committee
The Host Committee of the 73rd Annual Meeting is delighted to welcome all participants to the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s 2013 meeting in Los Angeles, California. The meeting will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, close to the heart of downtown Los Angeles that in recent years has experienced a dramatic resurgence with exciting new dining and cultural opportunities. Your host committee members represent institutions from the Greater Los Angeles region and their research interests encompass many facets of the discipline of vertebrate paleontology.
This is the third time that the meeting will be hosted by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and we are particularly thrilled that the Society will return to Los Angeles in the year that the museum celebrates both its centenary and a hundred years of excavations at the La Brea Tar Pits—a National Natural Landmark and one of the world’s richest Ice Age fossil sites. Vertebrate paleontology has been at the core of our institution since its origin and continues to play a leading role in our research and educational mission. In this respect we are especially excited to showcase at our Welcome Reception the extensive renovation that has taken place during the past few years. This includes the opening of the award-winning Age of Mammals and Dinosaur Halls and nearly 300,000 square feet of renovated public space within and surrounding the museum. We hope you will also find time to visit our sister institutions—the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits and the William S. Hart Museum.
Southern California offers a variety of paleontological opportunities. The scheduled field trips sample the diversity of marine and terrestrial vertebrate sites within easy reach of Los Angeles and provide brief opportunities to visit the newly founded Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center as well as the Page Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits. Most of the local collection centers will be closed during the meeting but will be accessible before and after by prior appointment.
Los Angeles is a premier travel destination and provides a great diversity of cultural opportunities. The spectrum ranges from the Getty Center and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to the Grammy Museum and the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Los Angeles is home to the Huntington Library and Gardens, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo and Botanic Gardens, the LA County Arboretum, and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Adjacent to the Natural History Museum is the California Science Center—new home of the space shuttle Endeavor. Universal Studios, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are all within easy reach. And don’t forget miles of exquisite beach!
It’s going to be an exciting few days in Los Angeles as the 73rd meeting advances the frontiers of vertebrate paleontology and offers a forum for scientific discussion among researchers from around the world. We know you will enjoy the meeting, its workshops and field trips, and the diversity of social and cultural experiences in the newly vibrant downtown setting. Welcome to the City of Angeles!
About the 2013 Annual Meeting Logo
| The logo for the 73rd annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in 2013 was designed by paleo-artist Mark Hallett . The centerpiece is a Smilodon fatalis skull, anterior view. This iconic late Pleistocene mammal is the California state fossil and is best known from the asphaltic seep deposits of Rancho La Brea. The remains of more than 2,000 individuals of this species are conserved in the collections of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, which is part of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum family of museums. Beneath the Smilodon skull is the eastern façade of the Los Angeles County Museum as it appeared in 1913, the year that it opened. The north wing of this historic building now houses the award-winning Age of Mammals Hall and the south wing forms part of the dynamic new Dinosaur Hall. Both will be featured in the Welcome Reception on October 30, 2013. |
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73rd Annual Meeting Host Committee
Luis M. Chiappe – Co-Chair
After-hours party
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
John M. Harris – Co-Chair
Welcome Reception
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Lawrence G. Barnes
Collections
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Cara Burres-Jones
Vendors, local attractions
Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA, USA
Kenneth C. Campbell
Volunteers
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Andrew A. Farke
Educators’ workshop
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, Claremont, CA, USA
Tony Friscia
Media relations
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Don Prothero
Sponsorship
Pierce College, La Crescenta, CA, USA
Eric Scott
Field trips & Workshops
San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, CA, USA
Stuart Sumida
Educators’ workshop
Cal. State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
Blaire Van Valkenburgh
Local attractions
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Xiaoming Wang
Field trips, collections
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA