Beginning Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA) through Monday, April 20, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA), abstracts for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 69th Annual Meeting will be accepted through the SVP Abstract Submission Site.

Important!
Abstract submissions for the Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize became available on:
Monday, January 19, 2009, NOON, Central Standard Time Zone (USA)

The Alfred Sherwood Romer abstract submission deadline will be:
Thursday, March 19, 2009, NOON, Central Standard Time Zone (USA)

Submissions are being accepted in the following categories: Symposia (invited participants only), Regular Sessions, Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize), Romer Prize Session and Preparators' Session.

Symposia
- Late Triassic Terrestrial Biotas and the Rise of Dinosaurs
- Molecular Tools in Paleobiology: Trees, Clocks, and linking Geno- with Phenotype
- New Perspectives on Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida
- The Evolution of Birds in the Mesozoic: A Symposium in Honor of Cyril A. Walker
- The Scientific Legacy of Mary Anning - Recent Advances in Marine Reptile Paleobiology and Evolution

Regular Sessions
Abstracts are accepted for oral and poster presentations in the following categories:

- Amphibians
- Birds
- Fish
- History of paleontology
- Mammals
- Reptiles
- Theoretical/geological

Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize)
Selected and presented on site at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's Annual Meeting, the Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award recognizes an outstanding poster presentation by a student. The award was named in honor of the Colberts' contributions to vertebrate paleontology.  All abstract entries for the Colbert Poster Session and, ultimately, the Colbert Award, are submitted through the SVP abstract submission site.  See the Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award page for all information regarding the award.

Romer Prize Session
The Romer Prize Committee of the SVP 69th Annual Meeting will accept a maximum of 16 submitted abstracts for competition in the Romer Prize Session. Students whose abstracts were not selected for participation will be given the option of having their abstract either considered for a regular session or withdrawn from the program. For more information on the Romer Prize, see the Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize page on the SVP Web site.

Preparators’ Session
A forum for presentations on current issues in paleontological preparation, ranging from field and lab techniques to specimen curation and exhibition design.  These presentations are selected by the SVP Preparators' Abstract Review Committee from abstracts submitted during the SVP abstract submission period. See the Preparators’ Session page for all information regarding the Preparators’ Session.

For more information, including submission and presentation guidelines, go to the Abstract Information area of the SVP Web site.

SVP Awards, Grants and Prizes
Apply Today, or Nominate a Worthy Colleague

SVP awards recognize distinguished achievement in vertebrate paleontology including the fields of research, service, paleontological art, fieldwork and preparation. Learn more about the various awards and submission guidelines, then use the easy online submission system to apply or nominate an esteemed colleague.

Applications and nominations for most* 2009 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) awards can be submitted beginning Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA), through Monday, April 20, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone (USA).

Applications and nominations for most* SVP awards will be submitted using the SVP Online Award Submission System.

The prize amount for most SVP awards have been increased for 2009.

* Awards not using the new SVP Online Award Submission System are the Colbert Award, the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize, the Patterson Memorial Grant, and the Romer Prize.


CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH AWARD AND TO LINK TO THE SVP ONLINE AWARD SUBMSSION SYSTEM.

Edwin H. and Margaret M. Colbert Award (formerly the Student Poster Prize)
The award given to the best student poster.
Submissions will be accepted through the SVP Online Abstract Submission System.

Richard Estes Memorial Grant
An award given for graduate research in non-mammalian paleontology.

Joseph T. Gregory Award
An award presented for outstanding service to the welfare of the Society.

Honorary Membership Award
An award presented for distinguished contribution to the field of vertebrate paleontology.

New!  Institutional Membership: A Program for Institutions of Economically Developing Nations
An award issued to increase access of electronic-based publications and news of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) for institutions based in areas with developing economies.
NOTE: The deadline for this award is NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Monday, June 1.

Jackson School of Geosciences Student Member Travel Grants
Grants given to provide traveling cost assistance to the SVP Annual Meeting for SVP Student Member Presenters.

John J. Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize
An award given for outstanding achievement in paleontological illustration and art.
NOTE: Submissions for this award must be sent directly to the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize Committee Chair. Please click on the link above for information on how to submit for the Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize.

Bryan Patterson Memorial Grant
An award given for student fieldwork in vertebrate paleontology.
NOTE: This award is closed for submissions.

Predoctoral Fellowship Grant
An award given to promote a professional career in vertebrate paleontology.

Preparators' Grant
An award given to advance preparation and preparators.

New!  Program for Scientists from Economically Developing Nations
An award which enables scientists from nations with developing economies to present research at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) Annual Meeting.
NOTE: This award is closed for submissions.

Alfred Sherwood Romer Prize
An award given for best student presentation.
NOTE: This award opened January 19, 2009 and will close at NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Thursday, March 19.  Submissions will be accepted through the SVP Online Abstract Submission System.

A.S. Romer – G.G. Simpson Medal
An award given for for lifetime achievement in the field of vertebrate paleontology.

Morris F. Skinner Award
An award given for contributions to science through the collection of fossil vertebrates.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) is holding the SVP Annual Election of Officers online. The voting period is Wednesday, February 18, through Monday, May 18, 2009, at NOON Central Time Zone USA.

A link to the election Web site is on the home page of the Members’ Only section of the SVP Web site.

Voting is only open to eligible voting members (Regular, Student and Second Members). Members will need the unique passcodes, specific to them that were E-mailed on Wednesday, February 18, in order to enter the election site to cast their vote.

This year, two (2) positions are open on the Executive Committee. Both positions have two candidates. The candidates are as follows:

The two (2) candidates for Secretary are:
Chris Bell           Darin Croft

The two candidates for Member-at-Large are:
David Fox           Kristi Curry Rogers

IMPORTANT! Members are also being asked to vote on seven (7) proposed changes to the SVP Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

If you have already requested a paper ballot it has been mailed to you. If you have not already requested a paper ballot and you will NOT have internet access between February 18 and May 18, 2009, you may request a paper ballot from the SVP headquarters at svp@vertpaleo.org. This request must be made by June 3, 2009.

Again, the polls will be open from NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Wednesday, February 18 until NOON Central Time Zone (USA) on Monday, May 18, 2009.

Make your voice heard. Please vote!

Questions? Please contact the Business Office.

February 12 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and On the Origin of Species  was published 150 years ago this year.

In celebration of these milestones, the SVP will be offering an exceptional Darwin field trip during the SVP 69th Annual Meeting, which takes place in Bristol, UK,. The three-day Charles Darwin Heritage Tour includes visits to Down House (his family home for 40 years), the universities he attended and  institutions that hold major collections of Darwin material. 

Join us in Bristol in September and help us celebrate — field trip registration will be available in March. Watch the SVP Web site for details.

DEERFIELD, IL (December 2008) When you take a bite out of a hamburger or chomp down on a piece of gum, you share this function of the lower jaw with the vast majority of animals. But not all: for some animals, lifting the head rather than dropping the jaw is a good idea. This bizarre reversal of how feeding occurs was achieved in 210-million-year-old amphibians, as described in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The animals in question are plagiosaurs – a group of flat-headed, armored amphibians unrelated to living amphibians such as frogs, salamanders and caecilians. Fossils of this group of animals have been known for a hundred years, but finds of complete specimens have been elusive. The article, authored by a team led by Dr. Farish A. Jenkins, Jr. of Harvard University, describes new, relatively complete material of a plagiosaur called Gerrothorax pulcherrimus from the 210-million-year-old Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland. “With their very flat, heavily armored bodies, short, stubby limbs, massive shoulder girdles and well-developed gills, these amphibians are an oddity by any measure,” says Dr. Jenkins. “The animals could throw their heads upward and backward, creating a huge mouth gape with only the slightest lowering of the lower jaw… perfect for a bottom-dwelling ambush predator,” he continues. By special adaptation of the joint between the skull and first neck vertebra, the animal was able to raise its head relative to its lower jaw by as much as 50 degrees, giving it the wide gape it needed to swallow its unsuspecting prey. “That the same species is found in Greenland as well as Western Europe and Scandinavia suggests that their unique structure was hugely successful,” said Dr. Anne Warren of La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, a member of the team that conducted the study.

Bring the brightest minds and newest finds in paleontology to your city and institution – host an SVP annual meeting!

SVP is currently accepting proposals for annual meeting sites for 2011 and beyond. To get started, simply form a prospective host committee of no fewer than 2-3 members and submit a brief proposal (details below). The host committee will work closely with the SVP executive committee and business office on various aspects of the planning and execution of the meeting.

A brief (one-page) proposal letter, addressed to the SVP Executive Committee, should contain the following:
- Year(s) the proposal is good for (flexibility is very helpful)
- Venue proposed (city/town, province/state & country)
- Initial host committee members (two, at minimum, is enough to start) and their contact
information
- Institution(s)/organization(s) involved
- Any information that might be helpful in the evaluation of the site such as:


- New exhibits that might be opening prior to the proposed meeting
- Any events that will be happening simultaneous to the proposed meeting date
- New local infrastructures on the horizon such as an airport
- Local field trip areas of interest (a very general description only)
- Do NOT include: specifics about local hotels, facilities and convention center capacities and availabilities. SVP’s convention services team will do all of the specific hotel and site evaluations.

DEADLINE: Thursday, March 19, 2009.
The proposal letter should be addressed to the SVP Executive Committee and sent to: svp@vertpaleo.org

or faxed or mailed to:
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA
Phone: +1 847 480 9095, extension 249
Fax: +1 847 480 9282

Questions? Contact the business office at the contact information above. 

(Originally posted Jan. 14, 2009.)