GEO 217

Extinction Seminar - begins at 9:00 a.m. Monday, 7 September

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Geology 217 -- Seminar on mass extinction

You have each been assigned a seminar topic and the paper associated with it may be downloaded from the links adjacent to your names below. An additional paper, by Myers and Knoll, is entitled "The biotic crisis and the future of evolution".  This paper is attached to the link “For everyone required”, and, along with Raup's book (Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck), will serve as background reading for discussion in the seminar and your paper.

The other paper attached to your name is for you to present in seminar on the 6th day of the term.  You will give an oral presentation of 15 minutes, during which you "teach" the class about the content of the paper; the general issues it addresses and the implications of the paper for our understanding of mass extinction.  You may use power point, overheads, handouts and the blackboard if you wish.  See me about producing any of these teaching aids.

At the beginning of the seminar, you will hand in a written assignment, not to exceed four pages, in which you:

  1. summarize the salient aspects of the paper by Myers and Knoll
  2. summarize the salient aspects of the paper you have been assigned
  3. Place both papers and the general theme(s) of Raups’ book into the larger context of the phenomenon of mass extinctions and lessons that may be drawn for the current biodiversity crisis.

Your seminar grade will be determined by the clarity and quality of your oral presentation, discussion participation and your written work.

SEE ME if you need help with your seminar assignment (i.e., understanding any aspect of your paper)!

Schedule:

Recognition I- Wil Keys
Recognition II - Taylor Thompson
Sources - Methane - Ann Slayter
Sources - Superplumes - Becca Ellerbroek
Sources - Organisms - Kristina Ottens
Sources - Impacts - Matt Wilson

Events - Permo-Triassic - Nic Slater
Events - Pleistocene - Hailey Goetschius
Events - Today - Andrew Rasmussen

For Everyone required - The future of biodiversity and evolution