Paleontological Society Workshop on Future Directions in Paleontology held on September 10-11, 2005 at the Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Paleontological Society, Mc Lean VA

Investigators

Abstract

Over the past few decades it has become apparent that scientific progress is commonly best attained where big problems are addressed by teams of scientists representing a wide variety of expertise. In response to these changes in the nature of scientific inquiry, the Paleontological Society proposes to organize a workshop accompanied by a series of research forums that will focus on developing several new large-scale research initiatives that have the broad support of the paleontological community. The proposed Future Research Directions in Paleontology (FRDP) Workshop, for which funds are requested, will include 25 participants, and is to be held on September 10-11, 2005 at the Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. This will be preceded by a research forum at the North American Paleontological Convention (June, 2005) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The workshop will then be followed by two research forums at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (October, 2005). The final product of this effort will be a document of 30-40 pages which will contain short proposals for 5-6 larger integrative projects that require significant funding which the paleontological community shows strong support for initiating. What Is The Intellectual Merit of the Proposed Activity? Those engaged in paleontological research would agree that many challenges towards our understanding of how life has evolved and existed on Earth would be best approached in a collaborative, integrative fashion. The FRDP Workshop and associated Research Forums will provide a community-based platform where several of these most important research problems can be addressed through development of research projects that will act as initiatives for the paleontological community. In this way the Paleontological Society plans to lead the way towards the future of paleontological research. What Are The Broader Impacts of this Study? With the growth of science over the past few decades, many of the most important problems can only be solved with interdisciplinary teams of scientists using the best available technology. Such team-based activities will provide numerous opportunities for research training and experience in forefront areas of science, particularly the growing number of women and other under-represented groups which are currently entering the Earth sciences.