Tamara scouring the hillsides around Lark Quarry Conservation Park for 92–94.5 million year old plant fossils.
Congratulations to Tamara Fletcher on winning the 2013 School of Biological Sciences 3 Minute Thesis competition with her talk Ancient climate in a changing world! Tamara also took out the covetted People's Choice Award. She will go on to represent the School at the Faculty level, and perhaps beyond. Support Tamara on Wednesday 28 August at 3pm (til 4pm) at QBI Auditorium (Level 7, Building 79, St Lucia Campus, The University of Queensland). Everyone is welcome. Please register your attendance for this event.
This is the second consecutive year the Vertebrate Palaeontology & Biomechanics Lab has won the 3MT competition. In 2012, Caitlin Syme won with her talk Diagnosis: Fossil – Investigating the post-mortem fate of fossil dinosaurs, crocodiles, and fish from central western Queensland.
Tamara's project involves the analysis of leaf impressions (top left) and growth rings in petrified wood (top right) to determined the likely climatic conditions that existed in central-western Queensland during the deposition of the Winton Formation, 92-102 million years ago (bottom; reconstruction courtesy of Sally Elmer and the Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre, Isisford).
Caitlin's project involves the analysis of the death and decay history of 101-102 million year old dinosaur, fish, and crocodilian fossils: specifically, what type of environment did they die and decompose in? How quickly were they buried? And why are their fossilised remains preserved in sandstone nodules.
