LIVING WORLD LECTURE
Friday, Dec. 15, 7:30 P.M.
Stony Brook University Student Activities Center Auditorium

David Krause, Paleontologist

Professor of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University

SCIENCE WITH A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: DIGGING DINOSAURS AND HELPING CHILDREN IN MADAGASCAR

In 1993, Dr. Krause launched a reconnaissance expedition in search of Cretaceous dinosaurs, mammals, and other fossil backboned animals to Madagascar, a large island off the southeast coast of Africa that is home to some of the most bizarre plants and animals on the planet. Not in his wildest dreams did he anticipate the paleontological riches that he and his colleagues would find on that expedition, as well as on the eight field campaigns since. Among the most significant finds are a 70 million year old skeleton that provides a crucial missing link between dinosaurs and birds, exquisitely preserved skulls and skeletons of previously unknown plant- and meat-eating dinosaurs, a diverse array of crocodiles, and, most recently, the largest and most complete skeleton of a Mesozoic mammal from the southern hemisphere. These discoveries have profound implications for addressing questions related to plate tectonics and biogeography, specifically the timing and sequence of fragmentation of the southern supercontinent of Gondwana during the Mesozoic and the origins of Madagascar’s extant fauna. Dr. Krause’s research in Madagascar, the fourth poorest country in the world, has led him to interact with the local peoples and, ultimately, to establish the Madagascar Ankizy Fund, a not-for-profit organization whose mission it is to build schools and provide temporary clinics for children living in remote areas of the country. Dr. Krause will present spectacular slides of some of his exciting discoveries in Madagascar, recount some of the extraordinary adventures involved in his field work, and detail how his work led him to give back to the country by assisting with education and healthcare.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Dr. David Krause is Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences, Department of Geosciences, and Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences at Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY); Research Associate of the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago, IL) and the Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, MT); Founder and Executive Director of the Madagascar Ankizy Fund (www.ankizy.org); Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments; and former President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Born and raised on a cattle ranch in southeastern Alberta, Dr. Krause received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Alberta (Zoology) and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (Geology, 1982). Dr. Krause is a 35-year veteran of field research in Canada, the United States, Pakistan, India, and Madagascar and has published over 150 research articles on fossil vertebrates. Dr. Krause has been a leader in the battle to protect fossil resources on U.S. Federal public lands from commercial exploitation. His research, humanitarian, and conservation work has been the subject of considerable media attention, including articles in National Geographic magazine, Newsday, the New York Times, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, and various other major newspapers. It has also been featured in several television specials (e.g., The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel). Dr. Krause has made various appearances on CBC, NBC, CNN, and Fox newscasts and was featured in the journal Current Biography (February, 2002).