Scholarships and Grants

2012 Paul Bond Scholarship

Sponsored by Delaware Valley Paleontological Society and The Philadelphia Foundation

History:
The Paul Bond Scholarship Fund was established by DVPS in 1994 in memory of Paul N. Bond to honor his commitment to paleontological study and to show the respect in which he was held by all that knew him.  Paul was a charter member of the Society and served on the board of directors and as a vice-president.

Purpose:
The Delaware Valley Paleontological Society (DVPS) - Paul Bond Scholarship provides funds for tuition or other educational expenses such as field work, research or data analysis to a graduate student in the Delaware Valley region who is actively pursuing a graduate degree in paleontology.

Eligibility:
Must be actively pursuing a graduate degree in the field of Paleontology at a college or university within the Delaware Valley.

Award:
The Fund makes a biennial award of $2,000.  This is a one-time award for each recipient. The recipient is encouraged to give a short presentation to the DVPS membership.

How to Apply:
Click the following link to obtain instructions or by contacting the Scholarship Chair at the address below. Applications must be postmarked by 31 March 2012 All applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision.  The award will be announced at Society’s June 2012 meeting. 

Delaware Valley Paleontological Society
Scholarship Committee Chair
18 Saratoga Ln
Harleysville, PA 19438-2977
Phone: 610-481-3672
Fax: 610-706-4832

Here are the recent winners:

2010: Eric Morschhauser – University of Pennsylvania

· Eric’s doctoral research focuses on phylogenetic placement of Auroraceratops among the basal neocertopsian dinosaurs by studying the similarities and differences between recently found Chinese specimens and other museum specimens.

2008:  Emma Schachner – University of Pennsylvania

• Emma’s doctoral research focuses on respiratory biology of theropod dinosaurs by examining specimens of Chirostenotes pergracili, a Late Cretaceous oviraptor.  She will also examine the anatomy of Poposaurus gracilis and its place in the evolution of rauisuchian archosaurs.

2007:  No scholarship awarded

2006:  Domenic D’Amore – Rutgers University

• Domenic’s doctoral thesis quantitatively assess the functional morphology modern lizard dentition and apply the principles to Mesozoic Archosauria in order to recreate their feeding dynamics.

2005:  No scholarship awarded

2004:  Doreena M. Patrick - University of Pennsylvania

• Doreena’s doctoral thesis involved the analyzing the signatures of rare earth elements in fossil vertebrates in order to determine paleoenvironmental conditions and stratigraphy.

2003: Merrilee F. Geunther – University of Pennsylvania

• Her master's thesis research was on embryonic hadrosaurs from the Devil's Coulee in the Oldman Formation of Alberta.  She wants to continue her career further exploring the themes of morphological changes throughout ontogeny and how paleohistory reflects these changes. 

2002: Matthew C. Lamanna – University of Pennsylvania

• Matt used the funds to compile an all-inclusive database of tetrapod occurrence on Southern Hemisphere landmasses in pursuit of his doctoral dissertation.  He intends this to be a definitive analysis of Late Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrate paleobiogeography on Gondwana. 

2001:  William E. Gottobrio – Bryn Mawr College

• William’s Master’s thesis examined the morphology, position and size of the septal construction and sutural outline in a successful order of Upper Devonian ammonoids which abruptly went extinct at the end of the Devonian period.

2000:  David B. Cassenti – Rutgers University

• David’s doctoral research developed a working model of mass extinction incorporating origination and extinction of groups.  Then the model was compared to several extinction theories, including periodicity and global warming effects on fauna.

1999:  No scholarship awarded

1998:  Katherine L. Davis and Allison R. Tumarkin – University of Delaware

• Katherine’s doctoral research focused on identifying geochemical features in bivalve shells and distinguishing fossilization influences from natural shell growth variations.
• Allison’s doctoral research involved a comparative study of fracture repair in modern versus fossil vertebrates.

1997:  Joshua B. Smith – University of Pennsylvania

Grants

The DVPS awards grants at the discretion of the Officers.  Past recipients of these grants are:

Dr. Peter Dodson- For the recovery of a small ceratopsid from the Two Medicine Formation in north central Montana.

The Red Hill Field Station- To establish an educational center for the Late Devonian Red Hill site in Clinton County, PA. located in the Chapman Township Municipal Building. 

Aurora Fossil Museum- For renovation of the museum located in Aurora, NC.

Bahariya Dinosaur Project Expedition- To support a group from the University Of Pennsylvania in search of dinosaurs in the desert of Egypt.

Updated on 10/07/2011