WELCOME TO THE AASP – TPS 53RD ANNUAL MEETING
Introduction
The 53rd Annual Meeting of the AASP-The Palynological Society August 9-13, 2021, will take place virtually for the first time this year and is hopefully only a temporary measure until we can all meet up in person once again.
The meeting will be hosted by the NHM on GOTO Webinar which is a platform designed to host meetings such as this and will create a simple, safe and secure way for everyone to attend the conference.
This year we have accepted abstracts for live oral and poster presentations. For the live oral presentations both standard talks (i.e., 12-minute talk with 3 minutes for questions) and lightning talks associated with posters (2-minute talk) will be accepted.
Technical sessions
1) Beyond Miscellaneous: The Life and Legacy of Vaughn M. Bryant
Chair: Tim Riley
Vaughn M. Bryant influenced generations of scholars within both palynology and paleoethnobotany. Tireless and always curious, Vaughn was always interested in the intersection of palynology and other disciplines, contributing to the fields of melissopalynology, forensic palynology, paleoecology and the study of human coprolites. He helped students and others apply palynological techniques to novel archaeological settings such as the contents of amphora from shipwrecks and the caulking of sewn plank boats. This session will bring together students and colleagues of the late Vaughn Bryant to celebrate his life and discuss his impact on many sub‐fields of palynology.
Keynote speaker: Kristin D. Sobolik, Office of the Chancellor, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA. Vaughn M. Bryant: Words of Wisdom, Lessons Learned, and a Life Well Lived.
2) In situ spores and pollen
Chair: Evelyn Kustatscher
Co-chair: Hendrik Nowak
Dispersed spores and pollen provide a vast amount of information about the vegetation of the past, but in order to fully utilize this information, we need to understand their connections with biological plant groups. This requires knowledge of the spores and pollen as they are found in situ in the reproductive organs of fossil and recent macroplants. Conversely, detailed analyses of the reproductive organs of fossil plants their in situ spores and pollen are often crucial for the precise identification and classification of the whole plant, as well as for ecological interpretations. The combination of palaeobotanical and palynological studies thus contributes to a better understanding of the biology, geological distribution, and environmental context of past floral elements, and to the evolutionary relationships between major plant groups.
Keynote speaker: Jiří Bek, Department of Palaeobiology and Palaeoecology v.v.i., Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic “Some aspects of Paleozoic in situ spores”
3) Precambrian Palynology
Chair: Evelyn A. M. Sanchez
Co-chair: Thomas Rich Fairchild
Discussion of key-events in the evolutionary history of Precambrian plankton: the Archean record – morphology, biogenicity, biological affinities. Eukaryogenesis: timing, morphodisparity, palaeoecological background and/or consequences during the Proterozoic. Refinement of palynomorph-based proposals for Proterozoic biostratigraphy: useful corroboration or useful contradiction?
Keynote speaker: Dr. Kathleen Grey, Geological Survey of Western Australia “Review of Australian Precambrian palynology”.
Registration
Member – US$5.00
Non-Member – US$10.00
Register here https://palynology.org/events/#!event/2021/8/9/53rd-annual-meeting-of-the-aasp-the-palynological-society
KEY EVENTS
AASP – TPS BUSINESS “LUNCHEON”
Tuesday 10th, 18:55 BST
Get yourself a drink and nibbles of your choice and join us as we bring you the brief annual society business and exciting news of our future events.
STUDENT EVENTS
This event is designed for students and early careers (< 5 years after graduation) and consists of two half-hour sessions.
#1 Tuesday 10th, 14:00 BST. Participants will get to know each other.
#2 Friday 13th, 19:30 BST. Discussion and networking among the future leaders in palynology.