WORKSHOPS sYMPOPSIA ROUNDTABLES
We will be able to enjoy nine workshops and roundtables in this year’s online meeting. Although it wasn’t possible to avoid overlaps, we minimized them by scheduling them in the first two days of the event; please check the list below for your preferences, as some of them have overlapping times. Participants will be included in the lists by order of registration, when the maximum number of participant is reached the rest will be added to a waiting list.
Roundtables
R1. Pride EAVP: An LGBTQ+ Roundtable (3rd edition)
Organizer(s): A. Xafis, M. Jansen, K. Veitschegger
After two successful LGBTQ+ visibility roundtables, we are presenting for the first time Pride EAVP to all members of the Association. This year’s topic is “The lack of LGBTQIA+ diversity in STEM. Ways to make labs and working groups more welcoming and hospitable”. We invite everyone, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, to participate and share their story and opinion! We would also love to hear from the allies!
Duration: 2 hours
Number of participants: 12
R2. Women in Palaeontology Roundtable Discussion
Organizer(s): F.M. Holwerda, A.R. Gómez Cano, J. Marigó, E. Teschner, V. Díez Díaz.
As this year is different from others, our usual workshop will be postponed until we meet again in real life in 2022. However, after the popularity of the SVP online diversity roundtables, we’d still like to propose a way for Women in Palaeontology to get together and discuss ideas on how to improve diversity, the position of women in science, and anything else related to the topic that people would like to talk about. Topics could include (but certainly are not limited to):
The pandemic has certainly shown that women suffer more under lockdown measures than men do, as women are still the primary carers, and this has even been measurable in a significant drop in papers written by women over the last year. How could we help improve this?
Are there any other measures we can discuss to improve the general standing of women in science? How about faculty positions, and the 'leaking pipe’ problem that keeps coming back?
How do we stimulate the next generation of girls to choose a career in science?
These and any other issues you feel that need to be discussed can be brought forward. We're looking forward to talking with all of you again!
Duration: 1 hour
Number of participants: 50
Symposia
S1. Palaeoart: Diversity on and Behind the Canvas
Organizer(s): F. Bertozzo, F. Manucci
During the 17th EAVP Meeting in Bruxelles (BE), our group organized a small symposium about the synergy between palaeontologists and palaeoartists for the first time, which received an exciting response from the participants. During the meeting, we also hosted a palaeoart exhibition with more than 30 artworks and prints from European palaeoartists, of which the prints were donated later to the auction. In the symposium, we presented four talks covering different topics about the relationships between art and science in vertebrate palaeontology. At the Online EAVP Meeting of 2021 we want to replicate what was done in 2019 in a similar format: a series of presentations and a related palaeoart exhibition (this late one, only if possible, given the virtual setting). Due to the current global pandemic situation, we still have to contact the possible speakers. However, we want to take advantage of the unfortunate period, and invite palaeoartists outwith Europe (US, Canada, Asia etc.) who could not otherwise participate to enrich the virtual engagement. Finally, thanks to the offered availability, there might be the possibility for an online virtual tour to Troco’s Atelier to show how a traditional painter works. In the first part of the symposium, the talks will be presented, covering 25 minutes each, plus an introductory talk by Filippo Bertozzo of about 5 minutes at the beginning. About two hours in total are expected for this section, for which we are planning to invite four or five palaeoartists. The second part will be a virtual discussion moderated by us, where we invite an active discussion between the artists and athe udience, both about their own presentations and generally about palaeoart.
Duration: 3 hours (short break between the two sections)
Number of participants: 50
S2. 3D Fossils, Robotic and Experimental Palaeontology
Organizer(s): C. Böhmer
Fossils are the source of evidence about the history of life on Earth and have been carefully documented ever since their discovery. Yet not all preserved data has been accessible in the past. Technological advances of the last two decades have opened up novel ways of testing palaeobiological hypotheses. This involves acquisition of high-resolution 3D data of the internal and external morphology of fossils. For instance, cutting-edge imaging techniques such as synchrotron X-ray tomography has revealed previously unavailable information in unprecedented detail. High-performance computer modelling allows us to reconstruct the anatomy and to digitally simulate the biomechanics. In this regard, recent studies have recorded the actual kinematics of living animals and modelled the movement in extinct taxa using computational techniques. Robotic replicas were used to reanimate fossils and have enhanced our understanding of the functional morphology in extinct taxa. Even artificial intelligence, such as machine learning –the fastest growing field in computer sciences –offers tremendous opportunities for palaeobiologists. Last but not least, rapidly growing digital repositories are not only an efficient way to archive and share 3D data, but also enable 3D printing to make rare fossils accessible and to provide digital models for teaching and learning. The chief goal of this symposium is to provide insights into the current state of the art in reconstructing past life with a special emphasis on robotic and experimental palaeontology as well as artificial intelligence. It reveals the promise and challenge that such approaches hold for answering fundamental questions in vertebrate palaeontology.
Duration: 3 hours
Number of participants: 12
Workshops
W1. Gendered Perspective in Palaeontological Research: from Definition to Action
Organizer(s): P. Medina, A.R. Gómez-Cano (Transmitting Science)
This workshop intends to shed light on the inextricable relationships between gender and science, introducing theoretical frameworks and concepts to participants. In order to face inequalities and biases in academia, a set of tools and ways of wording become critical to identify problems so often overshadowed in our workplace environments. That is why we will describe, identify and show the symbolic and material effects of these problems in palaeontology research and other related disciplines, and propose, through examples, different ways to face them.
Duration: 3 hours
Number of participants: 25
W2. The Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition: Marked Mammal Turnover and Ecosystem Dynamic
Organizer(s): R. Sardella, A. Iannucci, B. Mecozzi, F. Strani
The Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition indicates a fundamental transformation in the Earth's climate state, caused by the shift of the climate from 41 ky obliquity orbital cycles to a highly non-linear system dominated by 100 ky periodicity with asymmetric glacial/interglacial cycles. During the 1.2–0.9 Ma time span, a progressive faunal renewal in Europe occurred, which constituted the basis of the definition of a distinct biochron for the European Land Mammal Scale, the Epivillafranchian. Since the discoveries of the presence of Homo in the late Early Pleistocene, the timing and pattern of the dispersal and earliest occupation of Eurasia by Homo has been in the focus of the scientific debate. Given its geographical position, the entire Mediterranean region is considered a crossroads between Europe and Africa, East and West, and thus a promising region for examining the most likely causes and trajectories of the earliest dispersal of Homo. The early Middle Pleistocene ecosystems are generally described by their main components, climate, vegetation, and landscape forms. This workshop aims at gaining new insights into the multiple perspectives of early-middle Pleistocene terrestrial ecosystems and their dynamics before and after the earliest dispersal of Homo by various (palaeontological/palaeobotanical/geochemical) proxies. Furthermore, we would also like to discuss the taxonomy of large mammals, their dispersal across Europe and the biochronological inferences.
Duration: 2 hours
Number of participants: 30
W3. International Palaeontology Education: Virtual Teaching and Real-World Learning
Organizer(s): T. Lepore (lead organizer).
If you're interested in joining the planning team or simply want to share your experiences in palaeontology education in 2020, feel free to contact Taormina at tlepore@berkeley.edu - she looks forward to hearing from anyone who wants to get involved!
In a year of unprecedented global pandemic, educators worldwide have had to pivot to online virtual learning, often with minimal training or resources. The need for a common language of science pedagogy and palaeontological education in an online sphere is all the more relevant for our learning communities, especially for our students. How can we maximize student experience in this virtual forum, and care for the needs of the learner in a holistic fashion, while balancing all of the duties of our scientific lives? This workshop will provide a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking opportunity for educators from different parts of the world to connect and build a palaeontological education resource for their own class. As we step into the 2021-2022 academic year, how will we centre best practices in palaeontology and science education, active learning, and a syllabus that reflects deeper dives into topics, without sacrificing the breadth or rigor of content? Workshop participants will spend the first two hours of the workshop identifying a part of their course syllabus they can shape to reflect active learning in an in-person or online environment; participants will outline and begin to design a course activity that utilizes active learning using digital technology, and they will need access to a smartphone or tablet; after a break, the second hour and fifteen minutes will allow participants to produce an introductory video for their activity. Participants will leave the workshop session with a new activity for their course, an introductory video, and a document they can share with students to help make their learning experience engaging and active, with real-world applicability. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups to brainstorm activities with common interest / subject matter / course topics that can be shared among all participants after the workshop conclusion for use in future courses or educational endeavours.
Duration: 4 hours
Number of participants: 50
W4. Stepping out of Academia: Why, When and How?
Organizer(s): S. De Esteban Trivigno (Transmitting Science)
EU agencies are aware that more than half of the PhDs that result from their programs (such as the Innovative Training Networks) will end up outside of academia, and promote researchers moving into the private sector. However, to be out of academia after a PhD is still considered as a "failure" by many researchers, and this translates into anxiety and depression for young scientists. This workshop is intended to support those young researchers who in the future might find themselves out of the academic system, so they can take the best from their experience and knowledge and give it back in different ways to society. The workshop will provide delegates with some basic tools to set up their own business, so they can turn their ideas and passion into success stories. You may stop being an active researcher, but being a scientist is a life-long adventure.
Duration: 3–4 hours
Number of participants: 18
W5. Introduction to Hypothesis Testing in Statistics - FULL -
Organizer(s): S. De Esteban Trivigno (Transmitting Science)
In this workshop the current scientific paradigm on statistical hypothesis testing will be explained, as well as its advantages and problems. The difference between parametric and non-parametric statistics will be highlighted, as well as the major assumptions of the statistical analysis. In vertebrate palaeontology, to have small sample sizes is something usual. This translates in a lack of statistical power in many analyses, exploratory methods that can be used when the data are not adequate to perform statistical testing will be introduced.
Duration: 4 hours
Number of participants: 20