- Prof. Tastuo Oji from Nagoya University, Japan visited NIGPAS
Prof. Tatsuo Oji, former President of the Palaeontological Society of Japan (PSJ) and the staff of the Nagoya University, paid a visit to NIGPAS on February 23rd -24th. He discussed with Director YANG Qun of NIGPAS on the cooperation between PSJ and the Palaeontological Society China (PSC), gave a lecture on Ediacaran studies and observed the Ediacaran fossils stored in NIGPAS.
- Prof. LI Rong-Yu from Brandon University, Canada visited NIGPAS
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From May 5 to June 4, Prof. LI Rong-Yu from Brandon University, Canada paid an one-month visit to NIGPAS. He was invited to cooperate with Prof. ZHAN Renbin and Dr. HUANG Bing, and to give lectures and academic instructions to the students at NIGPAS. His recent research, which focused on multiple fossils from the Upper Cretaceous of Manitoba, Canada, was an excellent case for reconstructing the food chain/web in the past.
- Macroevolution of Early Palaeozoic Faunas and IGCP 653 Workshop held in Nanjing
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Macroevolution of Early Palaeozoic Faunas and IGCP 653 Workshop were held in Nanjing from May 16 to 17, 2017. More than 60 participants from China, Germany, Canada and Australia attended the workshop. Prof. ZHANG Yuandong of NIGPAS hosted the Opening & Closing ceremonies.
During the workshop, Prof. Thomas Servais from University of Lille, France gave two lectures entitled “The GOBE: definition, conception and duration” and “Evolution of the phytoplankton and the marine food chains in the Lower Palaeozoic: Ordovician Plankton Revolution”, respectively. Prof. David Harper from Durham University, UK gave lectures on “Evolution of the early metazoans in the Ediacaran and Early Palaeozoic”, “Lower Palaeozoic timescales and Ordovician stratigraphy” and “PAST Software: case history on heterochrony in trilobites and vertebrates”. Dr. FAN Junxuan of NIGPAS reported on “An introduction to Paleobiology Database (PBDB) and Geobiodiversity Database (GBDB)” and “Guide to PBDB online system: structure, data and applications”.
- Dr. Stephen Kershaw from Brunel University London visited NIGPAS and gave lectures on sedimentology
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From May 22nd to 23rd, Dr. Stephen Kershaw from Brunel University London and Dr. Li Kershaw from University of Cambridge were invited to NIGPAS to cooperate with Dr. LI Yue on Silurian biotas, sedimentology and environment.
Dr. Stephen Kershaw gave a comprehensive lecture on sedimentology to the students, talking about the definition and taxonomy of carbonate and clastic rocks, teaching on how to learn from the geological map and thus construct its 3D model. Dr. Li Kershaw talked about the sinter deposits and related carbonates.
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From April 28 to 31, 2017, Prof. David J. Bottjer from University of Southern California, USA made a series of lectures on Paleogenomics in NIGPAS. During his visit, NIGPAS Director YANG Qun presented him a medal of Guest Professor of NIPGAS.
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Prof. Glenn A. Brock from Macquarie University, Australia has assumed his CAS visiting professorship in May. His cooperative research project at NIGPAS is “High resolution chronostratigraphic correlation and palaeobiogeography of Cambrian animal life between China and Australia”. His collaborator is Dr. LI Guoxiang of NIGPAS.
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Prof. Oliver Lehnert from University of Erlangen, Gemany has assumed his CAS visiting professorship in May. His cooperative research project at NIGPAS is “Ordovician climate change: the trigger to the GOBE”. His host is Dr. WU Rongchang of NIGPAS.
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Dr. Anisimova S. Anatolievna from Institute of the Earth’s Crust of SB RAS, Russia has assumed her CAS visiting professorship in May. Her cooperative research project at NIGPAS is “Paleontological studies in the Siberian and Tarim cratons”, and her collaborator at NIGPAS is Prof. ZHOU Chuanming.
.....CONTENTS OF PALAEONEWS NO.5.....