Re: paleonet superiority!

[Dawn Peterson <jurdyke@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dr Rindsberg,

Thank you for your invitation, I will tell you a bit of my life. But first,
I must admit I possess no formal degree. Throughout my life, paleontology
has been my great passion. Iworked as a technical assistant at the St. Paul
Science Museum throughout my high school years. Dinosaur digs and all!
However, I developed bipolar disorder during my second year of studies back
in 1967 and was unable to continue formal studies. I became a stone sculptor
instead, staying close to the quarries and fossil outcrops. And, of course,
I continued to study at every opportunity and volunteered with every natural
history institution in every city my "journeyman's" sculptors' life found
me. I have been a volunteer, then research associate or curatorial assistant
at the California Academy of Sciences since 1987. I now have research
affiliations with the University of Hamburg; ETH Zurich, Switzerland; The
University of Auckland, New Zealand. My research primarily focuses on the
Ostracoda of the Eastern Pacific faunal province. Picking ostracodes and
forams from endless sediment samples is the perfect occupation for a person
suffering from a severe disociative disorder!
The mentoring I have received from my many colleagues over the years and the
access to lab and electron microscope facilities such as I have received at
the California Academy of Sciences has been the greatest opportunity of my
life. I have now published a few papers and have  more in varying stages of
completion. It has also been my personal experience that "amateurs" and
their finds are always a well recognized part of the duties of any
institution. Perhaps I am a prime example of this great institutional goal.
Thanks for the opportunity to speak my mind. Sometimes I hear too much sour
grapes and negativity from people like Mr. Pristis. I have no complaints at
all! Maybe it's because I'm crazy.

Dawn Peterson
Research Associate
Dept. of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118-4599


  ----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Rindsberg" <arindsberg@gsa.state.al.us>
To: <paleonet@nhm.ac.uk>
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 2:21 PM
Subject: RE: paleonet superiority!


> Dr. Peterson,
>
> Thank you. It sounds like you have an interesting research position. Tell
us
> about it if you like.
>
> I read about the certification programs in a fairly recent (3-4 years
old?)
> issue of Geotimes. Normally I'd hie over to the library to seek it out,
> since it was a good article, but am out of time because I am traveling
> tomorrow. Anyway, there seems to be a lot on this topic available on the
> Web.
>
> A quick search on Yahoo for "paleontology certification Denver" yielded
306
> hits, including a GSA abstract by Kirk Johnson, THE CERTIFICATION IN
> PALEONTOLOGY PROGRAM AT THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE:
> http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2001AM/finalprogram/abstract_27741.htm
>
> If anyone who is involved with this or a similar program would like to
> describe how it works, here is your opportunity. It would make interesting
> reading. (Extra credit for positive thinking!)
>
> Cheers,
> Andrew
>
> Andrew K. Rindsberg
> Geological Survey of Alabama
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk [mailto:paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk]On
> > Behalf Of Dawn Peterson
> > Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 3:34 PM
> > To: paleonet@nhm.ac.uk
> > Subject: Re: paleonet superiority!
> >
> >
> > Dr. Rindsberg,
> >
> > I wonder I you or another PaleoNet subscriber could expand a bit
> > on programs
> > to develop semi-professional certifications at the Utah Geological
Survey
> > and the Denver Museum of Natural History. I am a "full-time"
> > semi-professional (micropaleontology: ostracoda). Enquiring minds want
to
> > know!
> >
> > Dawn Peterson
> > Research Associate
> > Dept. of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology
> > California Academy of Sciences
> > Golden Gate Park
> > San Francisco, CA 94118-4599
> >
>
>