The 2009 and 2010 Workshops: Sino-US Collaborative Research on Neogene Mammalian Chronology of Asia (Beijing)We used the platform of Critical Transitions workshop to convene the first international meeting on Neogene mammalian biostratigraphy and geochronology Asia. This workshop on terrestrial paleobiology and biostratigraphy spanning the last 25 million years was held in June 8-10 at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a follow-up field conference was conducted in the Linxia Basin, Hezheng County, Gansu Province in June 11-15, 2009. The workshop was attended by an international array of more than 70 scholars and graduate students, with representation from 19 countries (Austria, China, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Iran, Japan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States). Click here for workshop group photo.
Presentations on the Neogene mammalian faunas from diverse Eurasian localities represent the first gathering of specialists from a broad representation of countries and taxonomic expertise. The audience was treated to an interesting and stimulating collation of reports. At the end of each day's presentations, the participants segued into a workshop discussion of the topics that had been presented, but with a major focus on the role to be played by the Chinese faunal succession in forming a cornerstone for Asian mammalian chronology. The background of China's long and fundamental role in developing a chronologic system was clearly recognized in this regard, and the array of approaches to developing chronological systems portrayed at this conference provided the Chinese organizers with considerable examples to draw upon in furthering their goals.
A major outcome of the workshop is a special conference issue in the journal Vertebrata PalAsiatica and a book to be published by Columbia University Press, both co-edited by Xiaoming Wang, Lawrence Flynn, and Mikael Fortelius. Seven contributions are to be included in the special issue of Vertebrata PalAsiatica, which was published in July 2011. Thirty-two chapters representing all major fossil-producing countries or regions in Asia are undergoing final editing of the CUP book and it is expected to be published in early 2012. When published, this book will be the first to summarize Asian terrestrial biostratigraphy and geochronology in all key countries and regions. With the newly updated databases in the CUP volume, broader questions regarding inter-regional relationships of faunas, communities, and environments are natural by-products of this effort, such as will be discussed in-depth in this proposed workshop.
With the help of a supplement grant (EAR-0924142), we organized a second workshop for the Neogene Cenozoic group in Beijing in March 2010. This second workshop was attended by editors of the CUP volume plus Michael Woodburne and Jin Meng, as well as Neogene mammal specialists from the IVPP, plus an NSF observer. This workshop was focused on the Chinese Neogene chronologic framework and intense debates were centered on the best principles and practices in North America, Asia, and Europe.
- Scientific Program of 2009 Beijing Workshop.
- Participant List for the meeting.
- Special issue of Vertebrata PalAsiatica.
The 2007 Workshop: Sino-US Collaborative Research on Critical Transitions in History of LifeAnother workshop in the series on the Critical Transitions in the History of Life was held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science October 10-14th 2007. The workshop was well attended with a mix of scientists from both the United States and China. The three critical transitions chosen for this meeting were: 1) The Ordovician radiation; 2) the K/T boundary; and 3) Himalayan Uplift.
The meeting was organized around a plenary session where each of the transitions was introduced. Selected Powerpoint® presentations can be found here. An introduction to the Ordovician radiation was presented by Arnie Miller of the University of Cincinnati. This was followed by discussions moderated by Linda Kah and Renbin Zhan.
For the K/T boundary, we heard presentations by Brian Huber, Kirk Johnson, and Sun Ge Followed by group discussion.
Xiaoming Wang led the discussion of the Himalyan uplift followed by discussions.
On Friday participants were treated to a visit at the K/T boundary sites in the Denver Basin led by Kirk Johnson, followed by excursions to Dinosaur Ridge and Table Mountain and Red Rocks. See the group photo
The 2006 Workshop: Sino-US Collaborative Research on CRITICAL TRANSITIONS IN HISTORY OF LIFE (II) June 22-24, 2006 Beijing and Liaoning, China
The 2006 China-US Workshop on “Critical Transitions In History Of Life (II)” was held in Beijing at the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) on June 22, 2006. This was a sequel to the 2005 US-China Workshop in Washington to review and discuss the bilateral scientific collaboration between Chinese and US geologists and paleontologists.
NSF Beijing Science & Technology
Symposium: A Celebration of US-Sino Collaboration
| The Opening Ceremony of the NSF-Beijing Office,
May 24, 2006On May 24th a U.S.-China Conference was held to celebrate decades of S&T cooperation and the opening of NSF Beijing Office. The conference was held in the 2nd Conference Hall of the Kunlun Hotel, on May 24th (Wednesday) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The meeting featured dignitaries from the US NSF and the NSF China as well as presentations from both US and Chinese scientists who described their cooperative research. Here are links to the contributions from our project.
- US-China Collaborative Research on Critical Transitions In History of Life
- The Earth-Time Initiative
- China-US collaboration on Permian-Triassic Extinction and Recovery
- China-US Collaboration on Neogene Mammalian Faunal Evolution and Climate Changes
US-China Workshop In Geology
and
Paleontology |
Critical Transitions in the History of Life, Washington, DC, November 5 & 6,
2005This scientific workshop brought together the US and Chinese scientists most active in geochronology, sedimentology, isotope and organic geochemistry, and paleontology in both China and the US in order to develop integrated research plans based on shared knowledge and information.
