DinoFest 2020 Speaker: Dr. Ian Miller

A paleontologist with a pick axe resting on his shoulder.

Title of Lecture: Correlated plant diversity and climate in North America across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction

Lecture Description: Western North America preserves a remarkable terrestrial record of ancient ecosystems across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary and provides an excellent framework in which to examine short- and long-term changes in climate, plants, and animals change pre- and post- K-Pg mass extinction. These data suggest a staged and intrinsically linked pattern of extinction and recovery of plant and associated vertebrate communities.

Bio: Dr. Ian Miller is Curator of Paleobotany and Director of Earth & Space Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. His research focuses on fossil leaves and their applications for understanding ancient ecosystems and climate. He is presently working on projects in the Colorado Rockies, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, San Juan Basin in New Mexico, Williston Basin in North Dakota, and the Morondova Basin in Madagascar. Ian received his PhD in geology and paleobotany from Yale University, and his BA from The Colorado College. He has been with the Museum since 2006.

Back to DinoFest 2020 overview.