Dry Dredgers Paleontological Research Award
2023

The Dry Dredgers were pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Dry Dredgers Paleontological Research Awards.   The value of the awards for this year totaled over $2000. 

The 2023 winning applicants are:  

Mariana Vilela de Andrade who is Masters Student of Dr. Alycia L. Stigall at the University of Tennessee. Her project is titled: Biogeography, speciation and niche partitioning of atrypid brachiopods in the Ordovician Period.

James Beech who is PhD Student of Dr. David J. Bottjer at the University of Southern California. His project is titled: Does the morphology of brimmed trilobites respond to changing environmental conditions during the end—Ordovician glaciation?

Dava Butler who is a PhD Student of Dr. Dan Peppe at Baylor University and Dr. Lindsey Yann of the US Park Service. Her project is titled: Using Computerized Tomography to Investigate Arrested Growth in a Columbian Mammoth.

Ian Forsythe who is a PhD Student of Prof. Carlton Brett at the University of Cincinnati. His project is titled: Constraining Timing, Drivers, and Geographic Uniformity of the Richmondian Invasion across the Cincinnati Arch.

Ohav Harris who is a Masters Student of Dr. Sarah Sheffield at the University of South Florida. His project is titled: Examining the Shifting Biogeographic Patterns of Paleozoic Echinoderms.

All five were deemed to be excellent projects by the selection committee. The Dry Dredgers offer our congratulations to all of the winners. We hope to hear from them in the future as their projects progress. The Dry Dredgers have now made over sixty five awards totaling over $34,000.

Click here for a list of past award winners

Applications for the 2024 Paleontological Research Award will be accepted in the fall of 2023. Instructions and forms to follow.

The Dry Dredgers Paleontological Research Award provides funding to support research in paleontology and stratigraphy intended for publication. While any research topic may be submitted for award, special consideration will be given to projects involving one of the following:  

(1) The late Ordovician period, and in particular, the Cincinnati Series.

(2) Paleozoic era as centered on the Cincinnati Arch.

Applications are limited to current graduate level individuals who are at an accredited US University and studying paleontology or stratigraphy.  Those research projects that involve collaboration by amateur and professional paleontologists are encouraged.  However, awards will only be made to the graduate student for their personal expenses and not to teams.

The Selection Committee currently consists of 5 amateurs and 3 professional paleontologists, all of whom are members of the Dry Dredgers. All decisions of the Selection Committee are final and non-appealable.

Dry Dredgers, Inc. is a non-profit tax-exempt membership organization of amateurs and professionals formed in April, 1942. It is dedicated to stratigraphy and paleontology, particularly in the Cincinnati Series of the Upper Ordovician of the greater Cincinnati area. Its purpose is to stimulate interest and promote paleontology at all levels and to encourage the collection, identification, preservation and classification of fossils of all types. Throughout its history, the Dry Dredgers have encouraged cooperation among amateur and professional paleontologists.

Tom Bantel
8521 Donna Lane
Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-1717
USA