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https://nams.wildapricot.org/

In this issue: Grants and Awards page 2

MMRG Meeting page 4

Microfossils IV page 4-6

Hello Everybody!

My term as President of NAMS is almost

over! I will hand over the gavel to Mitch

Covington at the 2017 AAPG Annual Con-

vention and Exposition (ACE) in Houston

next month. I will continue to serve as Past-

President for the coming year and I hope to

remain involved with NAMS for the future.

Planning is in the final stages for “Geologic

Problem Solving with Microfossils IV” to

be held April 5-8, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

The venue for Microfossils IV is the White-

hall Hotel and Conference Center (formerly

the Crowne Plaza-Downtown) in Houston.

Our conference immediately follows the

AAPG Centennial Celebration Conference

and Exhibition in Houston April 2-5, 2017.

Microfossils IV has a full slate of oral and

poster sessions scheduled. One hundred

abstracts have been reviewed and accepted

by the technical program committee. It

looks to be a great meeting! The technical

program features the following oral ses-

sions:

1. High-resolution Biostratigraphy,

Chronostratigraphy, and Geochronology

2. Microfossils and Biofacies Analysis:

Applications and Challenges

3. Future directions in micropaleontology

4. Integration of microfossil and sequence

stratigraphic data

In addition to the oral presentations, a large

number of micropaleontologists will be pre-

senting their results as posters. Posters will

be up through the entire conference, so there

will be many opportunities for presenters to

interact with their colleagues. A number of

workshops are also planned for immediately

before and after the meeting.

If you are coming to Houston for the AAPG

Centennial Celebration, I encourage you to

stay a few extra days to attend Microfossils

IV. We expect this to be a large gathering

of micropaleontologists from around the

world. To view the

conference schedule

or to find out more

about the conference,

visit our website:

https://

nams.wildapricot.org/

Microfossils-IV

Microfossils IV could

not have happened without the work of our

conference chair Todd Boesiger, and mem-

bers of the committees including Lawrence

Febo, Maria Bolivar, Kate Greiner, Jens

Schmieder, Richard Denne, Alicia Kahn,

Scott Ishman, Stacie Blair, David Bord, Iain

Prince, Don Van Nieuwenhuise, Emily

Browning, Kendra Clark, Nancy-Engelhardt-

Moore, and Tony Gary.

In my last letter, I mentioned my interest in

the future of micropaleontology. I began

investigating the state of micropaleontology

in Geoscience departments at universities in

North America. By using the 2016 Directory

of Geoscience Departments published by the

American Geosciences Institute (AGI) I

identified 58 self-identified micropaleontolo-

gists in full time faculty positions; 46 in de-

partments granting a PhD. I had planned to

find out more about the offerings of micro-

paleontology courses at these universities

over the past year and report back in this let-

ter but this investigation is still on-going.

see President’s Letter (cont.) on page 2

GRANTS AND AWARDS

2 NAMS NEWS Spring 2017

SEPM has replaced the Mobil Travel Grant with the

SEPM Student Participation Grant. These grants provide

travel funds for students that have abstracts accepted to

SEPM 'approved' meetings and conferences. An

'approved' meeting is one that SEPM has reviewed and

endorses the topic, program and operating organization.

These include the AAPG and GSA annual meetings and

Microfossils IV.

For more information, go to:

https://www.sepm.org/Apply-for-a-Student-Travel--Grant

SEPM Student Participation Grants

2017 Garry Jones & Brian O’Neill Memorial

Grant for NAMS Student Research

Application Deadline: September 30, 2017

The North American Micropaleontology Section (NAMS)

of SEPM is soliciting applications for the 2017 Garry

Jones and Brian O’Neill Memorial Grant for NAMS stu-

dent research. The Jones & O’Neill grant is a $1,500

award available to one NAMS student member to support

research with a substantial micropaleontological compo-

nent. The student’s research must involve one or more

micropaleontology disciplines, including foraminifers,

nannofossils, diatoms, radiolarians, pollen, spores, dino-

flagellates or conodonts. Projects may apply micropaleon-

tology to traditional fields such as biostratigraphy, paleoe-

cology, and paleoceanography or to rapidly expanding

fields like biogeochemistry and geomicrobiology. The

NAMS Council of Officers will rank proposals based on

scientific merit, faculty recommendation and financial

need. The grant will partially support a M.S. or Ph.D. re-

search project that is not funded through other major

grants. Applicants must be student members of NAMS.

To apply, students should fill out the appropriate forms

found at:

https://nams.wildapricot.org/Jones-ONeill

Please submit the completed forms to Rick Fluegeman at

rfluegem@bsu.edu along with a one to three page sum-

mary of the applicant’s research, a Curriculum Vitae, and

a budget. A supporting letter of recommendation from the

applicant’s faculty advisor must be provided separately to

Rick at the address above. Proposals must be submitted

by September 30, 2017. The award notification is sched-

uled for October 15, 2017.

NAMS is also pleased to announce the recipient of the

2016 Garry Jones and Brian O’Neill Memorial Fund,

Shamar Chin. Shamar is a Ph.D. candidate at the Univer-

sity of Nebraska-Lincoln working under the tutelage of

Dr. David Watkins. Her proposed investigation is “A

Comparison of Late Campanian-Maastrichtian Calcareous

Nannofossil Assemblages and Sea Surface Temperatures

from Coastal and Deep Marine Settings”. We congratu-

late Shamar and thank all of the students who applied for

the grant.

The NAMS Council would also like to thank Tess O’Neill

for her continued support of the fund.

Jones and O’Neill Fund

Richard Denne NAMS Editor

Rick Fluegeman NAMS President

Although my results are incomplete at this point what I

have learned is that micropaleontology is healthy where it

is offered but its existence as a field of study is for the

most part ephemeral. Micropaleontology (or paleontolo-

gy in general, for that matter) is not viewed as an integral

part of a geoscience degree by many departments. Micro-

paleontology holds the position in the undergraduate cur-

riculum of an “advanced elective” and that’s not a bad

thing. It seems to me that this has been true for my nearly

40 years of professional practice. I teach and conduct

research in micropaleontology at Ball State but I was

hired to teach stratigraphy and petroleum geology. Mi-

cropaleontology was a bonus (I hope!) for our students. I

suspect the story is similar elsewhere.

My concern for the future is whether micropaleontolo-

gists will continue to hold faculty positions as depart-

ments are forced to hire faculty who can deal with the

changing expectations of a geoscience degree. As many

of us are facing budget cuts, faculty positions will be

scrutinized for their relevance toward fulfilling the de-

partment’s mission. I do think micropaleontology has a

role in the future of the geosciences because micropaleon-

tologists are problem solvers. Whether in industry or an

academic setting, we can collaborate with our colleagues

toward the solution of a diversity of geologic problems.

This is the great value of micropaleontology to the geo-

sciences and we need to communicate this widely. We

know this. We need to tell everyone else.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Houston in April.

President’s Letter (cont. from page 1)

Table of Contents NAMS/SEPM Officers

President’s Letter 1 Grants and Awards 2 Treasurer’s Report 3 NAMS/SEPM Officers 3 NAMS News 4 Microfossils IV Announcement 5 Microfossils IV Schedule 6 NAMS Membership (Renewal) Form 6

Treasurer’s Report

NAMS NEWS is published by NAMS two times a year, just before the GSA annual meeting in the fall and the AAPG/SEPM annual meeting in the spring. Submis-

sions are always appreciated. Copyright 2017

As of March 1, 2017, the NAMS treasury has $15,001.68 in

accounts. Since the last report posted in the Fall 2016 Newslet-

ter NAMS received an additional $529.50 in membership dues.

This included check deposits totaling $150.00 and $379.50 net

in PayPal deposits. During this period NAMS paid no expenses.

If your membership has not been paid through 2017, we would

appreciate your payment to bring your membership up-to-date

at the new $20 per year rate. We suggest for your convenience

that you pay for multiple years to reduce the number of profes-

sional memberships you need to track each year. Many of our

members do so and we appreciate their advanced payments.

You may also find it convenient to pay your annual dues to

NAMS along with your dues to SEPM by clicking the appropri-

ate box on their payment page and paying the additional dues.

Direct electronic payments are now available through PayPal.

This has been available since the middle of 2016, primarily

through the good efforts of our NAMS Secretary, Lawrence

Febo. The numbers above are beginning to show that this has

been a good move for NAMS. This should continue to provide

a new level of convenience for our members.

It has been a privilege to serve you as Treasurer and I look for-

ward to seeing you at future .NAMS sponsored meetings, espe-

cially the upcoming MMRG meeting and Microfossils IV.

NAMS NEWS Spring 2017 3

Don Van Nieuwenhuise NAMS Treasurer

President Rick Fluegeman Department of Geological Sciences Ball State University Fine Arts Building (AR), Room 117 Muncie, IN 47306 USA (765)-285-8267 rfluegem@bsu.edu

President-Elect Mitch Covington BugWare, Inc. 1615 Village Square Blvd., Suite 8 Tallahassee, FL 32309 (850) 668-3894 mitch.covington@bugware.com

Secretary Lawrence Febo Chevron Energy Technology Company 1500 Louisiana Street, 31138 Houston, TX 77002 USA (832) 854-7012 Lawrence.Febo@Chevron.com

Treasurer Donald S. Van Nieuwenhuise Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Dept. Science and Research Building 1 3507 Cullen Blvd, Rm 312 University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-5007 USA (713) 743-3423 Donvann@uh.edu

Newsletter Editor Richard A. Denne Texas Christian University School of Geology, Energy, & Environment TCU Box 298830 Fort Worth, TX 76129 USA (817) 257-4423 r.denne@tcu.edu

Past-President Todd M. Boesiger ALS Global Oil and Gas 5929 Lee Circle Lincoln, NE 68506 USA (281) 995-2851 tboesig@gmail.com

AAPG / SEPM Annual Convention with MMRG meeting:

April 2-5, 2017, Houston, TX

Microfossils IV: April 5-9, 2017, Houston, TX

International Summer School of Applied and Integrated

Stratigraphy: June 5-9, 2017, Dorset, UK

www.stratcourse.comDino11: July 17-21, 2017, Bordeaux, France

AASP–TMS–CIMP Joint Meeting: September 3-7, 2017,

Keyworth, Nottingham, UK

International Nannoplankton Association (INA) 16: Septem-

ber 24-28, 2017, Athens, Greece

GSA Annual Meeting: October 22-25, 2017, Seattle, WA

AAPG / SEPM Annual Convention with MMRG meeting:

May 20-23, 2018, Salt Lake, UT

FORAMS 2018: June 17-22, 2018, Edinburgh, Scotland

Upcoming Meetings & Courses

NAMS NEWS

4 NAMS NEWS Spring 2017

Workshop 1: Thin-section Microscopy

Malcolm Hart and Stephen Packer

Wednesday, April 5, 7:30-11:30 am at The Whitehall

Microfossils, and fragmentary macrofossils, have a long

geological record. They are both numerous and taxo-

nomically diverse in assemblages throughout the Meso-

zoic and Cenozoic and have been used extensively in

stratigraphical and paleoecological problem-solving. One

of the most important taxonomic groups in this regard are

the planktic and benthic foraminifera which are used for

biostratigraphy in various locations throughout the world,

based on both processed residues and – where appropri-

ate – thin-sections. In many cases, however, thin-section

analysis appears to be avoided and relatively few micro-

paleontologists make use of standard (30 μm) thin-

sections in their research and publications. This review

will provide examples of the application of thin-section

studies to problems relating to Mesozoic and Cenozoic

successions throughout the world, focusing on some well

-known examples in the UK, Europe, Middle East, India,

Brazil and the Gulf Coast Region. The other microfossils

and fragmentary macrofossils that are (almost unfailing-

ly) found in thin-sections are also exceptionally im-

portant in microfacies analysis, paleoecology and the as-

sessment of porosity.

Ages and areas covered include:

- mid-Cretaceous of Oman

- Upper Cretaceous of South India

- Jurassic of Hungary and Poland (Carpathian Mountains)

MMRG Meeting @ AAPG/SEPM April 3, 2017 in Houston

Microfossils IV Workshops

The Marine Micropaleontology Research Group will hold

its meeting in the Conroe Suite of the Four Seasons Hotel

(SEPM Headquarters) in Houston, TX, on April 3rd,

2017 beginning at 7:00 PM. The guest speaker will be

Gregory P. Wahlman of Wahlman Geological Services,

LLC. Gregory will be presenting "Fusulinid and cono-

dont biostratigraphy of the "Wolfcamp Shale" in the Per-

mian Basin, West Texas" by Gregory P. Wahlman, James

E. Barrick (Texas Tech University), and Robert W.

Baumgardner (BEG).

- CTBE in UK, Alps and Middle East

- Eocene in French Alps

Workshop 2: Wilcox Palynology

Guy Harrington, Rebecca Hackworth, and Chris Denison

Friday, April 7, 1:30-5:30 pm at The Whitehall

Workshop 3: Stratabugs Version 2.1

John Athersuch and Paul Britton

Saturday, April 8, 8:30 am–12:30 pm at The Whitehall

Workshop 4: Quantitative Biostratigraphy

Felix Gradstein and Anthony Gary

Wednesday, April 5, 7:30-11:30 am at The Whitehall

We still have space for a few more participants to learn

and actively engage in modern methods to apply quantita-

tive stratigraphic methods to microfossil occurrence data

in wells or outcrops. In the face of contradictions in fossil

event order and subjective solutions we might like some

objective protocol for zonation and correlation, with the

goal of minimizing contradictions and maximizing strati-

graphic resolution. Quantitative stratigraphy involves

relatively simple methods to calculate stratigraphic zonal

models that with a minimum of data provide a maximum

of predictive potency, and may include formulation of

confidence limits.

Workshop 5: Quantitative Biostratigraphy and Se-

quence Stratigraphy

Steven Holland

Friday, April 7, 1:30-5:30 pm at The Whitehall

This workshop will cover the sequence stratigraphic con-

trols on the occurrence of marine fossils, using a combi-

nation of numerical models and field observations. This

will help in the interpretation of patterns of first and last

occurrences, understanding the controls on diachrony, and

stratigraphic patterns of morphological change. The

workshop will finish with a field example showing how

to detect depth-related gradients in fossil communities,

given the importance of these gradients in patterns of fos-

sil occurrence.

Rick Fluegeman NAMS President

Paul Britton and John Athersuch from StrataData Ltd. will be on hand throughout the conference to answer any enquiries about StrataBugs biostratigraphic data handling, charting and analysis software. Come and find us at our poster presentation/booth. We will also be presenting a workshop on the Saturday morning which will cover the new features in the latest version 2.1

NAMS NEWS Spring 2017 5

NAMS NEWS (cont.)

6 NAMS NEWS Spring 2017

NAMS Renewal Information

NAME: _________________________________________________________

AFFILIATION: __________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________

CITY: __________________________________________________________

COUNTRY: _____________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ___________________________________________________

FAX: ___________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ________________________________________________________

SPECIALIZATIONS: _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Remit to: NAMS, SEPM Donald S. Van Nieuwenhuise, Treasurer Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Dept. Science and Research Building 1 3507 Cullen Blvd, Rm 312 University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-5007

Is this a renewal? Y N Years you are paying for ______________

Micropaleontology subscriber? Y N (if so, enclose JM renewal)

Please indicate your status: A) student, B) academic/government professional, C) industry professional, D) consultant/self-employed/retired

Enclose a check payable to ‘NAMS, SEPM’ for: $20 for 2017 ($10 for students) $10 for each year of membership prior to 2017 $0.50 for each late year penalty (dues prior to 2014)

For voluntary contributions to the Garry Jones & Brian O’Neill Fund for NAMS Student Research enclose a check payable to ‘Garry Jones & Brian O’Neill Memorial Fund’. Contributions are de-ductible as charitable gifts for U.S. Income Tax purposes.

PLEASE DON’T WAIT! RENEW TODAY!

Microfossils IV Schedule

April 8thSaturday

7:30  AM

8:00  AM

8:30  AM

9:00  AM

9:30  AM

10:00  AM

10:30  AM

11:00  AM

11:30  AM

12:00  PM

12:30  PM

1:00 PM

1:15 PM

1:30 PM

2:00 PM

2:30 PM

3:00 PM

3:30 PM

4:00 PM

4:30 PM

5:00 PM

5:30 PM

6:00 PM

6:30 PM

7:00 PM

7:30 PM

8:00 PM

8:30 PM

9:00 PM

9:30 PM

10:00  PM

10:30  PM

Poster  Session  Themes:

1.  Paleoclimate, Paleoceanography, and Ocean Chemistry Proxies 

.2      

.3      

.4 Reconstructing Past Environments Using Microfossils 

.5 Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Evolution

Lunch

Oral Session  2: 

Microfossils  and 

Biofacies  Analyses:  

Applications  and 

Challenges  (Chair:  

Mark  Leckie)

April 5thFriday

April 7th

Oral Session  4: Future  

Directions  in 

Micropaleontology  

(biomarkers,  

environmental  

monitoring,  Paleozoic  

chronostratigraphy,  etc) 

(Chair:  Patricia  Eichler)

Wednesday ThursdayApril 6th

Plenary  Dinner  with  

the Dinosaurs   at the 

Houston  Museum  of 

Natural  Science

Ice‐Breaker  & Poster  

Exhibition

Workshop 5

 

:

 Quantitative

 Biostratigraphy

 

and

 Sequence

 

Stratigraphy

 (Steven

 

Holland)

Workshop  1: Thin‐

section  Microscopy  

Stephen

 

Packer)   

Workshop  2: 

Wilcox Palynology (Guy Harrington

 

 

Rebecca Hackworth,

held

at The Whitehall

Oral Session  1: High ‐

Resolution  

Biostratigraphy,  

Cyclostratigraphy,  

Chronostratigraphy,  

and Geochronology  

(Chair:  Felix Gradstein)     

Oral Session  3: 

Integration  of 

microfossil  and 

sequence  stratigraphic

data:  (Chairs:  Marie ‐

Pierre  Aubry, Bill  

Berggren)

Poster  Session  

Continued   (take  

down at noon)

Poster  Session

Poster  Session  

Continued

Workshop  3: 

Stratabugs  Version  

2.1

Workshop  4: 

Quantitative  

Biostratigraphy  (Felix

 Gradstein  & Anthony

Gary) held

at The Whitehall

& Chris Denison)

(Malcolm Hart &

held

at The Whitehall

via Webinar

held

at The Whitehall

held

at The Whitehall

(John Athersuch,Paul Britton, &

Rosa Townsend)

Paralic and Lacustrine Micropaleontology

Microfossils and Unconventional Resources: The New Frontier

LunchLunch

The next issue of the NAMS News will be published before the 2017 GSA Annual Meeting. Please send news to the Editor through September 15th, 2017. News regarding meetings, symposia, people, books, internet infor-mation, software, new journal articles, and just about anything else regard-ing micropaleontology is welcome. Submit your news by email (preferred), or letter to the Editor:

NAMS Newsletter Editor Texas Christian University School of Geology, Energy, & Environment TCU Box 298830 Fort Worth, TX 76129 USA (713) 899-0689 r.denne@tcu.edurichdenne@aol.com https://nams.wildapricot.org/

Richard Denne, NAMS News Editor Texas Christian University School of Geology, Energy, & Environment TCU Box 298830 Fort Worth, TX 76129 USA

FIRST CLASS

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED PLEASE FORWARD