Paleontologist Barbie

The Marriage of the Scientist and the Artist: 
INTERVIEWS WITH PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE

COLLABORATION OF A SCIENTIST AND AN ARTIST.  Starting in 2011,  my husband, Tony Martin (aka Chiboogamoo) and I collaborated on the interviews with Paleontologist Barbie you see below. I gave Paleontologist Barbie to Tony for Christmas in 2010, and since then she has joined him/us on our investigative adventures into paleontology and geology. Oh yes, and CREATIVITY! This photo was taken of us at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador, Bahamas.


This is the first interview with Paleontologist Barbie! It is a must read!

SERVING AS A ROLE MODEL: While in Melbourne, Victoria, it was time for Paleontologist Barbie to examine some fossils and fossil replicas in Museum Victoria. “Looks like a skull cast of Dorudon, an early whale from the Eocene Epoch!” Here she looks at the spacing between the teeth toward the front of the skull. “This is the sort of functional morphology that can provide more than a few insights on its diet,” she assures us. Who could dispute her? Paleontologist Barbie, while investigating bite forces in Dorudon, demonstrates yet again why she is the honey badger of paleontologists, totally fearless and unstoppable in her pursuit of scientific knowledge. (Photo and Caption by Anthony Martin)


Paleontologist Barbie explains her understanding of evolution by looking at the"Selections" art exhibit at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. Specifically, she provides her interpretation of the importance of art done by Anthony Martin and Hallelujah Truth.

DARWIN, PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE, 
HALLELUJAH TRUTH. (photo  by Anthony Martin)  



Paleontologist Barbie goes to St. Catherines Island to examine reptile burrows.


INVESTIGATING ALLIGATOR DENS. Paleontologist Barbie, in a quest to better understand the fossil record of reptiles, decides to investigate some of the traces made modern alligators and sea turtles on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. “Why not take on the biggest and most dangerous reptiles first?” she asks, while checking out an alligator-den entrance.(photo and caption by Anthony Martin)



Paleontologist Barbie sees exciting tracks and a really cool dinosaur sitting trace in addition to exchanging knowledge with fellow colleague paleontologists. "Professional development is more important than Halloween parties," Paleontologist Barbie was heard saying out in the Utah desert.

PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE DANCES WITH A DINOSAUR. After three days on the field trip Paleontologist Barbie finally meets one of the trackmakers, Dilophosaurus. “How cool – you’re one of my favorite dinosaurs! Would you like to dance?” she asks cordially. Of course, when Paleontologist Barbie dances, she always leads. And that’s because she’s a natural-born leader.(photo and caption by Anthony Martin)



Paleontologist Barbie Marvels at Learning and Teaching in the Field: Sapelo Island, Georgia, Provides Perfect Classroom

In early November, following the 2011 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Las Vegas, Paleontologist Barbie headed to the Georgia coast with my brilliant husband and famous ichnologist Chiboogamoo, and 13 Emory University  students enrolled in his Modern and Ancient Tropical Environments course. Their MISSION? To leap into the natural environment of Sapelo Island and MARVEL at what they could learn in this Georgia coast windowless classroom (see Chiboogamoo's blog)!

PALEO BARBIE MARVELS ON FERRY TO WINDOWLESS CLASSROOM. Sapelo Island does not have a bridge connecting it to the mainland part of Georgia, so Paleontologist Barbie had to take a ferry to get there, a ride that takes about 20-30 minutes. “What a tidal channel!” she exclaims as the ferry plows through the water. “I’ll bet there are some fascinating benthic organisms down there!” Paleontologist Barbie also marvels at the vastness of the salt marshes between Sapelo and the mainland part of Georgia. Georgia, despite its relatively small coastline, actually has about one-third of all salt marshes (by area) in the eastern U.S. (Photo and captions by Anthony Martin)


Chiboogamoo and I bring Paleontologist Barbie with us out in the field to lead the students into challenging situations so they could learn about modern and ancient environments.



CHIBOOGAMOO (aka Anthony Martin) San Salvador, Bahamas, December  2011 (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

Paleontologist Barbie Vacations by Doing Bike Ichnology on the Georgia Coast, on Jekyll Island, Georgia

HALLELUJAH for holidays spent doing ichnology along the Georgia coast and for Paleontologist Barbie, who loves talking about science and just how much fun it is. This interview took place with Paleontologist Barbie in 2011 following her Thanksgiving bike ichnology trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA.

BIKE ICHNOLOGIST PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE. Paleontologist Barbie is not only a world-class scientist, but also an ardent environmentalist. As a result, she was delighted to know that much of her research on Jekyll Island could be done by bicycle. “Wow, this is MUCH better than using one of those hydrocarbon-burning field vehicles!” she exclaims with her characteristic enthusiasm. “Hooray for people power!” (photo and caption by Chiboogamoo, aka Anthony Martin)

PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE EXPLORES CRYSTAL PALACE PARK: South London Treasure of 19th Century Dinosaur Sculptures
 MARY ANNING WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS DINO-TERRIFIC PARK. The sculpture of Ichthyosaurus, a large marine reptile from the Early Jurassic Period, had emotional significance for Paleontologist Barbie.


Paleontologist Barbie Goes to the Natural History Museum in London: Revels in Dinosaur Hall and so Much More
 CONSIDERING GEOLOGICAL TIME...Paleontologist Barbie is excited to see a sign telling museum visitors about the LONG relationship between humans and dinosaurs. "Well, not that LONG. I mean, 150 years--that's NOTHING in geological time" (snorting)! (photograph and caption by Anthony Martin)

2 comments:

  1. I am a geologist and I happened upon your Paleontologist Barbie blog page when I was looking for pictures to teach from earlier today. This whole concept makes me incredibly happy. I just needed to let you know that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. this is amazing, i love Paleontologist Barbie!
    so funny. i wanna buy one myself!

    ReplyDelete