Marshall University is awarded a grant to develop a web-based interactive database of late Paleocene and early Eocene aged mammalian fossils from North America that will become an invaluable resource for paleontologists, mammalogists, ecologists, systematists, and functional morphologists. The most dramatic temperature change of the Cenozoic occurred during the late Paleocene and early Eocene. This global warming (the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum) had an extensive impact on ecosystems world-wide, affecting both marine and terrestrial organisms. Study of the late Paleocene/early Eocene fossil record is essential to understanding the consequences of climatic change on the Earth's biota and the origins of modern clades. This project, "Paleoview3D", will be an interactive 3D model library of over 650 fossil specimens from 20 museums. Data for these models will be acquired with a high precision laser scanner and converted into high-resolution surface models that can be viewed in either 2D or 3D, magnified and rotated at will by the user. Simple measurements (i.e., linear distance, circumference, and arcs) of each model can be made directly on the web-site with a simple point and click feature. Users will also be able download models as data files so that more sophisticated 3D measurements can be made utilizing CAD, GIS, or 3D measurement software. In addition to the fossil models, the associated information accessible from this database will include: 1) detailed locality and age/range, 2) descriptive narrative of species, 3) collection history, 4) comprehensive lists of references for each species, and 5) any link available to other on-line databases or museum sites that have pertinent information about either the specimen and/or species.
Every aspect of this project will include undergraduate participation, from specimen preparation, scanning, 3D model development, database management, development of teaching resources, to web design and website implementation. Given the diversity of activities involved in the development of this database, students will be drawn from many majors. Teaching resources will include non-technical descriptions and artistic reconstructions of Paleocene/Eocene mammals and K-12 classroom exercises designed by Science Education majors. Involvement in the project will give undergraduates invaluable experience with state of the art technology, software, web-design, and teamwork. PaleoView3D offers novel database design with its focus on surface structure, interactive capabilities, and its range of viewing, measuring, and download options. It will provide immediate access to what is typically a very limited resource. Furthermore, it is more than just a fossil image database; the 3D model data will stimulate quantitative research in morphology and systematics on fossils from a time of substantial global temperature change and faunal turnover.