The end of the Permian period is marked by the most severe extinction event in the history of the earth in which approximately 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species died out. A central question in the history of life is how the biosphere recovered from this massive extinction event. A key factor driving the major transitions in terrestrial vertebrates may have been changes in atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide. This research will investigate lung form and function relationships, which will provide insight into the question of the competitive advantages gained by the archosaur radiation (a group that includes dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, crocodilians, and others). The project will provide training in cardiopulmonary physiology and bioengineering of fluid systems and will integrate science and education, broaden participation of underrepresented groups, and benefit society by training a graduate student and a postdoctoral researcher in how to integrate research and education to become outstanding teacher-scholars. In partnership with the Utah Museum of Natural History and the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), the students will help develop, test, evaluate, and implement enquiry based learning kits that will consist of tactile materials designed to teach the scientific process and fundamental principles of functional morphology and evolutionary biology to blind K-12 students. The research will build infrastructure to serve the blind community both within Utah and throughout our nation; this infrastructure will extend the lifespan of this work beyond the tenure of the grant.
