Dr. Ellen Currano is awarded an NSF Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Currano will study the co-evolution of plants and herbivorous insects in the African tropics during the Cenozoic. The research goals will be accomplished by examining the extent of damage caused by insects in fossil leaves. The fossil samples will be collected from two localities in northwestern Ethiopia that represent the Late Oligocene period (28 to 23 million years ago). The information from the fossil record will be compared with modern leaves to understand how the plant-insect interactions were affected by physical processes like droughts.

In addition, Dr. Currano will contribute to the education of two different audiences. First, undergraduate students, from America and Africa, will assist in the collection of samples in Ethiopia. Second, a lesson plan on paleo-botany for 8th grade will be developed and distributed to school teachers in Texas.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)
Application #
0814115
Program Officer
Lina C. Patino
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2008-08-01
Budget End
2009-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$80,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Currano Ellen D
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Washington
State
DC
Country
United States
Zip Code
20003