This grant supports the acquisition of a confocal imaging microscope with interferometric capabilities and associated computational hardware and software to permit rapid automated microwear analysis of fossil mammalian teeth. The capability offers the promise of reconstructing the paleodiets of extinct Cenozoic grazers, browsers and carnivores when coupled with other analysis techniques (e.g, stable isotopic analysis of bone apatite). Specific studies will include use of the confocal micropscope for paleoecological research on Cenozoic mammals, in particular marsupials, from fossil localities in the southeastern U.S. and Australia. The Vanderbilt based PI plans academic collaborations with colleagues and students at nearby Eastern Tennessee State University and outreach efforts through multiple workshops and K-12 educational modules. Partial support over three years for a graduate student will also be provided.
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