SGER: Morphological Study of a Key Avian Fossil from Antarctica: New Data from X-Ray Computed Tomography and Histology

克拉克已经提交了一份SGER提案，以支持必须在2004年3月底之前归还阿根廷的鸟类化石的关键时间工作。这项专门的工作是X射线计算机断层成像，以非破坏性的方式收集详细的解剖数据。这块化石是白垩纪晚期的鸟类化石，之所以重要，是因为它相对完整，而且现有信息表明，它可能是鸟类进化中的关键一环，证明了南极半岛地区对鸟类进化的重要性。考虑将这一奖项作为SGER奖的理由是，在化石被送回阿根廷之前，这项工作必须尽快完成。要求PI寻求在晚些时候将其归还美国，这将对化石材料不利。此外，这项工作涉及两种研究化石材料的新方法，这项工作将为目前正在发生的关于鸟类进化的科学讨论和辩论提供信息。推迟获得这些数据将意味着这场辩论将不会从新的数据中受益，这至少会在关于鸟类进化的讨论中留下悬而未决的问题。因此，现在使用这种机制来完成这项工作是非常合理的，因为材料正在进行其他非破坏性工作，而且数据将特别及时地用于科学辩论。SGER计划不允许外部功绩审查(参见拨款提案指南：NSF 03-041，第二部分D.1)。

Clarke has submitted an SGER proposal to support time critical work on bird fossil that must be returned to Argentina by the end of March 2004. The specialized work is x-ray computed tomography imaging to gather detailed anatomical data in a non-destructive fashion. This fossil is a late Cretaceous bird fossil and is important because of its relative completeness and because existing information suggests that it may be a key link in evolution of birds that demonstrates the importance of the Antarctic Peninsula region for bird evolution.The rational for consideration of this as an SGER award is that the work must be completed very soon, before the fossil is returned to Argentina. It would be detrimental to the fossil material to require that the PI's seek to return it to the US at some later time. Also, the work involves two novel approaches to study of fossil material and this work would inform scientific discussions and debates about avian evolution that is occurring now. Delay of acquisition of these data would mean that this debate would not benefit from the new data and this would at least leave open questions in the discussions about bird evolution. Hence, it is very reasonable to use this mechanism to get this work done now, while the material is undergoing other non-destructive work and while the data would be particularly timely to scientific debates.The SGER program does not allow external merit review (see Grant Proposal Guide: NSF 03-041, part II.D.1).