NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in New Zealand

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This action funds Morgan Churchill of the University of Wyoming to conduct a research project in Geosciences during the summer of 2013 at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The project title is "The Systematics and Biogeography of Southern Hemisphere Fur Seals and Sea Lions." The host scientist is Dr. Ewan Fordyce.This research focuses on re-examining the fossil sea lion Neophoca palatina. Previously, this sea lion has been considered closely related to the living and highly endangered Australian sea lion, a species currently restricted to Western Australia. However, rigorous comparisons of the skull of Neophoca palatina were not made to other fur seals or sea lions. This study re-examines the relationships of this species by rigorously comparing it to other southern hemisphere fur seals and sea lions using phylogenetic and morphometric techniques. This provides important insights into the former distribution of Neophoca as well as the evolution of sea lions in the Southern Hemisphere and provides important data for future research on seal and carnivore evolutionBroader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, fossil collections at the University of Otago preserve important early whale fossils, and will help improve the design of an exhibit currently being put into place at the University of Wyoming Geology Museum on whale evolution. This research will result in publications to Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Frontiers in Zoology, and Systematic Biology.