Credits
Many people have helped develop the content and format of this website. We are grateful for their assistance, and inasmuch as their contributions provide the foundation of what we have now, they will continue to serve, even as future modifications transform the site.
At intervals throughout the history of the project, but especially in the late stages of production, we found allies outside our immediate group who provided key assistance when it was most needed.
Outside Assistance:
Brian Bodenbender, Hope College Professor and an alumnus of our PhD program, supervised a Hope College student, Jamie Pierce, who worked with Daniel Fisher to produce an early version of the BonePicker interface, based on a 2D outline of a mastodon skeleton.
Kent and Janne Buesching and members of the Buesching family of Fort Wayne, Indiana, discovered the Buesching mastodon, generously loaned it to the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology for study, and eventually donated it to the Indiana State Museum, allowing it to remain within the public trust.
Dan Erickson, Exhibit Technician with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, helped realize our mount of the cast skeleton of the Buesching mastodon with an internal steel armature that supports a dynamic pose while minimizing visual clutter.
The Friends of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology is a group of avocational paleontologists dedicated to supporting the research and educational mission of the UMMP. At several critical junctures, they provided software and hardware used in this project. They also assisted with excavations at mastodon and mammoth sites in Michigan.
Amy Harris, Director of the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, oversaw development of our mount of the cast skeleton of the Buesching mastodon and facilitated access for photography, scanning, and video documentation.
John Klausmeyer, Exhibit Designer with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, helped realize our mount of the cast skeleton of the Buesching mastodon and generated text and artwork that enhanced the associated displays.
Peter Knoop, University of Michigan Information Technology Advocate, provided access to the WordPress site template we used, advised on web design, and set up the server access that powers the site.
Edward Krasny, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, volunteered in the early stages of this project (1994-2001), producing many of the earliest bone models and helping to develop the goals that drove the project forward.
Melissa Levine, Copyright Specialist, University of Michigan Library System, advised us on copyright issues and use of Creative Commons licenses.
Eric Maslowski of the University of Michigan 3D Lab, provided advice and assistance at many points on use of 3D graphics software, 3D printing, and open source libraries for development of a viewer for our 3D models.
Shawn O’Grady of the University of Michigan 3D Lab, provided advice and assistance on laser scanning technology and on 3D printing, through which we generated models of bones not found at the Buesching site, for completion of the skeletal mount.
Ron Richards, of the Indiana State Museum, generously extended loans of parts of the Bueshing mastodon specimen after it had been donated to ISM and shared aspects of his observations on mastodon osteology based on sites in Indiana.
Ed Smith, of Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW), invited participation of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology in the excavation of the Buesching mastodon (1998).
Brandon Walker, of Midwestern Consulting, Ann Arbor, Michigan, provided the scan of the University of Michigan mount of the cast skeleton of the Buesching mastodon that we use for our digital model of a mastodon skeleton in user interface for navigating mastodon osteology.
John Weddell, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, did much of the original cleaning and curation of the Buesching mastodon and provided funding for our photography of the Buesching mastodon and early stages of the digitization process.
Z Corporation, manufacturer of 3D printers used in the University of Michigan 3D Lab, provided funding for production of mirrored bones of the Buesching mastodon used to complete our mount of the cast skeleton of the specimen.
Museum of Paleontology personnel who have contributed to this website have brought a rich mix of skills to this project … combined with enthusiasm that extends well beyond the end of the work-day.
UMORF-ologists:
Tomasz Baumiller (tomaszb[at]umich.edu), Curator and Professor, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, oversaw the National Science Foundation collection grant that provided support for 2D imaging of the Invertebrate Type Collection and helped initiate the 3D Invertebrate Type Collection. He is also analyzing microCT scans of fossil echinoderms that will yield models that we expect to include soon.
Scott Beld (sbeld[at]umich.edu), Research Lab Specialist in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, has helped with a broad range of tasks, from site excavation and mapping to photography and image processing in preparation for texture-mapping of bone models.
Robyn Burnham (rburnham[at]umich.edu), Associate Curator and Associate Professor, University of Michigan Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has contributed digital photos of plant fossil material to the image gallery.
Michael Cherney (mcherney[at]umich.edu), PhD candidate in the University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Museum of Paleontology, helped oversee molding and casting of the Buesching and Hyde Park mastodons, assisted with the mount of the cast skeleton of the Buesching mastodon, and remains our casting specialist.
Alysia Cox (adcox[at]asu.edu), Research Assistant in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology (summers, 2002-2004) assisted with photography of the Buesching and Hyde Park mastodons, prepared model files for 3D printing, and assisted with molding and casting.
Joseph El Adli (jeladli[at]umich.edu), PhD precandidate in the University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Museum of Paleontology, assisted with the scan of the mounted skeleton of the Buesching mastodon and aligned individual bone models to the point cloud produced by this scan, yielding our digital version of this mount.
Daniel Fisher (dcfisher[at]umich.edu), Director, Curator, and Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, conducted the proboscidean research that formed the nucleus for a portion of this website, purchased hardware and software used for this project, hired and trained student helpers, and oversaw site development.
Linda Garcia (garciall[at]umich.edu), Administrative Assistant in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, designed and developed this website using a WordPress template and remains the webmistress overseeing site maintenance.
Philip Gingerich (gingeric[at]umich.edu), Curator and Professor, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Department of Anthropology, facilitated the early development of this project through his administrative support as then-Director of UMMP. He also is developing 3D models of whale fossils that will be featured soon.
Bonnie Miljour, former Scientific Illustrator in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, from 1988 until her retirement in 2013, assisted our faculty and students in producing detailed renderings of specimens and dynamic representations of concepts and data. Some of her illustrations are represented in the Image Gallery section of this site.
Daniel Miller (djmill[at]umich.edu), Invertebrate Collections Manager in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, helped initiate the 3D Invertebrate Type Collection and researched, tested, and helped raise funds for some of the software and hardware used in imaging the invertebrate collection. He also trained students, produced or oversaw production of 2D images and 3D models of invertebrate specimens, and assisted with assembly and configuration of site materials.
Adam Rountrey (arountre[at]umich.edu), Vertebrate Collections Manager in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, helped oversee modeling of proboscidean osteology and created animations while a graduate student (2005-2009) and postdoctoral fellow (2009-2011). Returning as a staff member in 2013, he developed the viewer used on this site, using open-source function libraries available through Three.js and assisted with assembly and configuration of site materials.
William Sanders (wsanders[at]umich.edu), Vertebrate Preparator and Research Scientist in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, has prepared many of the specimens that will be featured in parts of this site.
Ethan Shirley (ething[at]umich.edu), Research Assistant in the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, continued working beyond the conclusion of his undergraduate program (2011), developing 3D models and animations based on CT scans of juvenile and adult mammoth specimens.
Kathlyn Smith (ksmith[at]georgiasouthern.edu), Georgia Southern University professor and an alumna of our PhD program, helped supervise some of the students doing bone modeling, during her own work on the Bothwell mastodon tusks.
Cindy Stauch (cstauch[at]umich.edu), Business Administrator for the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, keeps our accounts, travel, and computing facilities organized and operational.
Jeffrey Wilson (wilsonja[at]umich.edu), Associate Curator and Associate Professor, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, assisted with purchase of the laser scanning digitizer we share with the University of Michigan 3D Lab and has developed models, especially of vertebrate trackways, that we expect to feature soon.
Much of the work of molding and casting of specimens and producing high-quality 3D models has been handled by University of Michigan undergraduates … many of them working through the University of Michigan’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and others working on Independent Study projects or as Research Assistants.
Undergraduate Research Assistants, UROP Students, and Independent Study Participants:
2013 – 2014:
Max Carrillo-Ostrow, UROP Project on proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Sarah Fellbaum, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, digitizing and texture-mapping
Caleb Fogel, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, laser scanning digitizing
Madalyn Purcell, UROP Project on proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Thomas West, UROP Project on proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Chris Whalen, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
2012 – 2013:
Zachary Calamari, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Meredith Dennis, Res. Assist., molding and casting mastodon tusks and molars
Sarah Fellbaum, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, digitizing and texture-mapping
Caleb Fogel, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, laser scanning digitizing
Ryan Gabelman, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, laser scanning digitizing
Elizabeth Potter, Res. Assist., 3D modeling of the Riley mammoth site
Chris Whalen, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
Alex Wozniak, UROP project on proboscidean osteology, laser scanning digitizing
2011 – 2012:
Zachary Calamari, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Alex Dinello, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, bone digitizing, texture-mapping
Sarah Fellbaum, UROP project on proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Caleb Fogel, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, bone digitizing, texture-mapping
Ryan Gabelman, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, bone digitizing, texture-mapping
Josie Keenan, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, bone digitizing, texture-mapping
Patrick Lind, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, image extraction
Ethan Shirley, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
Chris Whalen, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
2010 – 2011:
Zachary Calamari, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, texture-mapping
Alistair Hayden, Honors research project modeling tusk growth in mammoths
Carlea Hazzard, UROP project on juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
Patrick Lind, Res. Assist., proboscidean osteology, image extraction
Ethan Shirley, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
Chris Whalen, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
2009 – 2010:
Molly Brandt, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Phillip Cervantes, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Brianne Duross, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Matthew Transeth, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Alexander Duvall-Lash, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Ethan Shirley, Ind. Study, juvenile mammoth osteology, analysis of CT data
2008 – 2009:
Alexander Duvall-Lash, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Mallorie King, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Laura Palm, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Brianna Sabol, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Ethan Shirley, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Sara Wyczalek, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
2007 – 2008:
Bailey Benson, UROP project on Bothwell mastodon tusks
Laura Palm, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Heather Sanders, UROP project on Bothwell mastodon tusks
Joseph Yonkoski, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Lara Ghisleni, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Derek Raisanen, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Lauren Miller, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Matthew Sinclair, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
2006 – 2007:
Emily Potter, UROP project on Bothwell mastodon tusks
Megan Rourk, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Kevin Thomas, UROP project on Bothwell mastodon tusks
Joseph Yonkoski, UROP project on Bothwell mastodon tusks
Ada Dominguez, Res. Assist., 3D modeling of bones
Derek Raisanen, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Sara Worsham, Ind. Study on Bothwell mastodon tusks
2005 – 2006:
Jacob Begres, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Michael Conway-Semenski, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Kristin Fisher, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Ilissa Ocko, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Jordan Rhodes, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Megan Rourk, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Monica Wu, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Jesse Ortega, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Derek Raisanen, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
2004 – 2005:
Kevin Blas, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Lauren Koch, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Liang Tao, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Anna Prushinskaya, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Elizabeth Olson, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Kathleen Ku, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
2003 – 2004:
Michael Adams, Res. Assist., molding/casting mastodon bones
Maria Dzul, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Kelly Iknayan, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Anna Johnson, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Priyanka Pathak, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Marcin Rejniak, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Ashley Smetana, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Ho Yan Yiu, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Brad Deline, Res. Assist., C-, O-isotopes in mastodon tusk dentin
Molly VanAppledorn, Ind. Study on musculoskeletal anatomy of elephants
2002 – 2003:
Charlie Dennis, Res. Assist., 3D dititizing of mastodon bones
Michael Adams, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Rudolph Becker, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Mia Browne, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Marie Choi, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Jonathan Falk, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Lynn Fetch, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Amber Heard, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Hannah Israel, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
John Lim, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Lia Min, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
Ranjan Radhamohan, UROP project on molding/casting mastodon bones
John Graf, Res. Assist., molding and casting mastodon bones
Jennifer Scroggins, Res. Assist., molding and casting mastodon bones
Michelle Stocker, Res. Assist., molding and casting mastodon bones
Brad Deline, Res. Assist., 3D digitizing of carpoid echinoderms
Molly VanAppledorn, Ind. Study on musculoskeletal anatomy of elephants
2001 – 2002:
Michael Frederich, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Kathryn Page, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Gerwin Westfield, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Nicholas Perez, Ind. Study on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Lisa Vo, Ind. Study on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
2000 – 2001:
Arndrea Lewis, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Maria Sprow, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Lisa Vo, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Jonny Rennella, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Ryan Falor, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Shin Kobayashi, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Yang Wen, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Gretchen Moeser, Res. Assist., 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Bart Fencl, Res. Assist., 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Ellen Dillon, Res. Assist., reconstruction of Buesching mastodon tusk
Erin Himrod, Res. Assist., reconstruction of Buesching mastodon tusk
Ronnie Order, Res. Assist., reconstruction of Buesching mastodon tusk
1999 – 2000:
Melanie R. Bui, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Michael Bourland, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Jonathon Rennella, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
David P. Victor, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Yang Wen, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Doug Boyer, Res. Assist., 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Ellen Dillon, Res. Assist., reconstruction of Buesching mastodon tusk
Brian Schuch, Res. Assist., oxygen isotopes in biogenic phosphate
1998 – 1999:
Melanie Bui, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
Erik Preiditsch, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones
David Victor, UROP project on 3D digitizing of mastodon bones