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Scott D. Sampson

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Scott D. Sampson
Born
Scott Donald Sampson

(1961-04-22) April 22, 1961 (age 63)[1]
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian · American
Alma materUniversity of Toronto, University of British Columbia
Scientific career
FieldsPaleontology, Science Communication
InstitutionsCalifornia Academy Of Sciences
Websitecalacademy.org

Scott Donald Sampson (born April 22, 1961)[2][3] is a Canadian-American paleontologist and science communicator. Sampson is currently the Executive Director of California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California. He was previously Vice President of Research & Collections and Chief Curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.[4][5] Sampson is notable for his work on the carnivorous theropod dinosaurs Majungasaurus and Masiakasaurus and his extensive research into the Late Cretaceous Period, particularly in Madagascar.[6][7] He is also known as the presenter of the PBS Kids show Dinosaur Train.

Background

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Sampson was born in the neighborhood of Dunbar-Southlands in Vancouver, British Columbia. He attended Point Grey Secondary School.[1] Sampson studied for a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Toronto. For his doctorate he produced a thesis on two newly found species of ceratopsids, dated to the Late Cretaceous period in Montana and the growth and function of ceratopsid horns and frills.[8] Sampson graduated from the University of Toronto in 1993 and worked for a year at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Then he worked for five years as an assistant professor of anatomy at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine on Long Island.[8] In 1999 he accepted positions as assistant professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Utah Museum of Natural History (nowadays called the Natural History Museum of Utah and relocated in the new Rio Tinto Center as of 2011). Sampson resided in California at this time, but continued his research with the Utah museum as a research curator.[8] In February 2013, Sampson took a position as Vice President of Research and Collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.[9]

Utah Museum of Natural History where Sampson has been a curator since 1999. As seen in the photograph these former exhibits were dismantled in 2011 when the museum moved to the new Rio Tinto Center and changed name to Natural History Museum of Utah.

Sampson is featured as "Dr. Scott the paleontologist" on the PBS television series, Dinosaur Train. In this television series he mentions he gave Masiakasaurus its name and also mentions on a separate episode of The Dinosaur Train that he participated in naming Kosmoceratops. In 2003 he hosted Dinosaur Planet, a series of four animated nature documentaries which aired on the Discovery Channel.[10] The series was narrated by Christian Slater. His first book, Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life was published by University of California Press in 2009.[11] The book, aimed at the general public reconstructs the odyssey of the dinosaurs from their origins on the supercontinent of Pangaea, and explores the way in which dinosaurs ecologically interacted in an expansive web of relationships with other organisms and their natural environment, underscoring "paradigm shifts", which conceptualize the nature of the dinosaurian world.[12][13]

Research

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Aside from his research conducted in museums, Sampson has undertaken paleontological fieldwork in countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa and Madagascar as well as the United States and Canada.[8] His specialist fields of research include phylogenetics, functional morphology, and evolution of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs.[8] Sampson is particularly notable for his work on the carnivorous theropod dinosaur Majungasaurus and his studies into the paleobiogeography of Gondwana.[14][15][16][17][18] In 1995 he made a phylogenetic analysis of the Centrosaurinae and Ceratopsidae in the state of Montana and produced two papers on these horned dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous. Sampson also published a paper documenting the discovery of the first Tyrannosaurus specimen found in Utah, as well as the first evidence of coexistence between Tyrannosaurus and sauropods.[19]

Majungasaurus. Sampson has studied fossils of this dinosaur in Madagascar

In 1998 he conducted thorough paleontological studies into the Cretaceous period in Madagascar and published several papers on it. These include Predatory dinosaur remains from Madagascar: Implications for the Cretaceous biogeography of Gondwana. and The theropodan ancestry of birds: New evidence from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, both published in 1998. In 2001 he returned to Madagascar and conducted some important research into the evolution of Gondwanan theropods, publishing a paper on it, entitled A bizarre predatory dinosaur from Madagascar: implications for the evolution of Gondwanan theropods. In 2007 he published Dental morphology and variation in Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar.[14]

Sampson stresses the importance of evolution in understanding the dynamics of ecology in everyday life and that is underplayed in modern society:

"The web of life is composed of two distinctly different kinds of threads‹those that link organisms at any given moment in time through the flow of energy (ecology), and those that link all lifeforms through deep time via genetic information and shared common ancestry (evolution). Seen from this dual and complementary perspective, the two themes are inseparable. Without evolution, our vision is severely limited to the present day and we cannot begin to fathom the blossoming of life's diversity from single-celled forebears. Without ecology, the intricate interconnections we share with the current panoply of lifeforms cannot truly be envisioned. United in a single theme, evolution and ecology provide a powerful lens through which to view life's web, forming the foundation of an integrated and underutilized perspective on nature. In short, we need dramatic increases in levels of both ecological literacy, or "ecoliteracy," and evolutionary literacy, or "evoliteracy," with this dynamic pair of concepts reinforcing each other."[10]

Bibliography

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Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Note
2009 Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life University of California Press 978-0-5202-4163-3 352
2015 How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-0-5442-7932-2 352
2017 You Can Be A Paleontologist!: Discovering Dinosaurs with Dr. Scott National Geographic Kids 978-1-4263-2728-5 32 Illustrated

Selected publications

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Personal life

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He has two daughters and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Toni.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Science World's Dr. Scott Sampson". 28 February 2019.
  2. ^ https://www.twitter.com/drscottsampson/status/1385239880762941449?s=46
  3. ^ "California Academy of Sciences — what it's like without us during the pandemic". 20 December 2020.
  4. ^ "About Us". Archived from the original on 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  5. ^ Wilford, John Noble (5 May 2005). "The Making of a Vegetarian: A Dinosaur Is Caught in the Act". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Krause, David W.; Sampson, Scott D.; Carrano, Matthew T.; O'Connor, Patrick M. (2007). "Overview of the history of discovery, taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". In Sampson, Scott D.; Krause, David W. (eds.). Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8. Vol. 27. pp. 1–20. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1:OOTHOD]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 13274054. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Sampson, Scott D.; Witmer, Lawrence M. (2007). "Cranofacial anatomy of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". In Sampson, Scott D.; Krause, David W. (eds.). Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. He gave Masiakasaurus its name and also mentions on an episode of The Dinosaur Train that he participated in naming Kosmoceratops. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8. Vol. 27. pp. 32–102. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[32:CAOMCT]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 129240095. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e "Museum Staff Profiles: Collections and Research Department: Scott Sampson, Ph.D." Utah Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  9. ^ Rinaldi, Ray. "Denver Museum of Nature & Science appoints TV's "Dr. Scott the Paleontologist" to head its research team". Denver Post. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b "The Real Crisis in Evolution Teaching". Edge. September 29, 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  11. ^ Sampson, Scott D. (2009). Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24163-3. Scott D. Sampson.
  12. ^ "Dinosaur Odyssey Fossil Threads in the Web of Life". University of California Press. Retrieved May 26, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Integrative and Comparative Biology Advance Access". Oxford University Journals. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  14. ^ a b Smith, Joshua B. (2007). "Dental morphology and variation in Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". In Sampson, Scott D.; Krause, David W. (eds.). Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8. Vol. 27. pp. 103–126. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[103:DMAVIM]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85729335. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Sampson, Scott D.; Carrano, Matthew T.; Forster, Catherine A. (2001). "A bizarre predatory dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". Nature. 409 (6819): 504–506. Bibcode:2001Natur.409..504S. doi:10.1038/35054046. PMID 11206544. S2CID 205013285.
  16. ^ Sampson, Scott D.; Krause, David W.; Dodson, Peter; Forster, Catherine A. (1996). "The premaxilla of Majungasaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda), with implications for Gondwanan paleobiogeography". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 16 (4): 601–605. Bibcode:1996JVPal..16..601S. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011350. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  17. ^ Sampson, Scott D.; Witmer, Lawrence M.; Forster, Catherine A.; Krause, David W.; O'Connor, Patrick M.; Dodson, Peter; Ravoavy, Florent (1998). "Predatory dinosaur remains from Madagascar: implications for the Cretaceous biogeography of Gondwana". Science. 280 (5366): 1048–1081. Bibcode:1998Sci...280.1048S. doi:10.1126/science.280.5366.1048. PMID 9582112. S2CID 22449613.
  18. ^ Sampson, Scott D.; Krause, David W. (2007). "Craniofacial anatomy of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (supplement 2): 32–102. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[32:CAOMCT]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 129240095.
  19. ^ Sampson, Scott D., and Mark A. Loewen. “Tyrannosaurus Rex from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) North Horn Formation of Utah: Biogeographic and Paleoecologic Implications.” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 25, no. 2, 2005, pp. 469–472. www.jstor.org/stable/4524461.
  20. ^ "Scott D. Sampson - Bio".
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