Kimi Chapelle, PhD, former Honours (2013), MSc (2016) and PhD (2019) student Massospondylus carinatusOwen, 1854 is a basal Sauropodomorph from the late Triassic to the Early Jurassic (220-183 million years ago). It was one of the first dinosaurs ever described and is emblematic of the importance of South African palaeontology to the study of dinosaur evolution.Massospondyluswas the dominant large herbivore of its time and is known from an array of well-preserved specimens, mostly found between the mid-Elliot Formation to the lower Clarens Formation (theMassospondylus range zone). The vertebrae ofMassospondyluswere described as of 1854; however the braincase was only briefly described in 1990 and the skull in 2004. In fact, there are no cranial autapomorphies which have been set to clearly differentiate Massospondylus from its sister taxa. A dedicated CT scan and 3D digital representation of aMassospondylus skull has not yet been done (a preliminary scan was done for comparison toNigersaurus) and would allow for the establishment of a more detailed skull and braincase description, as well as the internal cranial structures. My project entails doing a CT scan of a Massospondylus carinatus skull followed by the virtual reconstruction of the braincase, brain and other internal structures. The aims of the projects are to obtain a detailed description of these cranial structures, as well as the establishment of cranial autapomorphies of the genus, the phylogenetic position of Massospondylus and its comparative anatomy.
Kathleen Dollman, PhD candidate I discovered my interest in the ancient when I did a brief stint as a journalist in Beaufort West, where I did a piece about under-privileged school children getting the chance to see their archeological heritage. I completed my commerce degree in financial journalism from the University of the Free State in 2010. At that stage I had already started working for the administration offices for the three primary game reserves in Swaziland, Big Game Parks. Conservation and the outdoors became a part of my life, and I knew I wanted to pursue something that involved all of the above. A few years later has seen me starting my honours in paleosciences. My project is a study of Protosuchus haughtoni cranial morphology. We have very limited knowledge of what characteristics defined early crocodylomorphs, and to date the majority of studies this group have consisted of external descriptions. Relatively recent work on morphological evolution on crocodylomorph using CT technology (Holliday and Witmer, 2008) has shown its potential in understanding key transitions within the group. With this CT scan we will delve into an almost untouched are of the internal cranial characteristics of basal crocodylomorphs. Of particular interest is the pneumatization of the braincase in Protosuchus , a feature that is common in basalmost crocodylomorphs but is still poorly understood. My aim with this project is to complete a study of Protosuchus haughtoni cranial morphology which will enable us to determine polarity of key characters that change along the phylogenetic lineage leading to modern crocodilians, as well as to open further research options in a developmental study between juvenile and adult specimens, a potential environmental study as well as further research on the development of pneumatisation of the braincase in basalmost crocodylomorphs.
Cebisa Mdekazi, MSc Palaeontology is something that I have been interested in for a while now because it combines the two subjects that I've always loved, Natural Sciences and History. My honours project is on the ankle of Litargosuchus leptorynchus, a basal crocodyliform.
I am an undergrad Archaeology student at the University of the Witwatersrand. I will be pursuing an Honours degree in Palaeontology in 2017. For my research project, I will be looking at a Cynodont cranium from Cynognathus subzone C with intent to answer questions about Southern African biostratigraphy from the mid-Triassic.
Viktor Radermacher, MSc For as long as I can remember, I have always held a deep reverence for natural history. I grew up in South Africa’s garden route fascinated by the strange things that would wash up on shore, the colossal folds in the region’s geology, and the majesty of Wilderness’s forests. I was, and still am, in awe of the natural world we evolved in, and the startling diversity Natural Selection has produced. Dinosaurs were my first love, and as I grew older and learnt more about evolution, I began to see just how important they were as evolutionary models. Dinosaurs managed to achieve an incredibly diverse range of forms and are a great example of the diversity that extinction events produce. I have been particularly interested in resolving basal ornithischian phylogeny and I was offered a project that scratches that very itch! I will be describing the postcranial material of a new Heterodontosaurus specimen. This specimen contains many features that are unexpected in an ornithischian and sheds new light on the timing of key evolutionary events within dinosaurs. I have also recently attended a month-long programme at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France where I performed phase contrast microCT tomography scans on the basal ornithomimosaur Nqwebasaurus thwazi.
Midas, Senior Puppy Chow Inspector I'm an important lab technician. Currently I'm investigating how to maximize puppy chow intake by splitting time between Dr. Choiniere and Dr. Kelsey Glennon's labs.
Mella, Executive Assistant to Dr. Choiniere I joined the team in 2012 and greatly enjoy the chance to work with enthusiastic young minds!