Thank you all and thank you Nigel and Mary for your kind words. The Pojetas were always very kind and welcoming to me, dispensing many hugs at the Paleontological Society booth. I am incredibly honored and I realize that I must have done something very well to receive this award in their name from the Paleontological Society.
My mother would tell you that I wanted to be a paleontologist since I could say the word, at about the age of three years. I did have a two-week phase of wanting to be a paleontologist ballerina (looking back, I am not really sure how that would have worked), but in any case, once I found out that I would have to dance in front of mirrors, that dream was over.
Fossils have always fascinated me. Paleontology is the closest thing that we have to time travel and I love the mystery of the past, the adventure of field work, and the discovery of ancient worlds that is the field of paleontology. I feel so lucky that I have had many adventures during fieldwork, like jumping out of helicopters in arctic Canada, drinking mint tea with Bedouins and camels in the sub-Saharan desert, and trapsing through leech-infested rivers in the forests of Vietnam.
What no one told me about, and something that I had not envisioned as part of my career as the ‘best paleontologist on the planet,’ is the people I would get to work with and work for. You see, one of the other great things about fossils is that they don’t talk back, and they don’t have much in the way of needs. For me, fossils were always a respite from the drama of the world and, truthfully, I never really saw myself as a people person.
No matter how hard we try, we can’t escape people. Over the years, I’ve learned that it takes a community of people to make our science work. I have found immense joy in being in service to my society and colleagues and I see myself now as more of a facilitator—whether it’s through my collections work, mentoring the next generation of paleontologists, public science outreach, or advancing the goals of the Paleontological Society.
One of the most rewarding experiences was being Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Paleontology. It was never about en-dashes and em-dashes for me, but rather about facilitating and amplifying the great research in our community. During my tenure, I developed a network of colleagues and friends I would not have otherwise, and I learned so much about all the cool research that you are all doing. I was at the front line of our science, and I gained a lot more from that experience than I have ever given back. It still continues to enrich my career and friendships.
I am deeply gratified that I have had the opportunity to serve my colleagues, my science, and the society. I encourage you to join the effort, because we need to support each other more now than ever. It turns out that the people in this room are as awesome as the fossils we study. Thank you!
