Lauren Wilson

Lauren Wilson, Geoscience Graduate Student, received a 2023-2024 Mentor Award to work with Xochitl Munoz on a project titled "New Insight into Cretaceous Arctic Mammals using Computed Tomography."

The Prince Creek Formation (PCF) on the North Slope of Alaska is the most important site for Mesozoic Arctic vertebrate fossils worldwide, as it contains well-preserved remains from a wide variety of dinosaurs, birds, fishes, and mammals. Among these, the mammals are poorly studied and so far are only known from teeth. Based on the dental record, it was determined there are four species of mammals in the PCF. However, from looking at toothless jaws and other skeletal material, Xochitl found that there were at least nine mammals in the PCF. Their goal was to collect high-resolution computed tomography (CT) data, which is the gold standard for paleontological research on fossil anatomy, and which they used to make publication quality figures to record the diversity of the mammals in the PCF.

How is your project going so far this semester?

Lauren: Xochitl has been crushing it! They got to go to the University of Colorado Boulder and work with one of their other mentors, Dr. Jaelyn Eberle and received the help of Dr. Adrian Gestos to take CT scans of the non-dental mammal fossils from the Prince Creek Formation. We were able to process all of the data they collected to make some really cool figures which will be significant contributions to the scientific literature. We also found a way to 3D print the scans so that Xochitl has high-resolution copies of the fossils. This will allow them to take models of their fossils to conferences without risking damaging the real thing. This will make it easier to collaborate with other scientists and develop professional relationships, which is awesome at such an early career stage.

How did you find out about URSA and what encouraged you to submit an application for funding?

Lauren: I found out about the URSA mentor award from Erin Kirchner, who encouraged me to apply after being awarded an URSA Supplies and Services grant the previous summer. I was thrilled to hear about the opportunity, as I had just gotten back from CT scanning bird fossils for my thesis research. After seeing how great my data turned out, and since Xochitl was also working on small fossil animals, it seemed like perfect timing for me to help them do the same. I felt very strongly about serving as a mentor, as the graduate students who mentored me in my undergraduate had the biggest impact on motivating me to pursue a research career.

Xochitl looks through the camera of the CT scanner in Boulder, CO while a fossil is scanning.

How has your undergraduate mentoring experience been thus far?

Lauren: I have been so grateful for the opportunity to mentor Xochitl. It has been awesome to watch them grow as a researcher and start officially working on their first scientific paper. It has meant a lot to me to be able to help them through this process, because a PhD student took me under his wing during my undergraduate years and helped me to write my first scientific paper. I also hope to become a professor or museum curator one day, so I have appreciated the practice! Even though I have graduated, Xochitl and I have plans to continue our work together and I am greatly looking forward to it!

If you could share one piece of advice with prospective URSA Mentors, what would you say?

Lauren: Just go for it! I had a lot of hesitation in feeling like I wasn’t equipped to be a mentor. I finally started to realize that your mentee doesn’t expect you to know everything. In fact, being able to work through things when you don’t know the answer is a great skill to demonstrate, and can make science seem a little less daunting. As a graduate student, it can feel very daunting to be in an advising position, but I think this is the best possible time to start practicing these skills. It has also helped my own scientific writing skills immensely!

How did you come to work with your mentor on this URSA project in particular?

Xochitl: Lauren has been mentoring me on my work in the museum and the mammals far before we started this project, and she explained to me the importance and usefulness of getting CT data and how it helped with her thesis on PCF birds. We discussed how utilizing the same techniques could reveal important new information about the PCF mammals and greatly help with making figures and decided to apply for this grant. She has been an amazing mentor, has taught me how to analyze, process and 3D print the scans, and is helping me write a manuscript for a paper. I am very thankful for her knowledge, guidance, and kindness!

Xochitl presents their CT data at the Midnight Sun Science Symposium.

How does your work on this URSA project relate to your career or personal goals?

Xochitl: I plan to one day become a professor or museum curator studying vertebrate paleontology. It has been amazing conducting research as an undergraduate given that it will, hopefully, be a major component of my future career. I learned how to take CT scans, how to process the data, and how to 3-D print on filament and resin printers- all of which will be very helpful skills to have later in my career. In addition, this project has helped me to further understand the work that goes into being a paleontologist and to cement that this is something I want to do.

If you could share one piece of advice with other undergraduate students looking to join a mentored project on campus, what would you say?

Xochitl: My main piece of advice would be to communicate that you are interested in research. If you get an opportunity, be sure to show up and make the most of it! I have found that graduate students, staff and professors almost always want to help undergraduates and give advice and support. If you are interested in the research that a graduate student or professor does, email or talk to them about it and see where it might lead! Even if they do not have a project for you to work on, they will likely know someone who does or be able to point you in the right direction.