2013 Dream Team signs off

Beijing…Oh wow.  Upon arriving via night train, we traveled to the Forbidden City, which is across from Tiananmen Square.  It was hard to judge how much time we would need because we didn’t know how big it was.  As it turned out, we needed more time.

The Forbidden City.

 On the second day in Beijing, we went to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP).  This museum has an astounding collection in which Dan and Frankie were lucky enough to look at.  Meanwhile, Bob, Ethan, Nick, Devra, and Coralyn toured the exhibits.  In the afternoon, we went to the Beijing Zoo, which was just down the street from IVPP.  Again, we underestimated how much time we would need here.  There were animals from all over the world, and of course, we got to see Giant Pandas.  In addition, we saw many turtles and tortoises (unfortunately, Dan was busy doing research and didn’t get to see them), and cute little Red Pandas. 

Nick rides a tortoise outside the reptiles exhibit in which he named “Wobbles.”

Giant Panda munching on some bamboo.

Devra poses with a panda just inside the zoo.

Finally, on our third and final day in China after a full month of research, we visited the Great Wall of China.   Coincidentally, this also happens to be Coralyn’s 19^th birthday.  Happy Birthday Coralyn!  The wall was fantastic.  We traveled to the top by little carts so we could spend more time on the wall.  At the top, we were greeted by amazing views, which we shared with the thousands of other people on the wall.  Some of the walking was hardcore.  From the flat sections, the wall turned to a steep ramp, which then changed to large, uneven steps.  This was repeated up and down and up and down all along the wall.  Ethan and Nick managed to venture the farthest because they pretty much ran the entire section that was available to travel across (about 2-2.5 km) and went down using the stairs. As it turns out it was worth the immense amount of physical effort because this was the section of the wall far from everybody, so there was virtually nobody on the wall.  Coralyn, Devra, Dan, and Bob went about half that length, weaving through the thick crowds, and got to ride the carts back down the mountain. 

A section of the Great Wall.

The night will probably consist of some birthday celebrations for Coralyn, then it’s off to bed early because we’re leaving our hostel around 5:30 a.m.  We’re flying from Beijing to Tokyo, where we will hopefully then board the new 787 Dreamliner and take that all the way back to Denver.  In Denver, our dear Nick Vergara parts and the rest of our group flies home to Bozeman!   

As a final note, we would like to thank Frankie and Bob Jackson and Dan Lawver for their wonderful guidance and help during this trip.  We want to thank them for letting us take part in this amazing adventure with them!  

This is the 2013 IRES China Dream Team signing off. 

Written by: Ethan Schreuder, 6/27/2013

Productive days, final reports

Time to wrap it up!  We had three very successful and productive days back in the Hangzhou museum before the weekend.  We are all very confident that our projects are heading in a publication-worthy direction (with some time).  Devra and Coralyn wrapped up their data collection by spending a few hours in the collections identifying which of their specimens were Dictyoolithus as well as viewing three specimens under the SEM (scanning electron microscope), resulting in 12 amazing pictures.  Ethan and Nick took what seemed to be too many photos to count of every single one of the eggs they measured.  They have taken enough pictures that, upon returning to Montana State University, they will be able to digitally reconstruct the eggs using software. 

Ethan meticulously takes pictures of eggs.

Nick photographs eggs.

Over the weekend, we wrote our final reports for our projects, which include our introductions, methods, where we want the project to go, and any other sections we have already completed.  Monday night, we traveled by night train to Beijing.

 As we depart Hangzhou, we would like to take a moment to thank our wonderful and generous hosts while we were vising China this summer. Wenjie Zheng, Ming Ding, Li Xiuti, Xie Junfang, Gu Shengxiao, and Jin Xingsheng have been invaluable, whether it be granting us access into their immense collections or simply providing a rough translation, this trip would not have been so successful without them.  Thank you!

Everybody at the location where an Ankylosaur bone was found during our last day of field work.

Excavating with heavy machinery — heart attack!

Extracting dinosaur eggs using a bulldozer. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

6/17/13 — Our third and last day of field work. First we went to the local museum in Jinyun and met with the director, who showed us some eggs they had found, as well as an Ankylosaur pelvis. The director and a few other people from the museum proceeded to come with us out into the field. That day we went to two places, both at construction sites. At the first site, a local farmer gave Dr. Jin an egg out of matrix, while another local showed Wenjie an egg in matrix and showed him where it was found. Wenjie then found a group of eggs in an outcrop, which they excavated using heavy machinery from the construction crew. Gave all of us heart attacks, and an egg was broken in the process. They marked where the pieces went and then Dan showed Ethan, Nick, Devra and Coralyn how to do strike and dip measurements before heading out. After that site, we went to the local town and had a really good lunch with the museum director and Dr. Jin, along with someone from the town. At lunch, it was confirmed that Dan can’t noodle (trouble with the chopsticks). After lunch, we went to the second site, which was the site where they found the Ankylosaur. Actual bones were found at two separate spots and Wenjie and Dr. Jin collected them at the second spot. A multitude of pictures were taken and then we walked around a little more before heading back to the van and the hotel. After we showered, the museum director took us to dinner, which was an awesome meal.  We met as a group afterwards and Frankie went over what we have written so far for our papers (introductions and methods). We also discussed the game plan for what we will do once back in Hangzhou. 

Ankylosaur pelvis (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

           

Students prospect in construction site. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

  

6/18: We left for Hangzhou after breakfast, with only Li accompanying us back. It was a three and a half hour drive or so back, and I’m pretty sure the driver got lost coming into Hangzhou from the freeway. Nonetheless, we made it back to the museum around 1 p.m. and retrieved our suitcases from where we had left them in the museum and walked across the street to check back into the hotel. We went up to our rooms and put our stuff down, then went out and got dumplings for lunch. After lunch, we relaxed and did much needed laundry and just relaxed in general.

Wenjie and Li walk back to the van after a very hot day of field work, but they’re still happy! (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

Written by Devra Hock.

Eggshell, but no eggs

The second day of real field work started off sunny and humid. Seems like the rainy weather has passed for now. At the first site, both Dan and Devra found eggshell, but alas, no eggs were found. The eggshell was collected and Wenjie took the GPS coordinates of Dan’s spot. Frankie called it early at the first site due to everyone running out of water and we headed back to the van. Or rather, where we thought the van was. We ended up walking a ways down the road and Wenjie had to call the driver to get him to meet us. After getting into the van, we drove to another spot nearby and walked a little to get to the outcrops. We didn’t stay long at this site either. Wenjie and Li went the furthest in to get to a specific outcrop, but everyone else stayed at the closer ones, as it was quite hot out. Peaches were found and eaten, however, which revived a few. After lunch, we drove to Jinyun to meet Dr. Jin. When we did arrive, however, we had no time to change and went straight to a fancy dinner from the van. After the amazing dinner, we all went to our rooms and crashed.

Looking back over small rock outcrops between rice fields. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

Students prospect in a roadcut near the beer factory. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

By Devra Hock, 6/16/13

Muggy and muddy field day

Our first muddy stop of field work. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder)

The third day of the field trip: sun, finally! We packed up our day packs and headed out into the field. It was muggy and the day just got hotter and hotter. It was also Nick’s first field experience, which was quite adorable. He wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  Every one of us got all sorts of muddy at the first site. We got lunch at a noodle restaurant and went to another site where they had pulled a jacket out of in a previous year, but we found nothing. The next site, Graveyard Hills, yielded much more. Eggs had been found here before and we were on a search to find them. And we did. We found eggshell at two separate places before we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.

Coralyn, Nick and Devra examine and measure eggs during Nick’s first day of field work. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

 By Devra Hock, 6/15/13

Clutches, eggs in a monastery!

 The next day also brought rain. After breakfast we returned to the museum and were able to measure the eggs in the exhibit, which included individual eggs for Nick and Ethan and a clutch for Coralyn and Devra. After the museum, we walked up to the Buddhist temple and spent the morning exploring the temple and monastery. Dan, Ethan and Devra found some dinosaur clutches and eggs in one part of the monastery, which caused quite a stir. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and writing in our rooms until dinner.

Devra and Coralyn measure eggs in the Tiantai museum. (Photo by Ethan

By Devra Hock, 6/14/13

Students measure other dinosaur eggs, visit Buddha factory

 Our field trip started off to a dismal start. It was raining as we pulled into Tiantai after a three-hour or so hour drive from Hangzhou. The ride was uneventful, most of us slept for the majority of the time. After lunch and checking in to our hotel, we drove over to the local museum and met the museum director, had tea, and then walked through the museum. Most of it consists of local history and art, but they did have a dinosaur exhibit, including eggs and quite a few partial clutches. All of us immediately asked if we could measure the eggs, and Wenjie asked the museum director, who said we could the next morning. After the museum, we walked down the street to the Buddha Factory. It was still raining. At the factory, there was a 50-60 foot tall Buddha, along with halls and halls of normal sized buddhas. We also discovered the wonderful fruit that is the bayberry. Our first dinner in Tiantai was filled with toasts, and Dan was invited to sit at the all-Chinese table with Wenjie.

This Buddha is 50 to 60 feet tall. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder).

One of many halls of Buddha sculptures. (Photo by Ethan Schreuder)

By Devra Hock, 6/13/13

Dragon Boat Festival, surprise at the top of the stairs

Due to the Dragon Boat Festival taking place beginning today, we worked both Saturday and Sunday in the ZMNH museum so as not to waste precious time with the specimens. However, once work was completed on Sunday, we got to be tourists for a little while! On Sunday afternoon, we ventured to West Lake (south of our hotel). However, due to our miscommunication between taxi groups, we failed to meet up at the lake. Instead, we explored on our own, taking in cultural sites. That night, a few of us went to the Night Market via the brand new metro system (opened in November 2012, on Hannah’s birthday!). 

Monday was awe inspiring for everybody.  We went to the Lingyin Temple southwest of Westlake and saw 72 sculpted works of art (mostly Buddhas) in the mountain side and a monastery.  Ethan, Dan, and Nick climbed too many stairs to count to the top of a mountain where they hoped to find an overlook, but instead were greeted by a booth selling drinks and snacks.  This side expedition option was outweighed by the numerous turtles that were seen.  Dan was very excited.

We hope to experience the Dragon Boat Festival before leaving for field work on Thursday, June 10.  We are excited about all of this; a unique, cultural festival and a break from the city life. 

Written by: Ethan Schreuder, 6/10/2013

 

Hannah Wilson returns to China, describes doors IRES has opened for her

Ni Hao everyone! This is Hannah Wilson, taking over the blog from the 2013 IRES China trip egg-heads. I was a member of the 2012 trip group, and this is my third time visiting Hangzhou and the Zhejiang museum since then. I came to Hangzhou yesterday from Korea, where I’m spending the spring semester at Hallym University as an exchange student from Montana State University.

Much of the work done by students in 2012 and prior at the ZMNH will be published in Historical Biology’s next edition about dinosaur eggs and babies. The MSU IRES faculty, Drs. Frankie Jackson and Dave Varricchio, have been playing an instrumental role in the editing and production of the volume, which we’re all highly anticipating.

Ethan and Nick slave away over measurements of compression ridge angles on spheroolithus and dictyoolithus eggs.

It has been a lot of fun to be back and to help out with the new students this year on their projects. As they’ve progressed, Ethan and Nick’s project has morphed into a great little study on compression ridge angles of crushed eggs, and Devra and Coralyn have been focused on furthering knowledge about clutch arrangement and egg spacing. Both projects have the potential to be very successful and we’re all excited to see the directions they take in their research in the coming weeks.

Coralyn measures eggs at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History.

This afternoon is the beginning of the Hangzhou “Dragon Boat Festival,” consisting of traditional-style boat racing and events on the many rivers snaking through Hangzhou. A lot has changed here since I visited last September, including the introduction of a brand new metro system and revamped street and stoplights. The food is great (I love Chinese food – Korean food is too spicy!), and right now the sun is shining and beautifully lighting up the walls of the nearby skyscrapers. We’re happy to have a relief from the typical June Hangzhou weather – 2 days of rain, 2 days of sun, 2 days of rain, 2 days of sun…

Devra works on her computer with a clutch.

INTRODUCTION TO IRES PROGRAM

For those of you new to the IRES program and these trips Montana students have been making the past four years, I want to give you a brief introduction to the grant and its purpose.

In 2009, Drs. Frankie Jackson and Dave Varricchio successfully applied for a $145,000 National Science Foundation research grant called IRES, which stands for “International Research Experience for Students” with which they planned to take nine students per year for three years to the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History (ZMNH) for a month each summer to make sense of the thousands of unidentified dinosaur eggs housed there. Most of the five-week session, which occurs from the end of May until the end of June, is spent in a lab at the ZMNH, but a week is spent at local field sites within Zhejiang Province, and the front and tail ends of the trip are spent sightseeing and being immersed in Chinese culture.

The program is now in its fourth year (2013), as frugal spending and budgeting have afforded five more lucky students the opportunity to participate in international research and networking. There are myriad purposes of the grant program, including opening doors for undergraduate research early on for Montana students (three of the four students in the 2013 group have just finished their freshman year at MSU), learning how to write scientifically and properly execute the scientific method, and gain field experience. But in addition to these values, I’d like to personally explain the influence of the program in my life.

For a year beginning in March 2012, approximately the same time I learned of my acceptance to the IRES program for 2012, I received an MSU research grant called the “Vice President for Research” (VPR) grant, allowing me to begin a research project about egg porosity with Dr. Frankie Jackson, during which I learned a lot about dinosaur eggs and the field of paleontology in general. The summer of 2012 consisted of traveling to China on the IRES grant, doing fieldwork at Egg Mountain in Choteau in July, and continuing a project about crushing on the ZMNH eggs from the China trip, all under the direction of Dr. Varricchio. By the end of the summer I had a poster ready for the “Fifth International Symposium on Dinosaur Eggs and Babies” held in Hangzhou in September. With part of my VPR grant I was able to travel back to Hangzhou to present my research from both my project with Frankie and my project from China. Christian Heck (a colleague from the trip, who also shares first authorship on our paper) and I worked on re-drafting our work in China all year, until just a few weeks ago when we learned of its acceptance into the next dinosaur egg edition of Historical Biology.

Since then I’ve successfully applied for a Korean Government Scholarship to fully fund all aspects of my semester abroad this spring at Hallym University, relying heavily on the cultural impacts China had on me on my application. I am confident that the international research and cultural experience afforded me by the IRES trip greatly contributed to my success in Korea and the financial support I’ve received for it. Thanks to the last dollars of my VPR grant and the generosity of Dr. Jackson in hosting me for this long weekend, I’m back in Hangzhou (visiting from Korea this time) for a third time in a year, discussing projects and sharing my experience with the new students. I’m so grateful for every door that has been opened to me as a result of the IRES grant and the investment Dr. Varricchio and Dr. Jackson have had in my research endeavors this year. I am so excited to see where this year’s projects will lead in the coming months.

Written by Hannah Wilson, 6/8/2013

2013 team meets Dr. Jin, MSU mascot, unsuspecting eggs

After a long flight from Bozeman to Denver to Los Angeles to Shanghai, we finally reached our destination: China. We stayed in Shanghai for three days of sightseeing (a highlight of which was a visit to the Jade Buddha Temple) and settling in before we began the brunt of our work in Hangzhou.

On Friday, we met Dr. Jin at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History and toured the collection room of the museum where the majority of the eggs we will be working on are stored when they’re not on display. After leaving the collection room, we toured the museum’s large expanse of interesting exhibits, including geological specimens, mounted dinosaur skeletons from the local province, and an entire floor of taxidermy animals, including our dear mascot of Montana State University: the bobcat.

Over the weekend, we enjoyed the Hangzhou nightlife, the expansive silk markets and the delicious local cuisine. That following Monday, the research began. After two trips hauling specimens from the basement to the fourth floor labs, we descended upon the unsuspecting eggs. The first day, we finalized our research endeavors, with Devra and Coralyn writing a descriptive paper on Dictyoolithic eggs and clutch arrangement in multiple species of ootaxa and Nick and Ethan examining egg compression and are working to reconstruct what the eggs might have looked like before they were compressed.  

 

The 2013 IRES dinosaur egg study team works at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History in Hangzhou, China.

Written by: Nick Vergara, 6/1/2013