Victoria M. Arbour | |
---|---|
Born | 1983 |
Nationality | Canadian |
Education | BSc, PhD |
Alma mater | |
Known for | Ankylosaurs |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Paleontology |
Institutions | |
Thesis | Systematics, evolution, and biogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs (2014) |
Doctoral advisor | Philip J. Currie |
Website | pseudoplocephalus |
Victoria Megan Arbour is a Canadian evolutionary biologist and vertebrate palaeontologist at Royal BC Museum, where she is Curator of Palaeontology. An "expert on the armoured dinosaurs known as ankylosaurs",[1] Arbour analyzes fossils and creates 3-D computer models. She named the possible pterosaur Gwawinapterus from Hornby Island, and a partial ornithischian dinosaur from Sustut Basin, British Columbia (now named Ferrisaurus), and has participated in the naming of the ankylosaurs Zuul,[2][3] Zaraapelta,[2] Crichtonpelta,[4] and Ziapelta.[5]
Early life and education
[edit]Born in 1983, Arbour is from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[6] Her mother, a math teacher, and father, a soil scientist, supported her science interests.[7] Arbour completed a B.Sc. Honours Thesis supervised by Milton Graves, An ornithischian dinosaur from the Sustut Basin, British Columbia, Canada, and graduated from Dalhousie University in 2006.[8] She completed her master's thesis, Evolution, biomechanics, and function of the tail club of ankylosaurid dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) in 2009, and her Ph.D. thesis, Systematics, evolution, and biogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs, in 2014, both advised by paleontologist Philip Currie at the University of Alberta.[9]
Career
[edit]Arbour became Curator of Palaeontology at Royal BC Museum in 2018.[10]
She previously worked as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and Royal Ontario Museum.[11][12][13] As the top-ranked female candidate for the fellowship, she also received a supplement available to applicants who demonstrate "exemplary involvement in science promotion, mentorship, and leadership".[14]
From 2014 to 2016 she was a postdoctoral researcher with a joint appointment at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University.[5][15]
Arbour primarily studies dinosaurs in the group Ankylosauria, including biomechanical analyses of tail clubs.[4][16] Arbour has studied microfossils from Nova Scotia.[9] She has also named the possible pterosaur Gwawinapterus from Hornby Island, and a partial ornithischian dinosaur from Sustut Basin, both locations in British Columbia.[9] She has participated in the naming of the ankylosaurs Zuul,[2][3][17] Zaraapelta,[2] Crichtonpelta,[4] Ziapelta,[5][18] as well as resurrecting Dyoplosaurus,[19] and publishing a new phylogenetic analysis on the interrelationships of Ankylosauridae.[20]
According to Brian Alary of the University of Alberta, "She's contributed to history-making research by analyzing fossils and creating 3-D computer models, developed course materials and taught 35,000 students at a time through the Dino 101 MOOC."[6] Philip Currie credits Arbour for involving the paleontology discipline with the University of Alberta's "Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science & Technology", making study of dinosaurs more appealing to women.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "L'Oréal For Women in Science 2016: Victoria Arbour". www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca. Government of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Communications. August 1, 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^ a b c d Hamers, Laurel (2017-06-13). "New dinosaur resurrects a demon from Ghostbusters". Science News. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ a b Greshko, Michael (2017-11-29). "Stunning Dinosaur Likely Used Armour to Flirt as Well as Fight". National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ a b c Yong, Ed (2017-05-10). "Meet Zuul, Destroyer of Shins—a Dinosaur Named After the Ghostbusters Monster". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ a b c Dunham, Will (2015-09-01). "King of clubs: intriguing tale of the 'tank' dinosaur's tail". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ a b c Alary, Brian (9 June 2014). "Dinosaur scholar digs into childhood dreams". Folio. University of Alberta. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
- ^ Nath, Ishani (2017-05-14). "What It's Like to Dig for Dinosaurs—*Spoiler Alert* It's Pretty Cool". Flare. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
- ^ Arbour, Victoria M. (April 28, 2006). "An ornithischian dinosaur from the Sustut Basin, British Columbia, Canada" (PDF). Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Faculty of Science – Victoria Arbour". Dalhousie University. 2018. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
- ^ "Dr. Victoria Arbour | Staff Profiles". Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ "Digging it: Dr. Victoria Arbour (BSc'06)". Dalhousie University: Alumni Spotlight. May 18, 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ Pickrell, John (2017-09-18). "What if dinosaurs hadn't died out?". BBC Future. BBC. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ Elbein, Asher (2016-10-12). "Did Plant-Eating Dinosaurs Really Only Eat Plants?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ Division, Government of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Communications (28 June 2016). "NSERC and L'OréalUNESCO For Women in Science Supplement". www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gaines, James (2015-09-14). "How armored dinosaur got its bone-bashing tail". CBS News. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ Switek, Brian (2016-06-16). "Sadly, "Ankylosaur Fight Club" Is Probably Wishful Thinking". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ Riva, Nicole (May 9, 2017). "New dinosaur species named after Ghostbusters villain Zuul". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
- ^ Switek, Brian (2014-09-25). "Ziapelta – New Mexico's Newest Dinosaur". Phenomena. National Geographic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^ Switek, Brian (5 November 2012). "D is for Dyoplosaurus". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^ Arbour, Victoria M.; Currie, Philip J. (2015). "Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 14 (5): 385–444. doi:10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985. S2CID 214625754.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science (video, 1:56)