Growing our Program

We are living in a time of financial uncertainty and shrinking budgets. The scientific community has watch in agony as NSF budgets have been repeatedly slashed (down to the lowest point in history) and still certain members of congress are not happy with giving science even that much for new research. We have also born witness to the near abolishment of scientific research at one of the largest scientific institutions in the USA - the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. Let's also not forget the growing replacement of emptied tenured faculty positions with adjunct or 'visiting professor' spots - or having them completely dissolved. I could go on with horror story after horror story on the current state of science in the USA and other places in the world (anti-science/anti-evolution legislation, for one example), but instead I would like offer up some good news. Let's face it, we all need some good news these days.

So, I am pleased to announce that the Anatomy & Vertebrate Paleontology program at Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences is growing! Yes. That's what I typed: Growing. Not Shrinking. We are welcoming two new faculty (yes, full time and tenure track) members this fall: Dr. Paul Gignac and Dr. Holly Woodward-Ballard. We have, in fact, doubled the number of vertebrate paleontology faculty at OSU-CHS! How many institutions can say that these days? I'm very excited to see our program blossoming under such a supportive department. Including myself, we can now boast to have five Ph.D. vertebrate paleontologists. We have boldly stepped into the big stage of VP research, and I am eager to see us move our way onto center stage.

This next year will be wonderfully busy as our new faculty arrive and set up their research labs. I'm eager to assist and collaborate with both of them on projects and see what new science we can delve into. As faculty grows, so grows other things - graduate students, volunteers, etc. I am so proud to be a part of this program and I hope I won't be so busy this coming year, that I can't stop to blog about all of our wonderful new adventures!

~ JB McHugh