Mass Extinctions of the Past and Future: Are We In a Mass Extinction Era?

Thursday, 10 Oct 2024 at 6:00 pm – Sun Room, Memorial Union

Fall 2024 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Ryosuke Motani is a professor of geobiology and paleobiology and vice chair for undergraduate programs at the University of California Davis. He has studied fossils in tandem with leading-edge computational and chemical analysis techniques. His research has led to landmark discoveries, from using eye socket measurements to determine that some dinosaurs were nocturnal to revealing how land animals adapted to the ocean, among a host of other discoveries.This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.  
Fall 2024 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Ryosuke Motani is a professor of geobiology and paleobiology and vice chair for undergraduate programs at the University of California Davis. He has studied fossils in tandem with leading-edge computational and chemical analysis techniques. His research has led to landmark discoveries, from using eye socket measurements to determine that some dinosaurs were nocturnal to revealing how land animals adapted to the ocean, among a host of other discoveries.This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.  

Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.

Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.

Lecture Etiquette

  • Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
  • Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
  • Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
  • Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.