Online Lecture Series
offered virtually via Zoom and free of charge
THURS
8.22.24
5:30PM
Ecological and Historical Studies on Land Snails: Tiger Snails and Glacial History
By Dr. Timothy Pearce, Assistant Curator, Mollusks, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Introduction by Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium Executive Director Sam Ankerson, including an update on the Museum
Dr. Timothy Pearce shares two case studies of recent discoveries about land snail populations in the northeast, and the influence on them of both ancient geological forces and modern environmental threats.
The Tiger Snail, formerly abundant in Northeast North America, has declined since the mid-1900s which is about the same time that acid rain levels began increasing. Dr. Pearce’s studies on the subject reveal connections between the effects of acid rain, The Tiger Snail, and other land snails.
The glacial history of northern Michigan starting about 20,000 years ago had ice covering the area before the glaciers retreated. Through present-day biogeography studies of land snails on Michigan’s islands, Upper Peninsula, and Lower Peninsula, Dr. Pearce analyzes the effects of this geological event on land snail species distribution in the region.
Timothy Pearce is Assistant Curator in the Section of Mollusks at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where he conducts research on land snails and cares for and promotes use of a collection of 1.8 million snails and clams. Pearce received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and MA in Paleontology from the University of California at Berkeley.
THURS
9.19.24
5:30PM
Towards a New Great Hall of Shells
By José H. Leal, Ph.D., Science Director and Curator, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium and Sam Ankerson, Executive Director, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium
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In fall 2024 the Museum’s permanent exhibits of shells will reopen following more than two years of reimagination, planning, and design. The new Great Hall of Shells will display thousands of specimens from all over the world, expanded exhibits of shells in human history and culture, and brand-new educational exhibits about conservation and the environment. With a unified and elegant design by Matter Practice of New York City, the project is the capstone of the Museum’s multi-year rebuild from the impact of Hurricane Ian. It will be one of the largest and finest exhibits of shells in the world.
Dr. Leal and Sam Ankerson offer a preview of the new Great Hall of Shells, sharing some of the motivation and thinking behind the new exhibits and their educational outcomes, insights into the planning and strategy, and views of the new design that will serve as the heart of the Museum experience for the future.
THURS
10.17.24
5:30PM
Carrier Shells: Nature’s Original Shell Collector
By Gary Kidder, Collections Manager for Malacology and Inventory, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Introduction by Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium Executive Director Sam Ankerson, including an update on the Museum
Collecting shells may seem like a strictly human endeavor but one group of gastropods has been doing this for almost 100 million years. Xenophoridae, commonly called carrier shells, is a family of marine gastropods known for modifying their shell design with objects found in their environment. While collecting objects is not completely an uncommon trait in the animal kingdom, these gastropods do it like no other. In this presentation Gary Kidder will discuss the general characteristics of carrier shells, their method of attachment, and the possible reasons for this unique behavior.
Gary Kidder is the Collections Manager for Malacology and Inventory in the Collections Department at The Houston Museum of Natural Science. His primary responsibilities are the management of the 1.5 million malacological specimens in the museum’s collection and reporting on the overall status of the 2.5 million artifacts and specimens at the institution.