The two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities coincides with the museum’s new temporary exhibit “An Early Maya City by the Sea: Daily Life and Ritual at Cerros, Belize,” open through Oct. 7. Florida Museum curator of Latin American art and archaeology Susan Milbrath and Debra Walker, a museum courtesy assistant curator who has worked extensively in Cerros, received the grant. University of Florida anthropology graduate students Jeffrey Vadala and Lucas Martindale Johnson developed the exhibit under their direction.

“Some of the artifacts being displayed are shell trumpets, jade beads, very early cooking pots that date back to 350 BC, lip-to-lip caches, masks and a huge vessel which originally contained a cache of jade heads in it,” Milbrath said. “One of the interesting things about Cerros is that a lot of the deposits are caches that are specifically very ritual – in other words, they put things in a certain spot, in a certain way and people are able to recover it because the site was pristine and there wasn’t a lot of looting.”

Meaning “hills” in Spanish, Cerros is located on the coastal edge of the Corozal Bay, in modern-day Belize. As a trade port, it was a significant locale for the late pre-classic Mayan civilization during its height from 50 B.C. to A.D. 300. It also saw a renaissance as a fishing community at the end of the classic era, about A.D. 800-1500.

The Florida Museum’s Cerros Research Online Catalogue was initiated through funding from UF’s Faculty Enhancement Opportunity Fund in May 2011 and includes more than 700 high-resolution photographs of artifacts from the site that will help researchers understand the factors that led to the prosperity of the Mayan civilization. The national grant includes digitization of the collection’s more than 2,800 objects, field notes, publications and maps, as well as about 50 3-D images of the finest pieces, Milbrath said.

“The quality of the digital photos is such that if you go in and do a search, you can really get quite close and do research that you normally couldn’t do with ordinary pictures,” Milbrath said. “For example, you can actually count the number of wires on a copper bell.”

Based on radiocarbon dating, Cerros occupants mysteriously abandoned the site in about A.D. 375, and re-inhabited it around A.D. 800, during the collapse of other Mayan sites.

“Cerros is a very cool time capsule because it was occupied for a relative short time period then abandoned, so you don’t get any confusion about the chronology in terms of what belongs where,” Milbrath said. “This is also the only major complete Mesoamerican late pre-classic collection available for study in the United States – not only will it be the only broadly accessible digital archive from the period when foundation of the Maya civilization took place, but it’s also the only large scientifically excavated collection that’s physically here in a museum.”

To access the Florida Museum’s Cerros Research Online Catalogue, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/latinarch/cerros/gallery.htm.

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Source: Debra Walker, 305-453-9683, debraswalker@gmail.com
Writer: Danielle Torrent, dtorrent@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, APR, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History recently honored Janet Cornelius and Joyce Thompson as winners of the 2012 James Pope Cheney Volunteer of the Year Award.

Cornelius served 686 hours in two positions at the museum during 2011 and has completed more than 2,000 hours since she began volunteering in January 2009.

Thompson, a former school teacher, serves as a school programs docent and completed 231 hours of service in 2011. She began volunteering in the fall of 2010.

“We feel these two women truly embody the spirit of this award,” said Florida Museum education assistant Amanda Erickson Harvey. “Their service at the museum captures the character and ideals the award stands for, and they both stood out to the selection committee.”

Cornelius volunteers in the anthropology collections and as assistant registrar for anthropology loans at Dickinson Hall. She assists with paperwork, completes detailed inventories, including handling artifacts, creates and updates databases, and assists students with research projects.

“When you work with Janet you can tell how enthusiastic she is about the work,” said Elise LeCompte, Florida Museum anthropology registrar and natural history department assistant chair. “She really wants to be at the museum. Janet is really an assistant and does so much more than is asked of her. She is very valuable to us and everyone loves having her around.”

In addition to her docent position, Thompson helps families explore in the Discovery Room, greets visitors at the front desk, helps with special events and assists with outreach by traveling to local schools to educate children about the museum.

“Joyce is very positive and always has a smile on her face,” said Florida Museum education assistant Jeannette Carlisle. “She has a very positive relationship with staff, students and visitors at the museum.”

The women were recognized during the museum’s annual volunteer reception in April.

The James Pope Cheney Volunteer of the Year Award is presented annually to recognize Florida Museum volunteers who show exceptional interest in museum collections, effort toward the educational advancement of children and enthusiastic support for the museum and volunteer communities. It honors Cheney, who was a Florida Museum docent for 14 years before his death in 2004.

For more information on museum volunteer opportunities, email Florida Museum volunteer coordinator Amy Hester, ahester@flmnh.ufl.edu.

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Source: Amanda Harvey, 352-273-2052, aerickson@flmnh.ufl.edu
Elise LeCompte, 352-273-1925, lecompte@flmnh.ufl.edu
Jeannette Carlisle, 352-273-2026, carlislej@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Logan Gerber
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

Ponce just completed her first year at UF and recently received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science for Life Undergraduate Research Award.

“I’m very excited to begin my research,” Ponce said. “I never thought I would have an interest in hawkmoths before starting in Dr. Akito Kawahara’s lab. Then as I settled in and got more involved, I realized how important the work was to understanding biodiversity and species evolution and I became very interested in contributing to the research.”

Ponce is working 30 hours per week this summer and 15 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters studying the DNA and molecular samples of a group of hawkmoths, known as Eumorpha, in Kawahara’s lab at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity on the UF campus. Kawahara, an assistant curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History, will serve as Ponce’s mentor and guide her research.

Ponce has worked as an assistant in the lab since October preparing specimens for DNA extraction, analysis and sequencing. As one of the many projects in the lab, students and researchers are working to build an entire evolutionary tree of hawkmoth species to understand the evolution of hawkmoth biology and behavior.

“Dr. Kawahara has been very encouraging,” she said. “I have received a lot of technical advice while I’m in the lab and it is very helpful for the work I will be completing in the next year.”

“Francesca will work to determine the evolutionary sequence of host use and feeding in a particular group of understudied hawkmoths containing 30 or so species,” Kawahara said. “This is a comprehensive project for an undergraduate student. Her research will help our larger study on the evolution of these spectacular insects, their associated plants and predators.”

Nearly 1,500 species of hawkmoths occur worldwide and it is one of the fastest flying insects. The moth’s wingspan can reach 6 inches and it has a curled proboscis, or tongue, up to 12 inches long used to drink nectar.

The Howard Hughes Science for Life program provides talented, motivated and responsible UF students with a rapid start in research and connects them with outstanding faculty mentors as early undergraduates. Research projects often continue for much of the awardee’s career and many lead to undergraduate co-authored publications within peer-reviewed scientific journals or presentations at national meetings.

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Source: Akito Kawahara, 352-273-2018, kawahara@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Logan Gerber
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History recently received two awards from the Southeastern Museums Conference.

The museum’s newest traveling exhibit, “Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas,” received the award of excellence for exhibits with budgets between $100,000 and $1 million, and the museum’s 2009-10 annual report received the gold award in the Publication Design competition.

Darcie MacMahon, Florida Museum assistant director for exhibits, accepted the awards on behalf of the museum at the group’s annual meeting in October in Greenville, S.C.

“We always strive to achieve excellence in our exhibitions, but outside confirmation from the field is very exciting and provides a stamp of approval that other institutions around the country will recognize when the exhibit begins its tour,” MacMahon said.

“Dugout Canoes” was inspired by the discovery of 101 ancient dugouts at Newnans Lake in 2000. The exhibit features artifacts, videos and interactive displays as well as model and life-size canoes. The Florida Museum will display the exhibit through 2013 before it begins traveling to museums across the country.

Elecia Crumpton, Florida Museum graphic design coordinator, worked on both projects and was excited to see the hard work of so many people rewarded.

“I think it’s really gratifying to receive recognition for large museum projects,” Crumpton said. “These projects require an incredible amount of time, energy and lots of collaboration among colleagues. It’s a great honor for all involved, and certainly for the Florida Museum.”

The 24-page annual report gives an overview of the museum’s accomplishments from the last fiscal year and was designed, written and edited by museum employees.

“The annual report and ‘Dugout Canoes’ are the culmination of many hours of work on the part of dozens of museum staff members,” said Beverly Sensbach, Florida Museum associate director. “We are thrilled that all of their efforts paid off.”

The Southeastern Museums Conference is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of museums from 12 Southeastern states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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Sources: Darcie MacMahon, 352-273-2053, dmacmahon@flmnh.ufl.edu
Beverly Sensbach, 352-273-1900, sensbach@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Logan Gerber
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History research associate William F. Smith-Vaniz recently received the most prestigious award available to researchers of the diversity and evolutionary relationships of fishes.

The Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Systematic Ichthyology from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is given to one ichthyologist from the Western Hemisphere every year for “an outstanding body of published work in systematic ichthyology.” Smith-Vaniz is the third University of Florida researcher to be honored with the award.

Florida Museum of Natural History researcher William Smith-Vaniz displays the 2011 Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Systematic Ichthyology he was presented at the annual American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists conference in Minneapolis earlier this month. © Photo by Mary Brown

“As his productivity in research and publications built over many decades, I was amazed as to how many families of marine fishes Bill was involved with, by himself or in cooperation with other leading ichthyologists, with regard to fish taxonomy,” said Walter Courtenay, a U.S. Geological Survey ichthyologist, who with another colleague, nominated Smith-Vaniz for the award. “The Florida Museum of Natural History can take pride that three recipients of Gibbs awards are now affiliated there — Larry Page, Bill Eschmeyer and Bill Smith-Vaniz.”

Smith-Vaniz received a plaque and $5,000 award at the annual American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists conference held in Minneapolis earlier this month.

His diverse research includes more than 100 academic publications, shifting from a focus on freshwater to worldwide reef marine fishes. In 1968, following the completion of his master’s in fisheries biology from Auburn University, Smith-Vaniz’s first publication was a book entitled, “Freshwater Fishes of Alabama.”

“I grew up in the Mississippi Delta where hunting and fishing were almost part of the culture,” Smith-Vaniz said. “I was fascinated by fish at an early age – I was just one of those nature kids.”

An avid fly fisherman, his father knew an area fisheries biologist, and Smith-Vaniz was invited to participate in state fish surveys while in high school, an offer he gladly accepted, he said.

“We did those surveys about four days a week all summer long for two years so I got exposed to a lot of fish and that just reinforced my enthusiasm for the diversity of fish,” Smith-Vaniz said. “The biologists knew the game fish very well, but they would categorize about 5 percent as miscellaneous forage fish, and I wanted to know, ‘What species are these fish?’ ”

After working as a museum technician at the Smithsonian Institution for two years, Smith-Vaniz earned his Ph.D. from the University of Miami while working with C. Richard Robins, who also taught Courtenay and Eschmeyer.

“Bill is sort of the last of the old-school, hard-core descriptive taxonomists,” Eschmeyer said.

Smith-Vaniz is known worldwide as an authority on the systematics of jacks. He said he is most proud of the work he did for his dissertation, a 196-page monograph on about 50 species of Indo-Pacific sabertooth blennies, small reef fishes.

“It brought these remarkable fishes to the attention of a wide range of readers, who I hope will be stimulated to continue studying them,” he said.

Smith-Vaniz worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for 20 years before moving to Gainesville in 1992 to work for the U.S. Geological Survey. He retired from the USGS in 2007.

“I’m still about as active in research as I could possibly be, probably even more so since I retired,” Smith-Vaniz said. “Like everybody, I’m working on too many projects simultaneously – despite all those fish in all those collections, there’s still a tremendous amount of research that needs to be done.”

The field of fish systematics has progressed immensely since Smith-Vaniz began his career in the 1960s and he said the Internet and advances in molecular technologies have had the greatest impact. But he warns up-and-coming ichthyologists not to depend solely on molecular data.

“Because of the Internet now, it’s so easy with digital photography to get wonderful documentation of color patterns and the public can learn so much about these fish and have a lot more appreciation for them than ever before,” he said. “If you want to look at the health of the planet, you need to know the ecology, diversity and distributions of these fishes, otherwise you’re not going to detect changes until it’s catastrophic, and at that point, it may be too late to do anything about it.”

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Source: Bill Smith-Vaniz, 352-273-1957, smithvaniz@gmail.com
Writer: Danielle Torrent, dtorrent@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Following more than 40 years of fieldwork, Florida Museum of Natural History malacology curator Fred Thompson was recently recognized for his research on freshwater organisms.

The Florida Association of Benthologists presented Thompson with the Award for Excellence in Contributions to Florida Benthic Ecology in recognition of accomplishments throughout his career. The award can be presented no more than once a year and was last awarded in 2008, said Gary Warren, an executive committee member and one of the association’s founders.

“It’s been awhile since we thought we had somebody worthy of the award,” said Warren, an aquatic invertebrate ecologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Every one [of the members] has been dependent on Dr. Thompson’s identification manuals – he is a resource for people that have specimens they can’t identify and he’s always been available.”

The association is comprised of about 250 scientists throughout Florida whose careers involve benthology, the study of all aquatic organisms on the bottom of water bodies, from protozoa, clams and snails to worms and crayfish. The association presented Thompson with the award during its annual taxonomic workshop in May.

Though small, these creatures serve an important role in helping balance the ecology of water systems throughout the world. Snails are among the most expansive of aquatic animals and comprise the largest group of primary consumers (herbivores) in aquatic ecosystems, feeding on decaying plant materials, algae, aquatic fungi and yeast. It was these organisms that piqued Thompson’s interest as a high school student in the 1950s.

“I was going around to various places in Ohio on field trips, encountering snails and finding there was very little published information on them,” Thompson said. “It expanded my curiosity about who is who in the animal world.”

Thompson’s primary research focuses on the evolutionary relationships of freshwater and land snails, which make up the most diverse group of animals next to insects, he said. He has published more than 100 journal articles, from naming new species in North and Central America to creating the only identification guide for the state’s freshwater snails. “The Freshwater Snails of Florida: A Manual for Identification” was published in 1984 and most recently updated in 2004.

“A lot of what we know about small snails in springs in Florida is the result of Fred’s work,” said John Slapcinsky, Florida Museum malacology collections manager. “He has basically revolutionized our understanding of these organisms.”

Thompson helped identify species from the underexplored snail family Hydrobiidae. These habitat-specific snails are endangered because destruction of a spring or river shoal leads to their demise, Slapcinsky said.

“Many spring snails are minute and very hard to work on, so most people have stayed away from them as much as they can,” Slapcinsky said. “But Fred has waded into the group and discovered numerous species in Florida and the southeast. Without Fred’s work, we would not even know that many of these vulnerable snails existed.”

There are about 500 species of freshwater snails in North America, many of which are confined to single springs or small bodies of water and highly threatened by environmental change. Like canaries in coal mines, these snails serve as environmental indicators, in this case the springs and aquifer, the source of the state’s drinking water.

“Biodiversity is a very important concern and the devolution of any aspect of biodiversity in an area is a serious loss ecologically – the loss of any particular species could constitute a food resource loss for other animals,” Thompson said. “Likewise, Florida aquatic systems are a favorite playground for people to introduce exotics and these places could serve as hosts for human-significant parasites transmitted by snails.”

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Source: Fred Thompson, fgt@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Danielle Torrent, dtorrent@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History named Jane Blanchard and Jerry Hessels recipients of the James Pope Cheney Volunteer of the Year Award at a volunteer reception April 5.

Blanchard has completed more than 1,175 hours of service since she began volunteering in 2007, and works in the Lepidoptera, paleobotany and palynology collections.

“She has completed dedicated and important work in two very different areas and that’s not the norm,” said Julie Crosby, Florida Museum volunteer coordinator.

Blanchard identifies and labels butterflies and moths, catalogs plant fossils and has photographed and documented hundreds of specimens. She also was a co-author on a peer-reviewed journal article because of her extensive work on plant fossils.

Hessels began volunteering at the museum as an exhibit docent in 1989. Now 93, he continues to serve as an exhibit and school program docent and Butterfly Rainforest guide.

“He is a wonderful docent and shares his enthusiasm for lifelong learning with all visitors,” Crosby said. “Fellow docents really admire Jerry and consider him a role model.”

The James Pope Cheney Volunteer of the Year Award is presented annually to recognize Florida Museum volunteers who show exceptional interest in the collections of the museum; effort toward the educational advancement of children; and enthusiastic support for the museum and volunteer communities. It honors Cheney, who was a Florida Museum docent for 14 years before his death in 2004.

Blanchard and Hessels also have been nominated for the 39th Annual Work of Heart Volunteer Awards. Established by the Volunteer Center of North Central Florida and currently sponsored by Haven Hospice, the Work of Heart Awards are presented annually to outstanding Alachua County volunteers in various categories. Winners will be announced April 26.

For more information on museum volunteer opportunities, email Crosby, jcrosby@flmnh.ufl.edu.

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Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jon Sund of Green Cove Springs and Miranda Bennett of Archer received top honors in this year’s ButterflyFest Pollinator Photography Contest. The winners were announced Saturday (Oct. 23) during an awards presentation at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s fifth annual ButterflyFest.

Sund, who won first place in the adult category for his photo, “Looks Good,” and Bennett, who won first place in the junior category for her photo, “Can you see me?” both received cash prizes.

The museum will display the winning photographs in its Central Gallery through Nov. 30 and online on the ButterflyFest website www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflyfest/photo_contest.htm. Contest sponsor The Gainesville Sun published the winning photographs in the newspaper Oct. 24.

More than 70 photographers from three states submitted over 120 entries for the second annual contest.

In the adult division, open to ages 18 and older, Paul Morris of Micanopy won second place for his photo, “Moth Pollinating Moon Flower,” and Bridget Lanier of Bradenton won third place for “Pollin Cameo.” Orlando resident Stephen Presutti received honorable mention for “Eye on the Prize.”

In the junior division, open to ages 10-17, Collin Kane of Gainesville won second place for “Bumble We Go,” and Trey Lanier of Bradenton won third place for his untitled photo. Elena Newman of Gainesville won honorable mention for “Milkweed Feeder.”

Volunteer judges for the competition were Andrei Sourakov, Florida Museum of Natural History Lepidoptera collections manager; Ryan Fessenden, Butterfly Rainforest production assistant; and Kristen Grace, a Florida Museum photographer who also works for Randy Batista Photography.

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Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History recently recognized operations coordinator Kurt Auffenberg as the 2010 recipient of the Thompson Van Hyning Award.

The service award, the highest given to museum employees who are not faculty members or students, honors the museum’s first director, Thompson Van Hyning, who was appointed in 1914. Van Hyning was known for going above and beyond normal responsibilities and helped draft a bill for the Florida Legislature in 1917 that established the museum as the official state natural history museum. The award was created in 1984 and is given out about every three years.

Auffenberg, a museum employee since 1978, started volunteering unofficially at the age of 12 with his father, herpetology curator Walter Auffenberg. Kurt has been with the museum ever since.

“There’s been an Auffenberg darkening these halls continuously since 1963,” Auffenberg said. “Inheriting my father’s Germanic work ethic and my mother’s ‘Oh, be quiet and just do it’ attitude, I’ve done everything from original research to cleaning the carpet.”

Auffenberg began his career as a museum technician and later worked 19 years as malacology collections manager. He later became collections manager for the museum’s exhibits and public programs division, and since 2003, has worked as coordinator of museum operations at Powell Hall. In this position, Auffenberg is responsible for everything from daily maintenance to serving as project manager for major permanent and traveling exhibits, including “Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land” and “Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived.”

He remains interested in science, and over the years has described 14 new species of animals: 13 snails and a gecko. Auffenberg has published 35 scientific journal articles since 1982, with several more in progress.

He received a bronzini eagle statue and a $500 career development grant. His name also will be added to a plaque in Dickinson Hall.

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Source: Kurt Auffenberg, 352-273-2083, kauffe@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Morgan Lamborn
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

The University of Florida Graduate School offers the award to nominees across campus, and Majure is the only winner from the biological sciences of the 21 recipients for 2009-2010. He won the award for teaching BOT 2710/5725, Plant Taxonomy, which he has taught three times.

“The class covers all of the major vascular plant groups throughout the plant tree of life, and we teach the students how to identify them,” Majure said. “So if they were dropped off anywhere on the planet, they should be able to at least have a good idea of what major plant groups they encounter.”

Majure’s advisers are Doug Soltis and Walter Judd, both distinguished professors of biology with affiliate appointments in the Florida Museum.

“Lucas has an enthusiasm for teaching and learning that is contagious,” Soltis said. “He is extremely dedicated to his students in the classes he instructs.”

Majure is researching the systematics and evolution of a large genus of cacti, called Opuntia, which are found from Canada south to Chile and Argentina. He is currently completing a large phylogeny, or study of evolutionary relatedness, of the genus and studying a smaller subgroup in the southeastern U.S.

“Lucas has a real excitement for plants, and I especially enjoyed watching him on field trips,” Judd said. “He has a keen eye and often would spot species that I had missed.”

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Source: Doug Soltis, 352-273-1963, dsoltis@botany.ufl.edu
Walter Judd, 352-273-1983, wjudd@botany.ufl.edu
Writer: Vilma Jarvinen
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu