September Monthly Meeting

More Mosasaur

DPS will meet on Wednesday, September 11th, at 7PM Central time, in the Booneville Auditorium (Room H125) of the Ellison Miles Building (Bldg H) at Brookhaven Campus of Dallas College(3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch).  DPS member Jim Poepselwill speak on “The Art and Science of Fossil Collecting and Preparation”.  Jim found and excavated a very complete skull (with the nearly complete vertebral column) of a Latoplatecarpus willistoni mosasaur, in the North Sulphur River in 2011.  With the approval of Mike Polcyn of SMU, Jim prepared the specimen over the next 4 ½ years!  To ensure scientific access to this specimen (which is much better than the holotype of referred specimen in the original publication), he donated it to the Shuler Museum research collection, and was given a cast replica in return.

Jim Poepsel has a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Missouri, where he wrote his thesis on prestressed precast voided slabs, a new type of highway bridge design.  He served in Vietnam in 1969 with the 18th Brigade of Combat Engineers, traveling extensively as their bridge expert.  Jim then worked for Exxon for 32 years until retirement, and then continued for another 10 years as their consultant.  His hobbies include stained glass, wood carving, photography, entomology, archaeology, paleontology, and fossil preparation.  He frequently hunts for fossils in the North Sulphur River, and uses his kayak for fossil hunts in the South Sulphur River and Post Oak Creek.

DPS meetings are always open to the public and FREE!  Members bring food, snacks, chips, and sweets to share, and DPS provides water and sodas.  Everyone is welcome to bring fossils to show or for identification (one of the best aspects of meeting face-to-face).  You can also join our meeting on Zoom at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85817944802 (Meeting ID: 858 1794 4802 and Passcode: 770482).