CURRICULUM VITAE
S. AUGUSTA MACCRACKEN she/her/hers
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal S. AUGUSTA MACCRACKEN she/her/hers
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal S. AUGUSTA MACCRACKEN she/her/hers
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal S. AUGUSTA MACCRACKEN she/her/hers
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal S. AUGUSTA MACCRACKEN she/her/hers
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
I am a question-driven paleobotanist with a broad knowledge of different plant and arthropod groups, and a profound interest in the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants, herbivorous insects, and their ecological associations in deep time.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Department of Entomology University of Maryland December 2020
“Plant–Arthropod Associations from the Western Interior of North America during the Late Cretaceous”
Advisors: Jeffrey Shultz (UMD) & Conrad Labandeira (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History)
B.A. Biology Colorado College May 2011
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Assistant Curator of Paleobotany Denver Museum of Nature & Science March 2024–present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology National Science Foundation, Denver
Museum of Nature & Science March 2021–2023
Research Associate Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
December 2020–present
Teaching Assistant University of Maryland August 2014–May 2018
Q?rius Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July 2015–
August 2015
Director’s Intern Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History July
2014–August 2014
Field Intern for Panama Canal Project University of Florida & Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute January 2014–May 2014
Assistant Fossil Preparator Denver Museum of Nature and Science July 2013–October
2013
Fossil Lab Technician Denver Museum of Nature and Science February 2013–July 2013
Snowmastodon Preparation Assistant Denver Museum of Nature and Science August
2011–February 2013
Snowmastodon Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 2011–July 2011
Paleobotany Intern Denver Museum of Nature and Science June 2010–May 2011
Geology Research Assistant Colorado College June 2009–August 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Meineke EK, Pierce NE, Fagan WF & Labandeira CC. 2024. Interactive effects of temperature, aridity, and plant stoichiometry on insect herbivory: past and present. American Naturalist in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, & Torres-Rodríguez E. 2024. “The Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Unlocking the Environmental Data of n Extraordinary Ancient Ecosystem from Mexico”. In Past Environments of Mexico: Unveiling the Past Environments of a Megadiverse Country Through its Fossil Record, pp. 405–426. Springer Nature Switzerland.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2023. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. 104(3), e3922.
Ruiz PC, Chávez BE, Brañas CS, Maccracken SA, Labandeira CC, Rodríguez ET, Cevallos Ferriz SRS, Vega FJ. 2023. Artrópodos terrestres del Cretácico Superior (Campaniano) de Coahuila, NE México. Maya Revista de Geociencias.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, Johnson KR, Sertich JJW, & Labandeira CC. 2022. Insect herbivory on Catula gettyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Late Cretaceous, Utah, USA). PLoS ONE. 17(1), e0261397.
Swain A, Azevedo Schmidt LE, Maccracken SA, Currano ED, Dunne J, Labandeira CC & Fagan WF. 2022. Sampling bias and the robustness of ecological metrics for plant–damage type association networks. Ecology. Accepted, in press.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B, Maccracken SA, Barrera Guevara D, Torres-Rodríguez E. 2022. First record of caenagnathid dinosaurs (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 119, 104046.
Moreno-Domínguez R, Maccracken SA, Santos AA, Wappler T. 2022. Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 586, 110782.
Maccracken SA, Sohn J–C, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2021. A new Late Cretaceous leaf mine Leucopteropsa spiralae gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) represents the first confirmed fossil evidence of the Cemiostominae. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19(2), 131–144.
Currano ED, Azevedo-Schmidt LE*, Maccracken SA*, Swain A*. 2021. Scars on fossil leaves: An exploration of ecological patterns in plant–insect herbivore associations during the Age of Angiosperms. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 582, 110636. *Authors contributed equally.
Xiao L, Labandeira CC, Yair B-D, Maccracken SA, Shih C, Dilcher DL, Ren D. 2021. Early Cretaceous mealybug herbivory on a laurel highlights the deep-time history of angiosperm–scale insect associations. New Phytologist. 1–10.
Swain A, Maccracken SA, Fagan WF, Labandeira CC. 2021. Understanding the ecology of host plant–insect herbivore interactions in the fossil record through bipartite networks. Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.20.
Maccracken SA & Labandeira CC. 2020. The middle Permian South Ash Pasture locality of north-central Texas: Coniferophyte and gigantopterid herbivory and longer-term herbivory trends. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 181(3), 342–362.
Schachat SR, Maccracken SA, & Labandeira CC. 2020. Sampling fossil floras for the study of insect herbivory: how many leaves is enough? Fossil Record. 23(1), 15–32.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2020. Paraxenisaurus normalensis, a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 102610.
Maccracken SA, Miller IM, & Labandeira CC. 2019. Late Cretaceous Domatia Reveals the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms in Flowering Plants. Biology Letters. 15(11), 20190657.
Lyson TR, Miller IM, Bercovici AD, Weissenburger K, Fuentes AJ, Clyde WC, Hagadorn JW, Butrim MJ, Johnson KR, Fleming RF, Barclay RS, Maccracken SA, Lloyd B, Wilson GP, Krause DW, & Chester SGB. 2019. An Exceptional Continental Record of Biotic Recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction. Science. eaay-2268.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2019. Teredolites trace fossils in log-grounds from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95, 102316.
Schachat SR, Labandeira CC, & Maccracken SA. 2018. The importance of sampling standardization for comparisons of insect herbivory in deep time: a case study from the late Paleozoic. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3), 1–15.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. First occurrence of Gastrochaenolites in dinosaur bones from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Cretaceous Research. 92, 18–25.
Serrano-Brañas CI, Espinosa-Chávez B & Maccracken SA. 2018. Terrestrial bone borings in dinosaur bone from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) Coahuila, Mexico. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 86, 353–65.
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS Total: $1,590,989
2024
Frontier Research in Earth Science (FRES) "Collaborative Research: How did Terrestrial Ecosystems Rebuild Following the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction?", National Science Foundation
$1,282,009
2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, National Science Foundation
$207,000
2019
Wylie Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park
$15,000
2018
Scholarly Studies Awards Smithsonian Institution (co-PI)
$38,980
2018
Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship University of Maryland, College Park & National Museum of Natural History
$40,000
2018
Bearded Lady Project Student Research Grant Paleontological Society
$1,200
2017
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2017
Exploration and Field Research Grant Explorers Club Washington
$2,500
2017
Ecological Section Student Travel Award Botanical Society of America
$500
2017
Student Assistance Grant Society for Sedimentary Geology
$1,500
2014–2017
Gahan Fellowship Department of Entomology University of Maryland
2016
Allen A. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching University of Maryland
2015
Student Travel Award Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Entomological Society of America
$1,500
2015
John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Western Interior Paleontological Society
$800
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE SYMPOSIA
2023
Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver, Colorado “The evolution of ancient landscapes in Colorado and the American west; how fossil plants hold clues to the evolution of modern floras”, Invited speaker
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California “Fossil floral and ecosystem recovery across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in western North America”, Invited speaker
Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah “Diversity and recovery of plant life across the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction”, Invited speaker
2022
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Araceae from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico”
2022
Dinofest: In Living Color, Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah “Inconspicuous herbivores: reconstructing Late Cretaceous ecosystems using plant–insect associations”, Invited speaker
2021
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming “Scars on fossil leaves; Plant–insect associations illuminate overlooked portions of ancient ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2021
Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Saltillo, Mexico “Los herbívoros ocultos de Laramidia; Cómo las asociaciones de plantas e insectos daron forma a los ecosistemas mas del Cretáceo Tardió”, Invited speaker
2021
Friends of Paleontology at the Prehistoric Museum, Price, Utah “The inconspicuous herbivores of the Kaiparowits Formation; How plant–insect associations shaped Late Cretaceous ecosystems”, Invited speaker
2020
Native Plant Society of Texas, San Antonio, Texas “Plant–Animal Interactions in the Fossil Record”, Invited speaker
2020
University of Southern Mississippi “What can fossilized plant–insect interactions tell us about ancient biodiversity and ecology?”, Invited speaker
2019
Calvert Marine Museum “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Paleontological Society of Washington at the National Museum of Natural History “The inconspicuous lives of ancient insects; Fossil evidence of insect herbivory”, Invited speaker
2019
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference St. Louis, Missouri “Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Phoenix, Arizona
“Late Cretaceous Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
North American Paleontological Convention Riverside, California “Mesozoic Acarodomatia Reveal the Antiquity of Plant–Mite Mutualisms”
2019
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Lecture Series Denver, Colorado “The evolution of plant mutualisms: clues from the DMNS collections”, Invited speaker
2018
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Indianapolis, Indiana “Novel Insect Herbivory from the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of western North America”
2018
Geobiology Symposium XXIV University of Pennsylvania
“Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Formation, Late Cretaceous of North America”
2017
Botanical Society of America Annual Conference Fort Worth, Texas
“Insect Herbivory of the Kaiparowits Formation Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2017
Entomological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Plant–insect associations of the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Utah”
2016
Geological Society of America Annual Conference Denver, Colorado “Preliminary Assessment of plant–insect associations in the Kaiparowits Flora, Late Cretaceous of Utah”
OUTREACH & MENTORING
Edwin Carter Society Luncheon, Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Keynote speaker
Summer 2022
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Teen Science Scholars: mentored four high school
rising seniors in paleobotanical research methodologies, fieldwork, and museum curatorial practices, June–August 2021 & June–August 2022
Catalyst, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Magazine “What’s a Postdoc? The Face of
the Next Generation of Scientists” H Petermann & SA Maccracken, Summer 2022
Committee member for Stephanie Plaza-Torres, PhD Student, University of Colorado
Tours of Corral Bluffs Study Site co-lead tours for donor events, Colorado College classes,
the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Rocky Mountain Section, and the Pioneer Museum
Tours of Earth Sciences Collections lead over fourteen tours for donors, visitors, after hours
events, and college classes from August 2021–present
Girl Scouts of Colorado- Inspiring Futures Series Webinars discussing paleontology,
paleobotany, and future careers in science for grades K–5 & 6–12 February 2022
Worthington Field Studies Visiting Scientist: taught paleontology to 20 high school
students in Rocky Mountain National Park, July 1–10, 2019.
Guest Speaker at the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner Gala, October 2019
Mentored eight University of Maryland undergraduates: Rueven Bank, Elijah Boswell,
Garrett Kelly, Tarlan Vatan*, Gabrielle Bates*, Su Win, & Ian Rolfes.
*In the process of publishing original research with T. Vatan and G. Bates.
Fossil Forensics: Plant and Insect Relationships: webcast featuring paleobiologist
Conrad Labandeira in which 2,700 students participated; answered student questions during webcast.
Q?rius Programming ‘The Scientist is in’: interpreted fossil plants and talked with
>5,000 museum guests, Summer 2015.
Snowmastodon Preparator: interpreted the Snowmastodon Dig to over 20,000 visitors in
the Snowmass Colorado Tourist Center, June–October 2013.
COURSES TAUGHT
BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and Function Laboratory University of Maryland 2017
BSCI 161 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory University of Maryland 2014–2017
Fossil Leaf Cuticle Preparation Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2012
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2016 Tropical Plant Systematics Office of Tropical Studies, Costa Rica
2015 Fossilworks Intensive Workshop in Analytical Paleobiology Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Early Scientist Committee assisted hiring committee for Associate Director of
Science NMNH 2019
Research Associate Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2017–present
Vice President of the Entomology Student Organization University of Maryland, College
Park Department of Entomology 2016–2017
Earth Sciences Volunteer Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2009–2010; 2013–2017
MEDIA COVERAGE
Featured in France 5 Documentary “Asteroid Survivors”, Winter 2022
Featured in France 5 Documentary “L’abominable mysteredes fleurs”, May 2022
Featured on the podcast Ask a Scientist, December 29, 2020
Featured on the podcast In Defense of Plants, December 19, 2019
Featured in PBS NOVA special “Rise of the Mammals” October 30, 2019
“Three CC Alumni Involved in Extraordinary Fossil Discovery” Colorado College News &
Events, October 24, 2019
“Leave it to UMD Entomology Graduate Student S. Augusta “Gussie” Maccracken”
Ying, UMD CMNS News, February 5, 2018
“What lies beneath” Zabludovsky, Newsweek, April 14, 2014
“Mammoths and mastodons return to Snowmass Village” Krivonen, Aspen Public Radio,
July 2013
“Bones from Ziegler dig return to Snowmass” Chapman, Aspen Times, July 2013
“Digging Up the Past: CC Alumni Help Uncover Major Ice Age Discovery” Colorado
College Alumnus Bulletin, December 2012
“Ancient bones return to the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center” Waters, Radio Free
Aspen, July 2013
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
Botanical Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Geological Society of America
Paleontological Society
JOURNAL REVIEWER
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
International Journal of Plant Sciences
Cretaceous Research
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
eLife
Geological Journal