Patricia Kelley (PI) will have ultimate responsibility for coordinating the program’s activities, and will be on site throughout the project. Her research focuses on the evolution and paleoecology of Coastal Plain molluscs, especially the dynamics and evolutionary history of molluscan predator-prey interactions, predator-prey coevolution and escalation, and the ecology of mass extinctions and recoveries of mollusc faunas. She has also done actualistic work on modern molluscan communities for comparison with the paleoecological record. With Dietl she has employed isotope geochemistry of mollusc shells to study molluscan extinction susceptibility and predator-prey interactions.

Richard Laws is a paleontologist with research experience in micropaleontology and on fossil mollusc assemblages. Interests include Cenozoic biostratigraphy of the Atlantic coastal plain, the composition and distribution of diatoms in modern coastal environments, and anthropogenic impacts on coastal habitats, especially with regard to the benthic diatom floras. He will participate in the paleontological aspects of the project and also be involved in work on modern assemblages.

William Harris brings to the project expertise in Atlantic coastal plain stratigraphy, field geology, and geochronology. He is also interested in science education, having directed UNCW’s GK-12 program. His efforts will be focused on geological field work and environmental interpretation.

Martin Posey is currently chair of the Department of Biology and Marine Biology. His area of research expertise is in coastal and benthic ecology. Posey is particularly interested in the factors determining species composition in marine bottom communities, including predation, competition, biological disturbance, and anthropogenic effects (introduced species, eutrophication, dredging). Ongoing work also includes restoration of marsh and oyster communities. He will oversee the work on modern assemblages and contribute to the ecological interpretations of fossil material as well.

Troy Alphin carries the appointment of Research Faculty in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology. He serves with Posey as Primary Investigator in the UNCW Benthic Ecology Laboratory at CMS, studying factors controlling food web structure in coastal and estuarine habitats, the importance of various habitat types as nurseries and foraging areas, and the effect of anthropogenic changes on coastal communities. In addition to bringing scientific expertise to the project, Alphin will coordinate the logistics of field work in the modern environment.

Jack Hall is Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies, and has directed the environmental studies program at UNCW since 1995. He was trained as a geologist. He brings expertise and experience in environmental studies and environmental management, science education, and paleontology to the project.

Craig Tobias is an isotope geochemist who coordinates the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry laboratory at the Center for Marine Science. He will provide the analytical support for stable isotope work connected with the project. Students will have the opportunity to visit the lab and learn about this analytical tool first hand.

Christy Visaggi, a PhD student in marine biology at UNCW, will assist with program administration, student mentoring, and instruction. She has BA and MS degrees in geology; her MS work included quantitative paleoecological analyses of mollusc assemblages. She is beginning her PhD dissertation on spatial variation in molluscan predator-prey ecology. Along with Kelley and Dietl, Visaggi will be on site throughout the project.

Lewis Abrams (geophysics) supervises the Coastal and Marine Geophysics Laboratory at CMS. Coastal aspects of his research include the use of ground penetrating radar for archeologic investigations (e.g., investigating villages buried by the 1815 Tambora eruption in Indonesia). He is also involved in a shellfish restoration project, using geophysical instrumentation to locate historic and ancient oyster beds in the lower Cape Fear River. Abrams will demonstrate the use of ground penetrating radar for detecting shell middens.

Angelia Reid-Griffin is a faculty member in the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education of the Watson School of Education. Her area of expertise includes the theory and practice of teaching science. She will serve as evaluator for the project.

Gregory Dietl (co-PI) is Director of Collections at the Paleontological Research Institution and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University. His training is in ecology and evolutionary paleoecology. Dietl’s research focuses on fossil and living shell-bearing molluscs, which he uses to address questions related to the role of ecological interactions in shaping the diversity of life. He is a leading authority on the trace fossil record of predation. His current research uses historical data from the geological and archeological past—its diversity, patterns, systems, and processes—to help build sustainable human societies. Dietl will be on site throughout the project.

Donna Surge will be on site for the geochemical aspects of the project. Her research interests span the fields of low-temperature geochemistry, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, and archeology. Current work focuses on the climatic and ecological record of coastal marine, estuarine, and freshwater molluscs and fish otoliths from Holocene archeological deposits and Neogene fossil deposits. Students will also visit her Paleoclimate & Paleoecology Laboratory at UNC to learn how to microsample shells for high-resolution studies.