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Digital Portfolio

I'm currently in a class called Preparing Future Professoriate. As part of this class, we gradstudents are working on establishing our digital presences, part of which is setting up a "digital portfolio" as a way of advertising ourselves beyond a simple CV post and about page on a website. 

This page is currently a draft of my digital portfolio, but I will be playing around with this to help set myself up.

Morrison Nolan - Paleontologist of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition

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Me in the field in South China

About:

I am a PhD. Candidate studying the biogeochemistry of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, meaning that I study the changing geology, chemistry, environment, and biology of the period of time when life first became large and gained hard shelly/skeletal components. End goal – I want to continue this research into the future by becoming a research professor or a collections manager in a museum, and thus continue to explore the co-evolution of life and environment during this critical transition.

Research:

Currently I work on a number of projects including evaluating curious dubiofossils of the Ediacaran and Cambrian, making sense of major disruptions to earth’s geochemical cycles as recorded in the isotopic record, like the Shuram Carbon Isotope Anomaly, and understanding the early evolution of hard parts in the biomineralized tubular organisms of the E-C. 

            Some papers I’m on or working on:

           

Using SIMS to decode noisy stratigraphic δ13C variations in Ediacaran carbonates

S Xiao, H Cui, J Kang, KA McFadden, AJ Kaufman, K Kitajima, JH Fournelle, M Schwid, MR Nolan, JM Baele, JW Valley

2020, Precambrian Research

 

The terminal Ediacaran tubular fossil Cloudina in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China

D Liang, Y Cai, M Nolan, S Xiao

2020, Precambrian Research

 

Iron phosphate in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation of South China: A previously undocumented marine phosphate sink

MF Schwid, S Xiao, EE Hiatt, Y Fang, MR Nolan

2020, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

 

Differential Weathering of Diagenetic Concretions and the Formation of Ediacaran Annulated Discoidal Structures

MF Schwid, S Xiao, MR Nolan, Z An

In review, PALAIOS

 

 

Reconsidering Brooksella alternata of the Conasauga Formation, Southeastern USA

MR. Nolan, SE Walker, T Selly, A Sharma, JD Schiffbauer

In Prep. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

Teaching:

            I’ve heard that you don’t really understand something unless you can explain it. Because of that, I think teaching is a vital part of the academic experience.

            As such I enjoy my duties as a TA – I am currently teaching Earth’s Dynamic History – an intensive first year introduction to geology for geology majors.

            I have previously TA’ed the department’s Paleontology course.

            I have filled for a lecture in Earth Systems History, a seminar course on Earth’s physical and chemical cycles over geological time.

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