Lam Career Lecture Series

Dr. Lisa White, Paleontologist

Lisa joined the University of California Museum of Paleontology in July 2012 after a 22-year history at San Francisco State University where she held positions of Professor of Geosciences and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. She taught undergraduate classes in paleontology, historical geology, and the history of life, and guided research projects with graduate students in Miocene diatoms of the Monterey Formation of CA, and fossil cold seep assemblages in the Franciscan Complex.

"My childhood home in San Francisco is a block away from the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park and I think frequent visits to the Cal Academy must have sparked an early interest in paleontology and geology. Directing the SF-ROCKS (Reaching Out to Communities and Kids with Science in San Francisco) program at SF State has been a way to engage diverse urban youth in field and laboratory experiences with the goal of generating similar interest and excitement in the geosciences.”

“My history with the UCMP is interwoven with the Understanding Evolution and Understanding Sciences sites, having served on both project advisory boards, and I quickly became a fan of all the great education and outreach work at the UCMP. I am absolutely delighted to now be working at the Museum!”

What careers study evolution?

Evolution is a controversial topic because it is not hard solid fact. There is a lot of evidence that makes the theories of evolution valid but a conclusion or a law has not been yet made, and maybe it still won’t. The evidence that validates the theory of evolution is usually found by paleontologists, geologists, and anthropologists. They all study things that can help prove the evolution to be fact.

· A paleontologist studies prehistoric life, including organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments

· A geologist studies the solid Earth and the processes by which it evolves. Geology provides primary evidence for plate tectonics, the history of life and evolution, and past climates.

· An anthropologist studies humanity, including their culture, interaction, heritage, and much more. They study both current situations and ancient situations and try to analyze why certain things happened the way they did.