Ordinary People Can Do Extraordinary Things: Derek Main at TEDxUTA

Dr. Derek Main grew up in Irving Texas and graduated from MacArthur High School. Interested in science, he worked at local North Texas museums over the years; the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science and the Shuler Museum of Paleontology at SMU. While at the Dallas Museum, he worked in the fossil labs and assisted with the Big Bend Alamosaurus project. While at the Shuler Museum, he worked on the Jones Ranch Paluxysaurus project. Derek earned a B.Sc. in Geology from UT-Dallas in 2001 and later a M.Sc. in Geology from UT-Arlington in 2005 with a thesis on Woodbine Formation Stratigraphy, Paleoecology and Paleobiogeography. In recent years he has finished his graduate work at UTA with a Ph.D. dissertation supervised by Christopher R. Scotese on Dinosaur Paleobiogeography and Coastal Paleoecology at the Arlington Archosaur Site. Derek has taught courses on Earth Systems, Earth History & Dinosaurs at UTA, Physical Geology at Northlake College, and Historical Geology at Tarrant County College. Classroom work aside, he leads his students on monthly field trip excavations to the Arlington Archosaur Site. He is a member of the Geological Society of America, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Dallas & Texas Paleontological Societies. He is a strong supporter of educational programs that bridge the divide between scientists and the public and the preservation of fossil sites that have scientific importance.

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The 2013 TEDxUTA Event @ The University of Texas At Arlington

About TEDx:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)