MASTER’S STUDENT

Christiana is currently studying the patterns of pathologies on the hindlimbs of theropods from the Dinosaur Park Formation with a focus on the feet. While hindlimb pathologies have been reported in the past, little is known about how frequently these occur and what patterns, if any, exist in the type and location of pathologies across taxa and elements. By surveying the theropod taxa of a select ecosystem (in this case, the Dinosaur Park Formation) for pathologies, we can gain a better understanding of the functional morphology and palaeoecology of these animals. Christiana is also a supervisor of the evening Dino Lab and has participated in fieldwork since the summer of 2021.

Christiana was born and raised in Edmonton and completed her BSc in Biology in 2020 at the University of Alberta. She participated in projects on medical and clinical research that contributed to two articles published in 2019, one paper in Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and another paper in Journal of Intensive Care. While originally undecided on what she wanted to do after her undergraduate degree, courses like Dino 101 and palaeontology field school reignited her childhood dreams of pursuing palaeontology. Her undergraduate research project on palaeopathology of small theropod metatarsals became the jumping-off point for her master’s thesis project.

 

CONTACT & OTHER LINKS

Email: garros@ualberta.ca