D. Jade Simon

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D. Jade Simon is an American paleontologist, scientific communicator, and disability rights advocate. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, where she studies the paleobiology of oviraptorosaur dinosaurs.

Academic background[edit]

Simon obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from West Virginia University in 2009. She obtained her M.Sc. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University, where she studied the Cretaceous oogenus Macroelongatoolithus with David Varricchio.[1] From 2014 to 2016, she worked as a temporary lecturer and adjunct instructor at the College of Western Idaho (2014) and Boise State University (2014–2016), where she taught biology and geology courses. Since 2016, she has been a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum, where she studies the ecology, growth, and diversity of North American oviraptorosaurs with David Evans.[2][3]

Academic contributions[edit]

Simon has published peer-reviewed articles on Cretaceous dinosaur faunas,[4][5] dinosaur eggs,[6][7] and the morphology and histology of oviraptorosaurs.[8][9] Her research has been cited more than 90 times[10] and is published in leading discipline journals such as the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and Papers in Palaeontology. She has received numerous awards in support of her research from academic societies, non-profits, and universities; this includes the General Motors Women in Science and Mathematics Award (2018); several grants from the Dinosaur Research Institute (2016, 2017, 2018),[11] the Society of Systematic Biologists (2018),[12] the Jurassic Foundation (2018), the International Alliance for Ability in Science's Outstanding Scholar in STEM Award (2021),[13] and the prestigious Ontario Trillium Scholarship (2016–2020).[14] She has also conducted an extensive array of paleontological and biological fieldwork, the former primarily in terrestrial Cretaceous deposits of Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and China,[15][16] and the latter primarily with long-term monitoring of American kestrels in association with the Raptor Research Center.

Advocacy and outreach[edit]

Simon is a leading disability rights advocate and is active in initiatives within universities and academies societies that seek to increase the visibility of, and the access for, disabled people in academic and research settings.[13][14][17] She has a connective tissue disorder (generalized Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder / hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), which affects her mobility and balance and can cause heart issues (commonly associated with dysautonomia) and for which she has a golden retriever service dog named Basil Mae, who is featured prominently in her scientific communication and outreach work. Simon and Basil Mae are active on social media and have been featured on numerous scientific communication outlets and media, including STEMcognito,[17] The Science Pawdcast,[18] the ROMKids Show hosted by the Royal Ontario Museum,[19] and SoapboxScience,[20] and in numerous articles highlighting her work and advocacy for disability rights.[21][22][23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Simon, D. Jade (2014). Giant dinosaur (theropod) eggs of the Oogenus macroelongatoolithus (Elongatoolithidae) from southeastern Idaho : taxonomic, paleobiogeographic, and reproductive implications. Montana State University.
  2. ^ "Jade Simon". David Evans Lab. 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  3. ^ "Growing pains of the oviraptorosaur". Burke Museum. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  4. ^ Arbour, Victoria M.; Evans, David C.; Simon, D. Jade; Cullen, Thomas M.; Braman, Dennis (2020-06-01). "Cretaceous flora and fauna of the Sustut Group near the Sustut River, northern British Columbia, Canada". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 57 (6): 671–680. doi:10.1139/cjes-2019-0031. ISSN 0008-4077. S2CID 210625082.
  5. ^ Krumenacker, L.J.; Simon, D. Jade; Scofield, Garrett; Varricchio, David J. (2016-02-01). "Theropod dinosaurs from the Albian–Cenomanian Wayan Formation of eastern Idaho". Historical Biology. 29 (2): 170–186. doi:10.1080/08912963.2015.1137913. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 130702879.
  6. ^ Huh, Min; Kim, Bo Seong; Woo, Yeon; Simon, D. Jade; Paik, In Sung; Kim, Hyun Joo (2014-03-04). "First record of a complete giant theropod egg clutch from Upper Cretaceous deposits, South Korea". Historical Biology. 26 (2): 218–228. doi:10.1080/08912963.2014.894998. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 129165135.
  7. ^ Simon, D. Jade; Varricchio, David J.; Jin, Xingsheng; Robison, Steven F. (2018-11-02). "Microstructural overlap of Macroelongatoolithus eggs from Asia and North America expands the occurrence of colossal oviraptorosaurs". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (6): e1553046. doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1553046. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 191155027.
  8. ^ Cullen, Thomas M.; Simon, D. Jade; Benner, Elizabeth K. C.; Evans, David C. (2020-03-18). "Morphology and osteohistology of a large‐bodied caenagnathid (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) from the Hell Creek Formation (Montana): implications for size‐based classifications and growth reconstruction in theropods". Papers in Palaeontology. 7 (2): 751–767. doi:10.1002/spp2.1302. ISSN 2056-2799. S2CID 216310907.
  9. ^ Funston, Gregory F.; Wilkinson, Ryan D.; Simon, D. Jade; Leblanc, Aaron H.; Wosik, Mateusz; Currie, Philip J. (2019-07-04). "Histology of Caenagnathid (Theropoda, Oviraptorosauria) Dentaries and Implications for Development, Ontogenetic Edentulism, and Taxonomy". The Anatomical Record. 303 (4): 918–934. doi:10.1002/ar.24205. ISSN 1932-8486. PMID 31270950. S2CID 195797251.
  10. ^ "D Jade Simon". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  11. ^ "Projects Past and Present". www.dinosaurresearch.com. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  12. ^ "Graduate Student Research Awards". Society of Systematic Biologists. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  13. ^ a b Science, International Alliance for Ability in. "International Alliance for Ability in Science". Together, We Make a Difference. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  14. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae". D. Jade Simon. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  15. ^ "MSU paleontologists excavate dinosaur clutches in China". Montana State University. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  16. ^ "Field Expeditions". D. Jade Simon. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  17. ^ a b "Watch "STEMterview with Jade Simon" on STEMcognito". STEMcognito. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  18. ^ Season 3 Episode 15: Venus Away!, Dogs and Paws and Jade Simon on Dinosaurs and Accessibility in Science - The Science Pawdcast, retrieved 2022-02-08
  19. ^ ROMKids Show: The One About Disability, Dogs, & Dinosaurs, retrieved 2022-02-08
  20. ^ "Soapbox Science 2018 Toronto". SoapboxScience. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  21. ^ Notman, Nina (2021-01-27). "Let the dog in: how institutions and colleagues can help scientists who require support animals". Nature. 589 (7843): 627–629. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00190-0. PMID 33505030. S2CID 231768299.
  22. ^ "Toronto service dog helps ROM staff member and looks adorable doing it". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  23. ^ Braun, Liz (2021-09-04). "Disabled scientist hopes to advocate for others". torontosun. Retrieved 2022-02-08.

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