From July to September 2024, members of the Nannoworks Laboratory presented at various international conferences in Korea, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.
Two Nannoworks graduate students, David C. Policarpio and John Paul M. Mondala, participated in the 37th International Geological Congress, held from August 25 to 31, 2024, at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, Busan, Republic of Korea. Under the International Union of Geological Congress sponsorship, the congress had the theme “The Great Travelers: Voyages to the Unifying Earth.” Both showcased the results of their research in molluscan paleontology of the Plio-Pleistocene shallow marine deposits of La Union and Ilocos Sur, respectively.
David Policarpio outside the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (left) and John Paul Mondala in front of his poster presentation (right).
Justin Jorge R. Padre and Joeven Austine S. Calvelo, along with their adviser, co-author, and laboratory head, Dr. Alyssa M. Peleo-Alampay, attended the conference to present their recent research. Jorge (oral) presented the alkenone and calcareous nannofossil abundance records of multicores and used them as proxies for the paleoceanographic history of the Southeastern Philippines. Joeven (poster) presented findings on the calcareous nannofossil assemblage of Neogene sedimentary sequences in northwest Pangasinan.
Jorge Padre (left) presenting his work on alkenone and calcareous nannofossil reconstructions across offshore Southeastern Philippines.
Several sessions revolved around themes of nannofossils and nannoplankton in various time periods, starting from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to the smaller Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs. Presentations in these sessions delved into improving their taxonomy and utilization for refining the biostratigraphy of both onshore and offshore areas. Furthermore, a session focused on how nannofossils can be better identified, utilized, and managed as data using relatively new technologies such as AI. Some presentations discussed their genetics and life behavior from live cultures and paleoenvironmental histories of various areas from several nannofossil proxies.
Jorge Padre (left), Joeven Calvelo (middle left), Dr. Alyssa M. Peleo-Alampay (middle right), and Dr. Deborah N. Tangunan (right), a fellow labmate and former research associate of Dr. Peleo-Alampay during one of the INA 19 field trips.
The Conference "New Prospect on the Paleontological Research in Taiwan" was held in Tainan City, Taiwan, on September 10-11, 2024. Dr. Allan Gil S. Fernando, Nannoworks laboratory head, was one of the Invited Speakers during the event, where he presented a paper on new fossil localities in the Philippines and their significance to paleontological research in Taiwan and the West Pacific Region. His co-authors include colleagues and collaborators from different Institutions and universities in Taiwan, Japan, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the Philippines. Nannoworks Laboratory members who contributed to the presentation include Abigael Castro, Kevin Garas, Clarence Magtoto, Jaan Ruy Conrad Nogot, David Policarpio, and Meyrick Tablizo. In his presentation, AGSF highlighted how recent paleontological discoveries in the Philippines can provide significant information and opportunities to advance paleontological studies in the West Pacific region, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. The presentation also highlighted the significance of collaborative research efforts, which enrich the paleontological database and result in a deeper understanding of the paleobiogeographical dynamics that have shaped the prehistoric and present-day fauna in the western Pacific region. Other presentations participated in by members of the Nannoworks Laboratory in the conference include the “Systematic description of freshwater fish fossils of the Pleistocene Laguna Formation”, which was recently submitted for publication to the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, and “Fish fossil otoliths from the Early Pliocene Tartaro Formation, Bulacan, Philippines
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