FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 11, 1999 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DISCOVERER OF NEW DINOSAUR TO SPEAK AT DRAKE Paleontologist Paul C. Sereno, who today announced the discovery of a new giant plant-eating dinosaur species, will give the 1999 Hawley Foundation Lecture at Drake on Wednesday, Nov. 17. His lecture, titled "Dinosaur Giants from the Sahara," will start at 8 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. The event is free and open to the public. Sereno's announcement came at a news conference today at the National Geographic Society's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The new dinosaur, named Jobaria tiguidensis, lived about 135 million years ago and weighed an estimated 20 tons and grew to a length of 70 feet. At the news conference, Sereno unveiled full-size cast skeletons of a 60-foot-long adult, rearing to a height of 30 feet, and a juvenile posed in mid-stride. More information about Jobaria is available at www.jobaria.org. The new species was discovered in the Republic of Niger by a team led by Sereno, a professor at the University of Chicago. Toiling in temperatures exceeding 120, Sereno's team excavated tons of bone and rock on a 1997 expedition and then spent two years cleaning and studying the bones. "With 95 percent of its skeleton preserved, the new species stands as the most complete long-necked dinosaur ever discovered from the Cretaceous period," Sereno said. National Geographic "Explorer" will premiere an exclusive, shot-on-location film about the dinosaur's discovery at 7 p.m. CST Sunday, Nov. 14, only on CNBC. The documentary, titled "Dinosaur Fever" will be shown again at 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in room 344 of Olin Hall, 27th Street and Forest Avenue. The showing is free and open to the public. For the past decade Sereno has been discovering new species of dinosaur bones in Africa, especially in the Sahara Desert. His discoveries include the 130-million-year old Afrovenator, a 27-foot predator, the 110-million-year-old Suchomimus, a 36-foot, fish-eating predator, and Deltadromeus, a 30-foot predator about 90 million years old. Sereno's overall aim is to map the dinosaur family tree by tracing the many evolutionary changes recorded in their skeletons. The patterns of change recorded on the branches of the evolutionary tree are key to understanding how evolution works over millions of years. Professor Sereno also has devoted himself to public education. In 1998, Sereno and his wife, educator Gabrielle Lyon, co-founded Project Exploration, which is dedicated to bringing dinosaur discoveries and natural science to the public and providing innovative educational opportunities for city kids. While in Des Moines, Sereno will visit several classes at Cattell Elementary School, 3101 E. 12th St. The visit was arranged by Drake education professor Jack Gerlovich, who supervises Drake students who are student teaching at the school. Sereno's school visit is scheduled to start at 10:40 a.m. Thursday. Sereno has received numerous honors, including the Chicago Tribune's Teacher of the Year Award in 1993 and 1996 as well as the Boston Museum of Science’s Walker Prize for extraordinary contributions in paleontology (1997) and Columbia University’s University Medal for Excellence (1999). His recognitions also include People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (1997) and Esquire's 100 Best People in the World (1997). In addition to giving the Hawley Lecture at Drake, Sereno will visit two Drake classes. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, he will address students in Dennis O'Brien's One Earth: Global Environmental Science class in room 115 of Harvey Ingham Hall. At 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, he will speak to Charisse Buising's class on Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates. That class will meet in the Biodiversity Center in the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Greenhouse and Environmental Instructional Facility. Sereno's lecture is sponsored by the Drake Honors Program and supported by the Hawley Foundation, which was established in 1927 by Des Moines businessman Henry B. Hawley and his wife, Carrie. For more information, call (515) 271-2999.