Kenneth Lacovara

Kenneth Lacovara
Born	New Jersey, USA
Residence	Swedesboro, New Jersey
Citizenship	United States of America
Fields	Paleontology
Institutions	Drexel University
Alma mater	Rowan University

Kenneth J. Lacovara is an American paleontologist and geologist at Rowan University and fellow of the Explorers Club, known for the discovery of the titanosaurian dinosaur Dreadnoughtus and his involvement in the discovery and naming of the giant sauropod dinosaur Paralititan, as well as his work applying 3D printing technology to paleontology.

Biography

Lacovara grew up in Linwood, New Jersey and attended Mainland Regional High School. He graduated with honors from Rowan University in 1984. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 2002. He received a Master’s degree in Physical Geography from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D in Geology from the University of Delaware in 1998.

Professor of palentology and geology at Rowan University, he will be the founding dean of Rowan's new School of Earth & Environment. Formerly, Lacovara was an Associate Professor of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science in Drexel University's College of Arts and Sciences.

Discover Magazine named his work applying 3D printing technology to paleontology one of the “100 Top Science Stories of 2012.”

He has been a resident of Swedesboro, New Jersey.

Discoveries

On September 4, 2014, Lacovara's discovery of the giant titanosaur Dreadnoughtus schrani was published by the journal Scientific Reports, making international headlines. It is the most complete skeleton of a giant titanosaur discovered to date.

Lacovara was part of the team that discovered Paralititan stromeri in the Bahariya Oasis of Egypt in 2000. Paralititan was the first new dinosaur discovery in Egypt since the early 20th century and was featured in the 2-hour documentary The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt, narrated by Matthew McConaughey and produced by Ann Druyan. The team published their findings in Science in 2001. The announcement of the new species was named by Discover Magazine as one of the "100 Top Science Stories of 2001".

In China, Lacovara was part of a team that discovered multiple skeletons of the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) aquatic bird Gansus yumenensis. Gansus filled an important gap in bird evolution and the team published their result in Science in 2006.

Lacovara was also a member of the team that discovered Suzhousaurus megatherioides, a therizinosauroid from the Lower Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert of China.

Mantua Township Fossil Heritage Site

Lacovara is a major proponent of preserving a Late Cretaceous fossil site in Mantua Township, New Jersey, as a fossil park and center for STEM education.

External links

• Kenneth Lacovara's website
• Printing dinosaurs: the mad science of new paleontology
• Linda Hall Library of Science lecture: Next-Gen Paleontology
• LiveScience: Dinosaur Diggers Share 3D Printed Fossils
• Discovery Channel, Daily Planet: Cretaceous Jersey Shore
• Philadelphia Inquirer: Ancient Sea Turtle Discovered in New Jersey
• Philadelphia Inquirer: Reconstructing a Fossil Turtle
• Mantua Township Fossil Heritage Facebook page
• Kenneth Lacovara’s profile on LinkedIn

• Avril, Tom. "Paleontologist gets equal pleasure explaining his work", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 7, 2014. Accessed June 10, 2015. "The carpenter's son grew up in Linwood, Atlantic County, where the coastal terrain is largely sand and mud. Then one day at a Cub Scouts meeting, when Lacovara was in second grade, an amateur geologist brought in a box of geodes and minerals."
• Marino, Suzanne. "MRHS students dig the mighty tale of Dreadnoughtus discovery by alum", The Current, February 24, 2015. Accessed June 10, 2015. "Mainland Regional High School can boast many successful alumnae. There are doctors, lawyers, politicians, NFL players, and Peace Corps volunteers, but Friday, Feb. 20, Ken Lacovara Ph.D., a paleontologist and possibly one of the most adventurous of the famous alums, stopped in to talk about what he has been up to since he left Mainland in 1978.... Marino, Suzanne. "MRHS students dig the mighty tale of Dreadnoughtus discovery by alum", The Current, February 24, 2015. Accessed June 10, 2015. "Mainland Regional High School can boast many successful alumnae. There are doctors, lawyers, politicians, NFL players, and Peace Corps volunteers, but Friday, Feb. 20, Ken Lacovara Ph.D., a paleontologist and possibly one of the most adventurous of the famous alums, stopped in to talk about what he has been up to since he left Mainland in 1978."