The Inaugural Cells to Ecosystems Summer Training Course
In June 2025, ERC-TERRAFORM Postdoctoral Research Fellow William J. Matthaeus, alongside his NSF-FIXER coinvestigators Jonathan P. Wilson (Haverford College), Wray Jones, Joseph D. White (Baylor University), and Principal Investigator Daniel J. Peppe (Baylor University), successfully organized and taught the inaugural Cells to Ecosystems Paleoecology Summer Training Course at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, United States. The event welcomed ten graduate students from the US, EU, and UK for an intensive ten-day course focused on trait-based paleoecology.
This course, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), aimed to provide early-career researchers with the necessary tools to study deep-time ecosystems. It covered methodologies for making inferences about ancient vegetation, starting with cell-scale measurements from fossilized plant materials and advancing to simulations of paleo-ecosystems. Instructors offered primers on paleobotany, biophysics, and computational modeling, ensuring that participants gained both theoretical insights and practical skills.
The overarching goal of the course was to equip the next generation of Earth scientists with a shared understanding of trait-based paleoecology. By fostering a common language, the instructors hope to promote collaboration and enhance translational research between trait-based paleobotany and broader Earth system science.
Building on the success of the inaugural course, the instructors have already begun planning updates for an improved second iteration of the training, set for 2026. The positive reception and valuable feedback from participants are driving the ongoing refinement of this unique educational opportunity in paleoecology.
