Office of University Communications 

New fossil species named in honor of geology professor's career

SPRINGFIELD — Not all science is done in the laboratory.

For more than 30 years, Dr. James Miller, a geologist and professor in Missouri State University’s department of geography, geology and planning, has been climbing through the mountain ranges of western Utah, collecting and studying hundreds of fossils – microscopic and otherwise – entombed in the ancient rock formations.

As a testament to Miller’s many years in the field and devotion to his studies, geology colleagues Jon Adrain from the University of Iowa and Steve Westrop from the University of Oklahoma named a new fossil they discovered in Miller’s honor. The trilobite fossil – Notchpeakia milleri – was discovered in the same area where Miller and many of his students have conducted years of research.

Photos and a description of the newly discovered fossil were published in a recent edition of the esteemed Journal of Paleontology. The fossil is estimated to be approximately 495 million years old.

“It’s a very nice fossil,” Miller said while examining the detailed photos in the Journal. “They’ve got beautiful material. They’ve illustrated it well. It’s a nice thing that they did. I appreciate this very much.”

Although, this kind of tribute in the field of geology is a rare and very special honor, this is the second time Miller has been recognized by having a fossil named for him. The first came in 2004 when a fellow geologist, Michael J. Vendrasco of the University of California, Los Angeles, named a species of chiton for Miller.

Miller has devoted a large part of his life to the study of some of the world’s oldest conodonts and has traveled to many countries for his research. His many studies have been funded, in part, by grants from the National Science Foundation as well as faculty research grants from Missouri State University.