Sarah Bamford Pelot, daughter of Dr. Sophia Boyd Bamford, was recently acknowledged for science excellence in research by the Smithsonian. She has been with the Smithsonian for 14 years and she and her husband, Kent Pelot, live in Washington D.C.

The report of the research by the Paleobiology Weekly Update and Forecast reads:

“This week, through diligent sleuthing, library searches, and meetings with Tom Dutro, John Pojeta, and Ellis Yochelson, Sarah Pelot successfully identified a group of 35 plates of beautiful original early 20th Century ink wash illustrations as having been published in Cleland, Herdman F. The Fossils and Stratigraphy of the Middle Devonic of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Bulletin No. XXI. Scientific Series No. 6. Published by the State of Wisconsin, 1911.

“The illustrations were found in a cabinet drawer in the paleo department along with Charles D. Walcott’s archival materials. Beautiful in their own right, the illustrations can now be placed in their scientific and historical context. The publication also provides us with the name of the artist who prepared them, Mr. G.S. Barkentin of the New York State Geological Survey.

“Sarah has dry cleaned, archivally rehoused, inventoried, and scanned (600 ppi – with thumbnails made for the database) the illustrations for the paleo historical illustration database. Mary Parrish is especially happy about the identifications because the 2006 guild meetings are being hosted by the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin. She will informally exhibit these illustrations at the meeting.”