Contact Me:

Email: devra.hock@huskers.unl.edu

Twitter: @paleogal_devra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paleogal_devra/

About Me:

I am broadly interested in the connectivity of communities and how that can be preserved in the fossil record. Currently, I study how mammal trait distributions can be used to interpret past regional biomes. In spring 2020, I passed my comprehensive exams to earn my Ph.D. candidacy. Since then, I have been working on my first chapter and manuscript examining biodiversity and ecological diversity between historical and modern mammalian communities in North America. I am also continuing work on regional paleoecological interpretations, focusing on Miocene localities. I will be comparing interpretations based on North American and African trait distributions with prior paleoecological interpretations of each locality.

I am also on the board of the Association for Women Geoscientists as a North-Central region delegate, and am on their Communications Committee, focusing on their website and social media presence.

Outside of my research, I have always loved musical theater and dance, having done both since I was a kid. Over the past few years I discovered aerial dance (think cirque-du-soleil) and have fallen in love with it. I have been able both take and teach classes at an aerial studio in Lincoln, and occasionally perform when the opportunity arises. It is a great hobby to keep fit and active with, and it works the creative side of my brain. I also enjoy having non-research goals to work for and keep me challenged.