KNOXVILLE — Dr. Christopher Brochu, the lead researcher on “Sue,” the Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur specimen discovered in South Dakota in 1990, will give a presentation on his scholarly
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work at 4 p.m., Monday, April 7, at the University of Tennessee.
Brochu’s program titled “The Dead Speaks: Lessons From A Tyrannosaur” will be presented in the UT University Center Auditorium.
The program is sponsored by the UT Department of Geological Sciences. Dr. Colin Sumrall, a lecturer in the department, said Brochu’s lecture takes a look at how new technology helps scientists study very old fossils.
“Brochu did a thorough description of the dinosaur’s entire skeleton, but what was innovative about his approach was that he made a CT scan of Sue’s skull and was able to use the images to determine a lot of things about the nature of its brain, how nerves connected to the brain, which was a new insight into how the animal worked,” Sumrall said.
Sue was purchased in 1997 by a consortium of investors including the Field Museum of National History in Chicago, Ill., and the McDonald’s Corporation. The reconstructed skeleton is currently on display at the Field Museum.
Admission to the UT presentation is free.