astronomy

Nieves López Martínez

Nieves López Martínez is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nieves López Martínez rather than just read about it. In short: Nieves López Martínez (Burgos, 5 February 1949 - Madrid, 15 December 2010) was a Spanish paleontologist specializing in research on the vertebrate fossil record and part of a group of paleontologists who were responsible for the modernization of paleontological studies in Spain. López Martínez studied at Complutense University of Madrid, graduating in Biological Sciences in 1970.

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Reference excerpt

Nieves López Martínez (Burgos, 5 February 1949 - Madrid, 15 December 2010) was a Spanish paleontologist specializing in research on the vertebrate fossil record and part of a group of paleontologists who were responsible for the modernization of paleontological studies in Spain. López Martínez studied at Complutense University of Madrid, graduating in Biological Sciences in 1970. She received a scholarship to do her PhD work, under the supervision of Dr. Louis Thaler at the University of Montpellier. López Martínez was recognized as a leading figure in the study of the evolution of Cenozoic lagomorphs, as well as the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event in the area of the Pyrenees. She was also very involved with university teaching programs, both officially at the Complutense University of Madrid and through various projects, such as the Somosaguas Paleontology Project, which was associated with the Somosaguas paleontological site.

Education Nieves López began her secondary education on the Complutense University of Madrid, where she obtained a Biological Science degree in 1970. Her connection to her specialized field of study, and to Paleontology in general began in this institution; under Emiliano Aguirre, she began her studies of Lagomorphs (which is the taxonomic determination for pikas, rabbits, and hares). She obtained a French Cooperation Grant to the University of Montpellier from 1971–1973, years in which she developed he PhD thesis under Dr. Louis Thaler. In 1972, at the institution, she obtained a Diplome d'Etudes Approfondus (DEA) and presented her doctoral thesis in 1974. Returning to Spain in 1974, she worked under a PFPI pre-doctoral grant at the Lucas Mallada Institute at the Complutense University, obtaining a Doctorate of Science in Geology in 1977. This thesis was awarded an Extraordinary Doctorate Award by the University Faculty.

Career Her work as an educator of science began in 1978, where she taught at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) as an Interim Associate Professor from 1978 to 1982. She later moved back to her alma mater of UCM as a Numerary Associate Professor, and was awarded a Cátedra (a professorship position) in Paleontology in 1983. She specialized in courses covering Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleobiogeography.

Publications and other works López Martínez worked heavily on expanding the outreach and education that Paleontology had in the Spanish sphere, it was mentioned that she led multiple workshops and dissemination of her work to the general public. Two of her most tangible contributions would be that of the publication of her multiple works, which became a basis for the early paleontological study in Spain and served as fundamental pieces in the specialized study of Lagomorphs [citation], as well as her contribution to several blogs of science in 2006, a development in communicating science that was uncommon in Spain at the time.

Publications Santonja, M.; López Martínez, N. y Pérez González, A. (Eds.) (1980). Ocupaciones Achelenses en el valle del Jarama (Arganda, Madrid). Publ. Exma. Diputación Prov. Madrid. Arqueología y paleoecología, 1: 341 p. ISBN 978-84-500-3554-4 López Martínez, N. (Coord.) (1986). Guía de campo de los fósiles de España. Editorial Pirámide. 479 p. ISBN 84-368-0326-4 López Martínez, N. (1989). Revisión sistemática y biostratigráfica de los Lagomorpha (Mammalia) del Terciario y Cuaternario de España. Memorias del Museo Paleontológico de la Universidad de Zaragoza, 3(3); Colección Paleontología y Arqueología, 9: 350 p. ISBN 84-7753-093-9 López Martínez, N. y Truyols Santonja, J. (1994). Paleontología. Conceptos y métodos. Editorial Síntesis, S.A. Col. Ciencias de la vida, 19. 334 p. ISBN 84-7738-249-2 López Martínez, N. (Coord.) (2009). Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems in Eastern Spain. Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel. Fundamental, 14: 156 p. ISBN 978-84-934800-8-0 López Martínez, N. (2013). Geología y paleontología para aficionados : excursiones por el Pallars y el Alt Urgell. Editorial Entrecomes. 195 p. ISBN 978-84-941042-2-0 [ed. póstuma]

Blogs Teaching in Palaeontology of Vertebrates (http://paleovertebrata.blogspot.com. es/) Humans and Animals (http://humanos-y-animales.blogspot.com.es/) GeoPaleoBiological Research in Somosaguas (http://investigacionensomosaguas.blogspot.com.es/) Beyond Somosaguas (http://masalla-de-somosaguas.blogspot.com.es/) [Defunct]

Research groups and development López Martínez conducted over the years various research groups in collaboration with the Complutense University. They varied in their field as well as publication material, but she is widely acknowledged as a part of UCM faculty with some of the biggest impacts on the academic development of paleontological studies in the Spanish sphere. Below are some research projects and grants in which she took place:

Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (BTE2002-1430): Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the South Central Pyrenees. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2002–2005. Madrid Government, Research Group 910161: Geological record of critical periods: paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental factors. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2005–2006. Ministry of Education of the Spanish Government (CCT006-06-00100): Experimental excavation and paleontological workshop in the Somosaguas site. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2006. Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (CGL2006-04646/BTE): Paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental factors in critical periods of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2006–2009. Madrid Government, Research Group 910161: Paleobiogeographical changes during critical periods. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2007. Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government (FCT-08-0973): Conference cycle and paleontological workshop in the Somosaguas site: an educative view of mammal evolution. PI: Nieves López-Martínez. 2008.

Somosaguas paleontological project

The Somosaguas paleontological project, which was a result of the excavation and analysis of the Somosaguas paleontological site, was coordinated by Nieves López from 1998 to 2010. It is especially recognized in the way that students led most of the research and management of the project, working alongside faculty.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nieves López Martínez

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nieves López Martínez claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nieves López Martínez before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nieves López Martínez ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nieves López Martínez

In research: Nieves López Martínez appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nieves López Martínez in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nieves López Martínez is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, 2010 deaths, 20th-century women scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nieves López Martínez outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Nieves López Martínez in simple terms?

Why does Nieves López Martínez matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nieves López Martínez?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nieves López Martínez.