If you are a student at St. Mary's College of Maryland and have in interest in collaborating on research or just want to learn more about my work, please reach out to me at vjperez@smcm.edu! Here are some quotes from my current students, describing their projects.
Mason Hintermeister
Stony Brook University
"Dr. Perez has provided me the fulfilling opportunity to work at the forefront of accessible science and education where it is most impactful. Together with volunteers, we manage the sprawling crowd-sourced myFOSSIL database. This platform has gone towards bridging a longstanding gap between the interested general public and paleontologists, continuously building a wealth of scientifically useful data whilst providing a positive interface between experts and a global community. Using these data as a seed, Dr. Perez has directed me in collecting real world data from across the internet for machine learning models, which identify fossil shark teeth with mind-boggling accuracy. This has not only led to potential practical applications in paleontology and paleontological outreach but also provided an opportunity to create interactive and freely accessible educational resources, which allow educators to give their students the conceptual foundations in computer science that they desperately need to succeed in the modern world. As these interconnected projects expand in new and increasingly innovative directions, advanced research grows further within reach of every person and every student who might benefit from it."
Stephen Groff
College of Southern Maryland
"I have worked with Dr. Perez for several years now. He has advised and worked with me on several projects, including three posters presented at the annual Geological Society of America conference. Currently, I am working under Dr. Perez’s direction on an NSF grant to produce machine learning models that can identify fossil sharks teeth, as well as another research project to describe a new species of fossil pea crab from the Miocene of Maryland and Virginia."
Luke Schwenk
St. Mary's College of Maryland
"The research that Dr. Perez and I are conducting looks for notable variations in the chemistry of Snaggletooth Shark (Hemipristis serra) teeth along the Calvert Cliffs. To do so, teeth were collected from the different layers of the cliffs, ranging from ~20 million years old at the North end of the cliffs to ~8 million years old at the South end. Dr. Perez has been an invaluable contact for this project as he has provided me with access to teeth with stratigraphic data, vital information, and contacts in the paleontology community."
