Annual Conference
Dive Into Discovery
GANJ XLII 2026
Reconstructing the Last Days (and Millions of Years) of the Age of Reptiles in the North Atlantic Coastal Plain
The New Jersey Geological Association’s Annual Conference, titled Reconstructing the Last Days (and Millions of Years) of the Age of Reptiles in the North Atlantic Coastal Plain, will take place at the Edelman Fossil Park of Rowan University in Mantua, New Jersey.
The conference will be centered around the state-specific wonders housed at the Edelman Fossil Park of Rowan University. Edelman Fossil Park is renowned for its robust diversity of exhibits and high-quality specimens, and speakers will explore the historical and scientific significance of these fossils and other specimens from the larger Late Cretaceous North Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Note: Registration for our Annual Conference automatically grants membership for the year.
Agenda
Speaker Bios
Keynote speaker; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Paleontology, Rider University of New Jersey
William Gallagher
Dr. Gallagher has authored over 70 scientific papers, articles, and abstracts, as well as the popular book, When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey.
His research interests include the paleoecological dynamics of mass extinction events, especially the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/P) Boundary mass extinction event.
William Gallagher, PhD is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Rider University and a founding member of the Delaware Valley Paleont0logical Society (DVPS).
Until his retirement in 2008, Dr. Gallagher served as the Assistant Curator of Natural History, Collections and Exhibits, Natural History Bureau, New Jersey State Museum. He also was a GEMS Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2008-2009 academic year, a Rider University Science and Technology Advanced Research Institute (STARI) Fellow from 2009 until 2011, and a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor from 2011 until 2014.
Assistant Curator, Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University; Assistant Professor, Rowan University
Zachary Boles
Dr. Boles is a vertebrate paleontologist who conducts fieldwork at the Edelman Fossil Park. His research primarily focuses on understanding the taphonomy of this site (i.e., how the bonebed formed and what ecological inferences can we make). He is also interested in paleohistology; the study of bone microstructure in order to gain insight into the growth and ecology of various organisms. Dr. Boles also runs volunteer digs at the Edelman Fossil Park and the fossil preparation lab on campus.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR HOST AND CONFERENCE PARTNER
Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University
Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University is an immersive museum experience that brings awe and wonder to young explorers and life-long learners. Our one-of-a-kind fossil park and museum feature full-scale dinosaurs, live animal encounters, an interactive fossil scavenger hunt, free-roaming virtual reality, a unique fossil-digging experience in our active research quarry, and so much more. At EFM, you are transported 66 million years back in time to discover a world once lost, the world of the dinosaurs, but now found.
Discover the Past. Protect the Future. For more information, visit: www.efm.org.
PhD Student, Rowan University
Joseph Deckhut
Joseph is currently studying in the Geology PhD program at Rowan University, studying the paleontology of the Edelman Fossil Park.
Curator of Natural History, New Jersey State Museum
Dana Ehret
Dr. Ehret is the Curator of Natural History at the New Jersey State Museum. His primary field of expertise is marine paleontology, with emphasis on fossil shark teeth and trace fossils.
Retired RPG (AR# 183)
James Brown
James Brown is a founding member of GANJ and has served the organization over multiple conferences, most recently leading the GANJ 2019 conference entitled Geology and Paleontology of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
