BYU Museum of Paleontology
Encyclopedia
The Brigham Young University
Museum of Paleontology was started in 1976 around the collection of James A. Jensen
. For many years it was known as the BYU Museum of Earth Science, and most of the collection was in storage under the Lavell Edwards Stadium
.
In October 2009 the museum held a grand opening of its new facilities during BYU homecoming week. With the 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) addition, it now displays most of the collection. The change of name clarifies that the museum actually houses a large collection of dinosaur
bones and other fossils.
The museum is currently directed by Rodney Scheetz, who was one of Jensen's students at BYU. Its main purpose is to facilitate research, but it is open to the public.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
Museum of Paleontology was started in 1976 around the collection of James A. Jensen
James A. Jensen
James A. Jensen , was an American paleontologist. His extensive collecting program at BYU in the Utah-Colorado region which spanned 23 years was comparable in terms of the number of specimens collected to that of Barnum Brown during the early 20th century. He was given the name "Dinosaur Jim"...
. For many years it was known as the BYU Museum of Earth Science, and most of the collection was in storage under the Lavell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Provo, Utah, on the campus of Brigham Young University. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars....
.
In October 2009 the museum held a grand opening of its new facilities during BYU homecoming week. With the 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) addition, it now displays most of the collection. The change of name clarifies that the museum actually houses a large collection of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
bones and other fossils.
The museum is currently directed by Rodney Scheetz, who was one of Jensen's students at BYU. Its main purpose is to facilitate research, but it is open to the public.
Sources
- Museum Information, BYU Museum of Paleontology, Brigham Young University
- Geological Society of America brochure about the annual meeting at UVU which mentions plans for an excursion to the BYU Museum of Paleontology, including explanations of the museum's collection