The

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Museum of Paleontology was started in 1976 around the collection of

James A. Jensen James Alvin Jensen (August 2, 1918 – December 14, 1998), was an American paleontologist. His extensive collecting program at Brigham Young University in the Utah-Colorado region which spanned 23 years was comparable in terms of the number of ...

. For many years, it was known as the ''BYU Earth Science Museum'', and most of the collection was in storage under the

LaVell Edwards Stadium LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, on the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars, an independent in th ...

. In October 2009, the museum held a grand opening of its new facilities during BYU homecoming week. With the 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 A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

. The museum is currently directed by

Rodney Scheetz Rodney may refer to: People * Rodney (name) * Rodney (wrestler), American professional wrestler Places ;Australia * Electoral district of Rodney, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rodney County, Queensland ;Canada * Rodney, Ontario, a vi ...

, who was one of Jensen's students at BYU. Its main purpose is to facilitate research, but it is open to the public.

References

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

External links

* Brigham Young University buildings Museums established in 1976 Dinosaur museums in the United States Museums in Provo, Utah University museums in Utah Natural history museums in Utah 1976 establishments in Utah Paleontology in Utah {{Utah-museum-stub