Showing posts with label USU Intro to Vertebrate Paleontology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USU Intro to Vertebrate Paleontology. Show all posts

Monday, July 29, 2019

Ben Burger, Rocks of Utah - geology videos - What a scientist sounds like.

Benjamin Burger announcing his The Rocks of Utah Series

I’d love to be more excited about Ben Burger, he's doing YouTube geology videos for an area near and dear to me - The Colorado Basin in Utah.  But, I’m the Professor Zentner type, I’m looking for serious substance, I want to be wow’ed by the amount of facts being presented and woven together with other understanding we have.  

I dream of someone wanting to Tell The Story of the Colorado Plateau - (Ron Blakey & Wayne Ranney have already developed a powerful template, amazing things could be done with it).  But it’s a big commitment. 

It takes the sort of commitment Nick made to his beloved Washington state, along with his public speaking chops.  

I don’t know of any other examples for any other region of our country.  If there are, please do share links.

While Professor Burger has his excellent moments, there’s too much filler for my tastes.  Too many selfies, too much travelog, not enough maps or schematics or coherent scientific story being told.  I’m always left with a list of questions begging to be asked left unanswered.  

That’s just me.  At least Professor Burger deserves credit, he's stepped up to do something that’s far more difficult than it looks from the outside, and he does speak to people and he has fans, and I keep going back him - decide for yourself.

Beyond that -  I keep dreaming of some sharp, up and coming, self-possessed young professor to take the challenge by the horns and better explain the dynamic story behind how our landscape got to look the way it does.  And why it's about so much more than simply beautiful scenery.  I'd counsel starting by first watching Nick Zentner and figuring out for yourself what it is he does so well, then run with it.  

Below the fold is a linked index to Professor Burger's "Rocks of Utah" (23) along with his ongoing lectures (90+) on aspects of Vertebrate Paleontology.