معرفی
Benjamin John Burger is an Associate Professor of Geology in the Department of Geosciences at Utah State University's Uintah Basin—Vernal Campus, specializing in paleontology and stratigraphy with extensive fieldwork experience across Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. His research spans all three eras of the Phanerozoic eon and includes significant science outreach through educational YouTube content.
His academic credentials include:
- PhD in Geological Science, University of Colorado, 2009
- MS in Anatomical Science, State University of New York (Stony Brook University), 1999
- BA in Geological Science, University of Colorado, 1997
Professor Burger's research integrates mammalian paleontology, climate change dynamics, and stratigraphic analysis to investigate critical Earth history events including the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and Cenozoic mammal evolution. His science communication efforts produce accessible educational resources like the 400-page WikiBook "The Essential Guide to Planet Earth" and classroom-focused climate change assignments.
His publication record demonstrates interdisciplinary expertise across historical geology, vertebrate paleontology, and science education. Key contributions include relocating Colorado's first dinosaur discovery site, describing new Eocene fossil mammals, and analyzing Permian-Triassic boundary evidence in Utah that addresses Earth's largest mass extinction event.
He has mentored seven graduate students in Geosciences since 2012, including Greg Agyan, Casey Dooms, and Emily Keller. His funded research appears in journals such as Global and Planetary Change and Earth Sciences History, reflecting sustained contributions to both scientific literature and educational pedagogy.
Through YouTube educational videos and undergraduate teaching of courses like Natural History of Dinosaurs and Planet Earth, Professor Burger actively bridges academic research with public science literacy, emphasizing field-based learning and Earth systems understanding.
