RE: Two Broad Questions About Paleo-Education

["stearns5@cox.net" <stearns5@cox.net>]

I would also b interested in having this question answered, as I am not far
away from finishing my undergraduate work as well. (Biology major, Ocean
and Earth Science minor)

Original Message:
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From: Raptorial Talon raptorialtalon@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 08:09:25 -0500
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Two Broad Questions About Paleo-Education


Like the title says, I have two generic questions about the state of
paleontology/paleo-education today. Note that I'm not asking for
details of what to do as an undergraduate to get into a paleontology
career; I'm nearly done with a double major in biology/geology so it's
much too late for that. ;p But any general advice is appreciated, in
addition to answers to these two questions.

So, to get on with it:

1. What is or are the best graduate school(s) for paleontology in
North America today? By "best" I mean one of two things:

a. The best faculty and facilities, i.e. the best program(s) overall
b. The best education for what you pay, the "best on a budget" so to
speak. (I'm willing to pay more for higher quality, but I'd like to
understand my options as thoroughly as possible.)

2. What areas of dinosaur research are the most neglected, the most in
need of attention/revision/etc? I've always heard of derived theropods
as being "over-studied" in some sense, so I'm wondering if there are
areas where I might more fruitfully apply my abilities. (I know my own
interests, but if there's some commonality, why not run with it?)

Thanks in advance for any pointers, suggestions, and opinions.





(P.S. I sent this once already, but something happened that ate my
message; if it did appear anywhere, that's why there are two now. Just
want to make sure I'm not spamming the system.)

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