Colin Boisvert is a Master's student in the Department of Geological Sciences at BYU from San Jose, California born and raised. Colin found himself at BYU for the program and the professor. When he was at UC Davis, a trusted advisor told him when applying to Ph.D./master programs you need to focus on the professor you are working with. You need to make sure that you will get along, and be studying similar fields. So after realizing Brooks Britt studied similar aspects of paleontology, Colin decided to apply.
Some were surprised to find that he was applying to BYU as he is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but this program ended up being the right fit for him! He already doesn’t drink or smoke so a lot of the rules aren’t a problem for him. He just wishes he could grow an Obi-Wan Kenobi beard. Colin enjoys having friends that don’t peer pressure him to do things he doesn’t want to do.
Colin currently works at the BYU Museum of Paleontology and is studying sauropods, long neck dinosaurs. The museum has a relatively complete specimen of the apatosaurus excelsus. The animal was recovered with an almost complete neck, with minimal distortion so they are taking digital 3D models to figure out how the animal moved and held its neck. Despite what animations and movies show, we really have little understanding of how these dinosaurs moved those “iconic and massive necks around.”
When he isn’t at the Museum of Paleontology you can find him at Barnes and Noble or at the movie theater. While he does love reading about paleontology he also loves reading fantasy and fiction.
Colin loves that geology is such a wide-ranging major. There are so many different branches to go down, so there is something for everyone like water, dinosaurs, or how ancient life has evolved. “Geology is a great major that takes a little bit of each science as well as math and common sense. You get to put that all together and add a great outdoor aspect and have a greater appreciation for the world and its natural wonders.”