Site Origins
This project began in 2008 as a grant application to the National Science Foundation’s Informal Science Education office to create a website over Georgia’s fossil record; a subject virtually unknown to Georgia’s science teachers. The proposal was submitted in 2009 and by early 2010 we had word that project wouldn’t be funded.
About 20 research papers from half a dozen professors and several publications of the former Georgia Geologic Survey formed a solid core of information. I decided to assemble it into a book and put together a book proposal; a sent out a call for additional research papers and soon had a great deal of published material to cover.
By 2011 I had a Letter of Intent to Publish from an academic press here in Georgia. By 2012 I had a Publishing Contract from the same, but because of the wealth of original artwork I had in hand, thanks to Georgia Southwestern’s Visual Arts Department, I had a rather steep $20,000.00 publication subvention to cover; funding which had to come from an outside source. The manuscript had to be finalized in 2013; publication was set for 2015.
As you will see in my bio, I’m not a professional paleontologist or geologist but an amateur, a natural history historian. By trade I am a diesel engine Partsman and Service Writer. Science education grants aren’t given to well-meaning, un-degreed amateurs who work blue-collar jobs.
By late 2014 it was obvious that funding for a book wasn’t available. I thanked academic publisher for his interest and began converting the manuscript into a website.
This website was published by myself on 26/December/2014; it came circle from the original concept for an Earth Science Education website.
Professional Origins & Thanks
Many researchers and professors from several universities contributed papers, made suggestions, corrections, and generally advised me in the creations and completion of this work. Without their assistance this would not have been possible. I am grateful.
The great bulk of the information here has its roots in research started by the Georgia Geologic Survey for the benefit of all Georgians.
This work is intended as a tool in science education support. My hope is that other Georgia students won’t know the same gaps in their education I experienced as a 1980 graduate of public schools.
Toward that end I received the following email from Ms. Tina Perkins on January 27, 2012. Ms. Perkins is a 27 year veteran Georgia high school science teacher at Central High School in Macon, Georgia:
“I used a few sections of your fossil research in class to illustrate the point of how rich a fossil history Georgia has. One of my students had looked on a site that stated that only a few Cretaceous fossils were known from the Mesozoic and no fossils from the Jurassic and Triassic. Most fossils, it said, came from the Cenozoic. He tried to find the site again, but he could not remember what he typed in for it to come up.”
“They were also astounded as how many sites came up that disputed the age of fossils and claimed that all life was less than 12,000 years old. We had some interesting discussions...”
Southern Education Desk;
Fusing Art and Science through Paleontological Illustration
http://www.southerneddesk.org/?p=5542
When Yu Min Park at Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Southern Education Desk covered the original artwork of this project on their website I posted their article on my Facebook page and received the following comment from a friend of a friend:
13/Aug/2012 Hi Thomas - Thank you for sharing your information on Georgia's early history. We are homeschooling our three daughters and appreciate the graphics on the extinct creatures. Our perspective does not accept the timelines you provide, however, since we teach from a Creationist perspective - believing most of the enormous reptiles became extinct after the worldwide flood due to inability to survive the much drier atmospheric conditions…. Even so, we appreciate your work and pray that you will bring glory to the Creator as you 'unearth' more of His handiwork! Have a blessed week!
Contact;
Thomas Thurman
Email; GeorgiaFossils@aol.com
This project began in 2008 as a grant application to the National Science Foundation’s Informal Science Education office to create a website over Georgia’s fossil record; a subject virtually unknown to Georgia’s science teachers. The proposal was submitted in 2009 and by early 2010 we had word that project wouldn’t be funded.
About 20 research papers from half a dozen professors and several publications of the former Georgia Geologic Survey formed a solid core of information. I decided to assemble it into a book and put together a book proposal; a sent out a call for additional research papers and soon had a great deal of published material to cover.
By 2011 I had a Letter of Intent to Publish from an academic press here in Georgia. By 2012 I had a Publishing Contract from the same, but because of the wealth of original artwork I had in hand, thanks to Georgia Southwestern’s Visual Arts Department, I had a rather steep $20,000.00 publication subvention to cover; funding which had to come from an outside source. The manuscript had to be finalized in 2013; publication was set for 2015.
As you will see in my bio, I’m not a professional paleontologist or geologist but an amateur, a natural history historian. By trade I am a diesel engine Partsman and Service Writer. Science education grants aren’t given to well-meaning, un-degreed amateurs who work blue-collar jobs.
By late 2014 it was obvious that funding for a book wasn’t available. I thanked academic publisher for his interest and began converting the manuscript into a website.
This website was published by myself on 26/December/2014; it came circle from the original concept for an Earth Science Education website.
Professional Origins & Thanks
Many researchers and professors from several universities contributed papers, made suggestions, corrections, and generally advised me in the creations and completion of this work. Without their assistance this would not have been possible. I am grateful.
The great bulk of the information here has its roots in research started by the Georgia Geologic Survey for the benefit of all Georgians.
This work is intended as a tool in science education support. My hope is that other Georgia students won’t know the same gaps in their education I experienced as a 1980 graduate of public schools.
Toward that end I received the following email from Ms. Tina Perkins on January 27, 2012. Ms. Perkins is a 27 year veteran Georgia high school science teacher at Central High School in Macon, Georgia:
“I used a few sections of your fossil research in class to illustrate the point of how rich a fossil history Georgia has. One of my students had looked on a site that stated that only a few Cretaceous fossils were known from the Mesozoic and no fossils from the Jurassic and Triassic. Most fossils, it said, came from the Cenozoic. He tried to find the site again, but he could not remember what he typed in for it to come up.”
“They were also astounded as how many sites came up that disputed the age of fossils and claimed that all life was less than 12,000 years old. We had some interesting discussions...”
Southern Education Desk;
Fusing Art and Science through Paleontological Illustration
http://www.southerneddesk.org/?p=5542
When Yu Min Park at Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Southern Education Desk covered the original artwork of this project on their website I posted their article on my Facebook page and received the following comment from a friend of a friend:
13/Aug/2012 Hi Thomas - Thank you for sharing your information on Georgia's early history. We are homeschooling our three daughters and appreciate the graphics on the extinct creatures. Our perspective does not accept the timelines you provide, however, since we teach from a Creationist perspective - believing most of the enormous reptiles became extinct after the worldwide flood due to inability to survive the much drier atmospheric conditions…. Even so, we appreciate your work and pray that you will bring glory to the Creator as you 'unearth' more of His handiwork! Have a blessed week!
Contact;
Thomas Thurman
Email; GeorgiaFossils@aol.com