Professor David Weishampel, in collaboration with Dr. Coralia Maria Jianu, Curator of Fossil Vertebrates in Deva Romania, is investigating important questions on the origins of the science of paleontology and the role of position and funding in the kinds of research one conducts. It is clearly of great importance to understand how differing approaches to a scientific field develop and what relationship they have with currently accepted science in our country. In this respect, Drs. Weishampel and Jianu's study of Franz Baron Nopcsa promises to enrich our understanding of how paleontology has developed in the 20th Century. Nopcsa was a pioneer in the field. He emphasized the biological nature of fossil vertebrates, the use of bone histology to understand the physiology of extinct vertebrates, neo-Lamarkian evolutionary mechanisms, and the theory of continental drift. He also examined the geology of the eastern Adriatic Coast. By bringing together these different strands, Nopcsa helped to create a distinct approach for Eastern European paleontology. His insights present this science in a valuable perspective that is worth contrasting to the rise of American paleontology as created by Henry Fairfield Osborn. Two aspects of Nopcsa's career are of great interest beyond just his science. First, he invented the field for himself. There was no one to train him. How does a scientist go about creating a new discipline and how does he attract followers? Secondly, Nopcsa was independently wealthy and was able to carry out his research in whatever manner he chose to pursue. How did this independence affect the kinds of questions he asked versus those of his contemporaries who were bound by the constraints of university and/or government, foundation or patron support? The PI will also examine these important and fascinating questions. This study thus promises to enhance our understanding of the rise of paleontology and the role patronage in directing a field of investigation.
