Paleontological Society

Paleontological Society
Name	Paleontological Society
Formation	1908
Type	Learned society
Purpose	Promotion of paleontology
Headquarters	United States
Region served	Global
Language	English

Paleontological Society is a learned society founded to advance the science of paleontology through research, publication, education, and public outreach. The Society connects professionals and amateurs across institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University while interacting with funding agencies like the National Science Foundation and policy bodies including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It maintains ties with international organizations such as the International Paleontological Association and regional societies including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Geological Society of America.

History

The Society was established in 1908 amid rising institutional interests at places like Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago and alongside contemporaneous organizations such as the Royal Society and the Geological Society of London. Early figures connected to the Society included curators and professors affiliated with Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Institution for Science, and the United States Geological Survey. Throughout the 20th century the Society intersected with landmark projects at Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum of Natural History, and expeditions tied to British Museum (Natural History), participating in debates influenced by discoveries from locations like Morrison Formation, Burgess Shale, and La Brea Tar Pits. The Society’s trajectory reflects interactions with major paleontological figures associated with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and Stanford University.

Mission and Objectives

The organization’s objectives align with professional societies such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, emphasizing research dissemination, standards of practice, and support for investigators at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, and University of Texas at Austin. Goals include fostering collaborations that span museums—Natural History Museum, London and Royal Ontario Museum—and academic programs at University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, while engaging with funding partners such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation when appropriate. The Society promotes ethical collecting standards used by agencies like the National Park Service and legislation contexts such as the Antiquities Act.

Publications

The Society publishes peer-reviewed journals and monograph series comparable to outputs from Journal of Paleontology, Palaeontology (journal), Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and Geology (journal). Its flagship publications have been deposited in libraries including Library of Congress and distributed to institutions like British Library and Biodiversity Heritage Library. Special publications and field guides produced in collaboration with press partners such as Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and University of Chicago Press document discoveries from localities like Solnhofen, Ediacara Hills, and Green River Formation. The Society’s editorial boards have included editors affiliated with Yale Peabody Museum, AMNH staff, and faculty from University of California, Los Angeles and University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Awards and Grants

The Society administers awards and grants that mirror honors from organizations like the National Academy of Sciences and the Mineralogical Society of America. Awards recognize accomplishments connected to fieldwork at sites such as Hell Creek Formation and Ischigualasto Provincial Park, and to research programs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Grant recipients often hold positions at universities including Duke University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Rutgers University and obtain fellowships analogous to those from Guggenheim Foundation and Humboldt Foundation. Named prizes reflect traditions similar to the Darwin Medal and exchange networks with societies like the Palaeontographical Society.

Meetings and Conferences

The Society organizes annual meetings and regional conferences often co-located with gatherings of the Geological Society of America, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, and the American Geophysical Union. Sessions spotlight research on taxa from collections at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and field trips to stratigraphic sections such as the Chesapeake Group and the Mancos Shale. The program committees collaborate with hosts from universities such as Colorado School of Mines, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Idaho State University, and coordinate with international meetings like International Congress on Stratigraphy.

Governance and Membership

Governance follows a structure of elected officers and councils similar to governance models at American Philosophical Society and Royal Society of Canada. Membership includes professionals, students, and emeritus members from institutions such as Brown University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Kansas State University, as well as affiliates from museum networks including Canadian Museum of Nature. Committees oversee ethics, publications, and diversity initiatives comparable to programs at Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and interact with accreditation bodies like the Association of American Universities.

Outreach and Education

Outreach programs partner with museums and educational centers such as Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and Royal Tyrrell Museum to develop exhibits and curricula. Education initiatives align with standards referenced by bodies like the Next Generation Science Standards and collaborate with university extension programs at Iowa State University and University of Florida. Public lectures, citizen science projects, and K–12 resources connect the Society’s activities to communities served by institutions such as Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley and outreach networks including the National Science Teaching Association.

Category:Scientific societies