Paleontology

The Head of the Chair, Professor I.S.Barskov

Field training in the White Sea region devoted to marine communities and ecosystems

Students doing research work

The Chair trains students in two areas of specialization: (1) "Paleontology" (Paleontology of Invertebrata, Paleontology of Vertebrata, Paleobotany) and (2) "Biostratigraphy".

Members of the Chair give lectures on Paleontology to students of the Faculty of Geology and to the 5-year students of the Faculty of Biology. Also the Chair is responsible for giving lectures on the course "Basics of Ecology" to students of the Faculty of Geology.

Students specializing in paleontology are provided with profound knowledge in both biology and fundamental geology. Also the Chair"s staff give a wide range of special courses in the field of paleontology such as "Paleontology of Invertebrata", "Paleontology of Vertebrata", "Paleobotany and Palynology", "Micropaleontology", "Biostratigraphy", "Paleoecology", "Basics of Stratigraphy", "Evolution of the Biosphere", etc. Recently a number of new courses met the demands of modern paleontology has been prepared. Among them are "Paleontology Resources in Internet", "Biological Mineralization" , etc.

The students specializing in paleontology are provided with the field training in the Crimea, at the White Sea, in the Moscow region. There are additional field trainings in the Chechia and Cyprus.

The Chair"s staff are constantly working on publication of manuals. "General Paleontology" by O.B.Bondarenko, I.A.Mikhailova, "Micropaleontology" by N.I.Maslakova et all, "Paleoecology" by B.T.Yanin, "Techniques of Paleontological Investigations" by I.C.Barskov, B.T.Yanin are widely-known and used by many Universities of Russia as basic manuals in the corresponding areas.

Since 1947 the Chair has trained over 400 specialists in paleontology most of which work in scientific research institutions throughout Russia and in other countries.

Scientific investigations are conducted by the Chair in various fields of fundamental paleontology, including paleobiodiversity in different groups of fossils, taxonomy, phylogeny, paleoecology, environmental changes and climatic evolution in geological past. Applied biostratigraphic and paleontological works are carried out in many oil and gas-bearing basins in different regions of Russia (Peri-Caspian, Timan, Yakutia, European Russia).