DFG Research Unit FOR 2685
"The Limits of the Fossil Record:
Analytical and Experimental Approaches to Fossilization"

Introduction

The objective of the coordination project is to ensure smooth integration and communication between the nine individual projects of research unit FOR 2685 “Fossilization”. Integration is required both from the perspective of the research questions and that of the methods because the research unit aspires to be more than the sum of its parts (Fig. 1). Both aspects, research questions and methods integration, are considered in great detail in the framework proposal.

Figure 1 | Network diagram of FOR 2685. The individual research projects within Research Unit FOR 2685 are arranged by cluster. The arrows indicate information transfer between projects, which is bilateral in most cases. See the individual project applications and posters for details. You can find details in the individual project pages.

Coordination

The research unit as a whole with its nine member projects and the framework project will require substantial administrative support. Fortunately, this role is taken over by a staff member of the Institut für Geowissenschaften, Beate Mühlens-Scaramuzza. She is a very experienced administrative assistant, having served an earlier research unit in the same capacity. However, we will also require an experienced student helper for the entire first funding period. The student helper will support the speaker and the administrative assistant in organizing joint activities of the research unit such as workshops, accounting, media relations and archiving, and in the preparation of the proposal for the second funding period.

Other

Gender Equality Measures: see “Members”

Workshops: The workshops are retreat-style in different venues in the area surrounding Bonn.

Visiting Scientist Program: To foster intellectual exchange with colleagues around the world and to bring in outside expertise and a critical outside view, we organize a structured visiting scientist program. We plan to invite nine leading scientists (three per year) from different relevant fields during the first funding period to stay for three days and give presentations to the research unit and in the division of the host PI.

Joint Publications: At the end of the first funding period, we plan to publish a collection of papers emanating from this funding period in a leading open access journal.

Public Relations: see “Members”