Dr. Mihai E. POPA
Senior Fulbright Fellow

• Title: PhD, University Lecturer (a different status of the American Lecturer position, more similar to the Associate Professor position in USA).
• PhD in Bucharest, with the rank "Summa Cum Laude" (the highest in Romania), defended on 29 March 2000, with two supervisors: Dr. Ovidiu N. Dragastan (University of Bucharest) and Dr. Johanna H. A. Van Konijnenburg - Van Cittert (Utrecht State University). Title of the thesis: Early Jurassic Land flora of the Getic Nappe;
• Experience within the higher education system: more than seven years (since September 1994);
• Present address: Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Dickinson Hall, Palaeobotany Laboratory, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;
• Tel: (352) 392-1721 ext. 232;
• Fax: (352) 392-2539;
• E-mail: popa@flmnh.ufl.edu.
• Some photographs I care about

Project of the Fulbright Senior Award

The project is entitled "The Middle Cretaceous floras of USA and Romania: different lands, similar floras" and it has two aims: 1. the study the North American and Romanian Middle Cretaceous paleofloras with emphasis on conifer assemblages, and 2. improving the Romanian BSc, MSc and PhD programs in Geology and Palaeontology at the University of Bucharest after gaining detailed experience in the American higher education system in these fields.

For the first, scientific aim, a comparison between the Mid-Cretaceous floras of USA and Romania is proposed, focusing on the conifer assemblages and on the entire floras as a whole, as well. These floras existed between 120 and 90 million years ago, during the time interval known in Geology as the Aptian, Albian, Cenomanian and Turonian ages. They are very interesting for several reasons: they are the first, ancestral representatives of the Tertiary and modern floras and they witnessed the rise, diversification and dominance of angiosperms. For Romania, this study is very important as almost no research was done on floras of this age, with very few exceptions (Givulescu et al., 1980, 1986) so a serious knowledge gap exists in this case. For the USA, the project is interesting because the conifer assemblages of this age have not been investigated in detail, the accent being put on the study of the coeval angiosperms.

For the second, educational aim, the project is very important for Romania, as it can contribute to the substantial improvement of the didactic activity for various levels, BSc, MSc or even PhD level, in Geology and Palaeontology, after returning from the States. In Romania, the need for a new didactic attitude, using new approaches, new data, and improved educational discourse that combines the research and education can be satisfied only after a serious, a profound experience of the American educational system, in an American university.

Professional societies membership:

• Society for the Preservation of the Geological Heritage, member and vice-president;
• Geological Society of Romania, treasurer; · International Organisation of Palaeobotany;
• Romanian Society of Palaeontologists;
• Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

Major research fields:

• Paleobotany, In situ Palynology, Paleozoic and Mesozoic Phytostratigraphy, Paleoecology;
• Geoecology and Preservation of the geological heritage.

Teaching activity:

• Course in Palynology, for students in the third year of studies in Geology. Number of students attending this course each year: 25;
• Practical (laboratory) sessions as parts of the courses in Paleobotany, Palynology, Paleontology, Stratigraphy, Paleoecology, Microbiofacies given for students in Geology and Biology;
• Practical work with students during field trips in whole Romania, mainly in South Carpathians;
• Member in the working groups of various didactic development projects, such as TEMPUS, CNCSIS.

Papers:

1. POPA, M.E., 1992, The Early Liassic from Anina: New Paleobotanical Aspects, Documenta Naturae 74, p. 1-9, Munchen;
   
   
2. GIVULESCU, R. and POPA, M.E., 1994, Eine neue Dictyophyllum-Art im unteren Lias von Anina (Rumanien), Documenta Naturae 84, p. 42-46, Munchen;
   
   
3. POPA, M.E., 1997, Liassic ferns from the Steierdorf Formation, Anina, Romania, 1997, Proc. 4th European Paleobotanical-Palynological Conference, Rijks Geol. Dienst, vol. 58, p. 139-148, Amsterdam;
   
   
4. POPA, M.E, 1997, Corystospermal pteridosperms from the Liassic continental deposits of Romania, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae, vol. I, p.81-87, Bucharest.
   
   
5. DRAGASTAN, O, RICHTER, D.K., KUBE, B., POPA, M.E., SARBU, A. and CIUGULEA, I., 1997, A new family of Paleo-Mesozoic calcareous Green siphons-Algae (Order Bryopsidales, Class Bryopsidaceae, Phylum Siphonophyta), Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia, vol. XXIX (1), p. 69-136, Madrid.
   
   
6. STANOIU, I., POPA, M.E., DIACONITA, D., TICLEANU, M., DINULESCU, C., and BALABAS, T., 1997, The Liassic from Resita and Sirinia basins, Proceedings of the International Symposium - Geology of the Danube Gorges, special volume, p. 249-254, Geoinstitute, Belgrade.
   
   
7. STANOIU, I., TICLEANU, M., POPA, M.E. and DIACONITA, D., 1997, Studiul stratigrafic, facial si paleoambiental al formatiunilor liasice cu carbuni din bazinul Sirinia, Vol. spec., p. 45-57, Ploiesti;
   
   
8. STANOIU, I., TICLEANU, M., POPA, M.E. and DIACONITA, D., 1997, Stratigrafia, faciesurile si paleoambiantele formatiunilor Carbonifer superior - Permian inferioare cu carbuni din bazinul Resita, Vol. spec., p. 58-65, Ploiesti;
   
   
9. STANOIU, I., POPA, M.E., DIACONITA, D., TICLEANU, M., DINULESCU, C. and BALABAS, T., 1997, The Liassic from Resita and Sirinia basins, Proceedings of the International Symposium - Geology of the Danube Gorges, special volume, p. 249-254, Geoinstitute, Belgrade.
   
   
10. DRAGASTAN, O., POPA, M.E. and CIUPERCIANU, M., 1997, The phytostratigraphy and paleoecology of the Upper Palaeozoic deposits from South Carpathians, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae, vol. I, p. 57-64, Bucharest.
    
    
11. POPA, M.E, 1998, Liassic continental flora of Romania: systematics, stratigraphy and paleoecology, Acta Horti Botanici Bucurestiensis, 1996-1997, p. 177-184, Bucharest.
    
    
12. DRAGASTAN, O. and POPA, M.E., 1998, Early Jurassic phytostratigraphy of the Holbav Formation, Getic Nappe, Brasov County, Revue Roumaine de Geologie, vol. 41, p. 51-60, Romanian Academy, Bucharest.
    
    
13. GIVULESCU, R. and POPA, M.E., 1998, Aninopteris formosa n. gen, n. sp., a new Liassic Matoniaceous genus and species from Anina, Banat, Romania, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 104, p. 51-66, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam.
    
    
14. TICLEANU, N., SCRADEANU, D., POPA, M.E., MILUTINOVICI, S., POPA, R., PREDA, I., TICLEANU, M., SAVU, C., DIACONITA, D., BARUS, T., PETRESCU, I., DINULESCU, C. and MAFTEI, R., 1999, The relation between the lithotypes of Pliocene coals from Oltenia and their main quality characteristics, Coal geology - chemical and technological properties of coal, Vest. Ceskeho geol. ust. vol. 74(2), p. 169-174, Prague;
    
    
15. POPA, M.E., 1999, The Early Permian flora from the Resita Basin, Acta Palaeobotanica Polonica Suppl. 2, (1998), p. 47-59, Krakow.
    
    
16. POPA, M.E. and VAN KONIJNENBURG-VAN CITTERT, J.H.A., 1999, Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic Palaeobotany and Palynology. Part I. In situ spores from the Getic Nappe, Romania, Acta Paleobotanica Polonica Suppl. 2, (1998), p. 181-195, Krakow.
    
    
17. POPA, M.E., 2000, Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic Palaeobotany and Palynology. Part II. A new species of Pachypteris from Cristian. Review of Paleobotany and Palynology, vol. 111, p. 31-47, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam.
    
    
18. POPA, M.E, 2000, Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic Palaeobotany and Palynology. Part III. Phytostratigraphy of the Getic Nappe. Acta Paleontologica Romaniae. Vol. II (1999), p. 377-386, Cluj-Napoca.
    
    
19. POPA, M.E., 2000, First find of Mesozoic tetrapod tracks in Romania, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae, Vol. II (1999), p. 387-390, Cluj-Napoca.
    
    
20. POPA, M.E., 2000, The Polytechnics subway station: rudists in the heart of Bucharest, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae, Vol. II, p. 391-396, Cluj-Napoca.
    
    
21. Popa, M.E., 2001. Ponor SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Lower Jurassic Paleoflora, in Bucur, I.I., Filipescu, S., Sasaran, E. (Eds.), Algae and carbonate platforms in western part of Romania. Field trip guidebook, p.167-171, Cluj-Napoca.
    
    
22. Various articles in "Muntii Carpati" and "Geomemoria" magazines.
    

Textbook:

1. DRAGASTAN, O., POPA, M.E. and DAMIAN, R., 1997, Paleobotanica si Palinologie, Bucharest University Press, 210 pp., Bucharest.

1. SEGHEDI, A., POPA, M.E., OAIE, G. and NICOLAE, I., 2000, The Permian system in Romania, Conference proceedings volume (1999), Brescia.
   
   
2. YANEV, S., POPA, M.E., A. SEGHEDI and OAIE, G., 2000, The Permian deposits of Bulgaria and Romania, Conference proceedings volume (1999), Brescia.
   
   
3. POPA, M.E., 2001, Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic Palaeobotany and Palynology. Part IV. A new species of Weltrichia from Anina. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca.
   
   
4. POPA, M.E., 2002, Aspects of Romanian Palaeozoic Romanian Palaeobotany and Palynology. Part I. An Acitheca type fern from Secu. Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae, vol. III, Iasi.

Significant scientific reports:

1. POPA, M.E., 1994, "Cariera Ponor (perimetrul sudic), Anina, Jud. Caras-Severin. Propunere de protejare" [The Ponor Quarry (Southern area), Anina, Caras-Severin County. Preservation proposal], Romanian Academy. Palaeobotanical site now within the list of preserved sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest - SSSI);
   
   
2. Various reports written within the scientific contracts (more than 9).

Documentary film:

1. DRAGASTAN, O. and POPA, M.E., Palaeobotany, documentary film for the Romanian Television, 3 episodes broadcasted during 1996 and 1997.