Pioneer (research)

Under a pioneer (loan word from MFRZ., Fr. Pionnier = Schanz graves , fig. Pioneer , champion ) are understood in the field of research a man who takes in a particular field pioneered so accomplished something groundbreaking and further scientific work and findings to Has paved the way.

Understanding of terms

The term "pioneer" originated in the 17th century from the French word pion = foot soldier (<Latin pes = foot ). It originally referred to the member of a technical warfare unit who, at the forefront, enabled the army to advance by building roads and bridges and promoting the mobility of the troops.

In a figurative sense, the understanding of the term expanded to include discoveries and research results that brought about a boost in knowledge for a certain branch of science and the subsequent research. In this sense, the term "pioneer" took word meanings as pioneers , trailblazers , innovators , protagonist , reformer of the question of research. In the field of research, the term “pioneer” generally stands for a scientist who is the first to venture into new territory in a certain field and achieve significant results there. One speaks, for example, of railway pioneers , aviation pioneers , space pioneers , or pioneers of archeology or medical research . With their achievements, the pioneers have made a significant contribution to the public awareness and recognition of their subject area, as well as the flow of funds for further research activities. It is not uncommon for their research results to give rise to a completely new subject.

Science pioneers in examples

There are research pioneers in all areas of science. Only a few areas can be listed here as examples:

• Archeology :

Heinrich Schliemann is now considered to be the nestor of prehistoric archeology in Greece and an important source of inspiration for ancient research. He felt u. a. Revisited the Bronze Age Troy described by Homer in his Iliad and found Priam's famous treasure .

• Seafaring :

Christopher Columbus , James Cook et al. a. Explorers were the first to venture into the as yet unknown regions of the world with a research assignment across the oceans.

• Aviation :

The engineers and technicians Otto Lilienthal and the Wright brothers or the airship designers Umberto Nobile and Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin are known as aviation pioneers who made movement in the third dimension accessible to mankind.

• Nature research :

With their systematic scientific observations, analyzes and experiments, the explorers Charles Darwin , father of the theory of evolution , and Alexander von Humboldt created the basis for a new understanding of mankind and nature.

• Oceanology :

Jacques-Yves Cousteau opened as a brilliant deep sea diver of Oceanography new possibilities of knowledge.

• Space travel :

The age of space travel began with pioneers of rocket technology such as Hermann Oberth and Wernher von Braun . A picture of the life of the latter can be found in the German-American feature film from 1959 Wernher von Braun - I reach for the stars with Curd Jürgens in the title role.

• Medicine :

Robert Koch (Nobel Prize 1905) became a pioneer in the field of infectious diseases , the discoverer of the causative agents of anthrax and tuberculosis , and the founder of bacteriology as a science.

• Pharmacology :

The neurochemist Julius Axelrod (Nobel Prize 1970) made himself a pioneer in the development of antidepressants .

• Physics :

Albert Einstein (Nobel Prize 1921) revolutionized the understanding of space and time through his theory of relativity . Werner Heisenberg (Nobel Prize 1932), like Lise Meitner, achieved groundbreaking achievements in the field of nuclear research .

• Chemistry :

Otto Hahn (Nobel Prize 1944) became a pioneer of radiochemistry , the discoverer of the nuclear fission of uranium .

• Electrophysics :

The experimental physicist Michael Faraday laid the foundation for the development of the electrical industry with his discoveries of "electromagnetic rotation" and electromagnetic induction .

• Animal Research :

The chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall and the gorilla researcher Dian Fossey are considered to be the pioneers of primatology .

• Internet :

The programmer John McAfee is one of the software pioneers with his development of antivirus programs and PC security software .

In addition to being used by trained, method-competent, direct research scientists, the term “pioneer” is often used in the literature for important informers. These include personalities such as the hobby archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann , the Atlantic aviator Charles Lindbergh or Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his friends, who are considered the "pioneers of mail aviation" to South America and Africa and, with their adventurous ventures, also scientific and technical progress , e.g. B. navigation at night.

Appreciations

Pioneering achievements in the scientific field have already been honored with special awards. More recently, this has been done in particular through the award of the Nobel Prize (since 1901) or the award of the Max Planck Medal (since 1929). New, recognized scientific disciplines and disciplines such as evolutionary biology , radiochemistry or nuclear physics, as well as associated chairs or research institutions such as the Jane Goodall Institute, often grow from the findings of the pioneers .

literature

• Brockhaus Enzyklopädie Volume 14, Wiesbaden 1972, p. 633.
• Dietmar Henze: Encyclopedia of the explorers and explorers of the earth. Academic Printing and Publishing Establishment, Graz 1978–2004. (New edition expanded by a 6th volume: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2011)
• Günter Schmitt, Werner Schwipps: Pioneers of early aviation. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1995, ISBN 3-8112-1189-7 .
• University of Leipzig (ed.): German vocabulary . Leipzig 2011

Single receipts

1. ^ Gerhard Truig: German dictionary . Gütersloh 1970. Sp. 2731.
2. ↑ Brockhaus Encyclopedia . Volume 14. Wiesbaden 1972, p. 633.
3. ↑ Philipp Vandenberg: The Treasure of Priam - How Heinrich Schliemann invented his Troy . Gustav Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1995, ISBN 3-7857-0804-1 .
4. ↑ Dietmar Henze: Encyclopedia of the explorers and explorers of the earth. Academic Printing and Publishing Establishment, Graz 1978–2004
5. ^ Günter Schmitt, Werner Schwipps: Pioneers of early aviation. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1995.
6. ↑ Andreas Venzke: Pioneers of Heaven: The Wright Brothers - A Biography. Artemis and Winkler publishing house 2002.
7. ↑ Charles Darwin: The Descent of Man . Kröner, Stuttgart 2002.
8. ↑ Kathrin Schubert: Jacques Cousteau. Deep sea expedition. Frederking & Thaler, 2011.
9. ^ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Courrier Sud (1928) - German: Südkurier . Smoke. 2001.
10. ^ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Vol de nuit (1931) - German: night flight . Niemeyer. Hameln 1991.