The Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education
In the section about the David and Sandra Douglass Collection, its history and present role in the scientific community,
I describe the Douglass Collection’s recent partnership with the Lauer Foundation as both a collaborator in projects and a publishable repository for important specimens. Here, I share more about the Foundation and their efforts with research and publications, education, and exhibitions. (Note: Some of this data was excerpted from the Lauer Foundation website. For more information, please visit lauerfoundationpse.org).
I describe the Douglass Collection’s recent partnership with the Lauer Foundation as both a collaborator in projects and a publishable repository for important specimens. Here, I share more about the Foundation and their efforts with research and publications, education, and exhibitions. (Note: Some of this data was excerpted from the Lauer Foundation website. For more information, please visit lauerfoundationpse.org).
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Bruce Lauer with 2025 summer intern, Leiana Santoro (left) and René Lauer with Dr. Russell Bicknell (right).
Science
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Formally established in 2014 as a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education serves the scientific community in promoting cooperative projects among researchers through permanent access to the Foundation’s extensive collections. These collections are curated and managed using
the highest museum standards and stored in a climate-controlled environment. The Foundation also adheres to ethical and responsible acquisition practices, requiring proper provenance for any additions to the study collections. |
Eurysternum wagleri, Schamhaupten, Germany - LF 575
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Solnhofenamia elongata with Leptolepides sp. in stomach,
Eichstätt, Germany - LF 3311 |
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Education
The Lauer Foundation also recognizes the need to engender curiosity and educate young people, specifically in
the subjects of science and natural history. Educational outreach programs initiated by René and Bruce Lauer continue to provide unique, hands-on experiences to area schools, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), museums, and the community. The Foundation raises multicultural and conservation awareness
as well, focusing on African wildlife and culture.
the subjects of science and natural history. Educational outreach programs initiated by René and Bruce Lauer continue to provide unique, hands-on experiences to area schools, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), museums, and the community. The Foundation raises multicultural and conservation awareness
as well, focusing on African wildlife and culture.
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Elis Santana of West Virginia University (left) studying Mazon Creek arachnids and Dr. Victoria E. McCoy examining cyclostomes.
The essence of the Foundation truly began in the 1970s when a young Bruce Lauer started collecting fossiliferous concretions in the Mazon Creek area of Illinois. As a member of the local Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI), his interest in paleontology soon expanded to other localities, eventually acquiring examples from the Jurassic Solnhofen in Germany, as well as other scientifically important specimens.
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Left to right: fish fossils in Solnhofen limestone, Kallimodon sp. (LF 4216 ), and Stobilodus giganteus (LF 3473), Eichstätt, Germany.
With a collection growing over time in size and significance, René and Bruce sought to provide permanent
access to the fossils for research, and to properly house and curate them for future generations of scientists.
The Lauer Foundation, not any individual, owns the collections. At some point, all of the specimens – with precise provenance information intact and archived – will be deposited in a museum, university, or otherwise public repository such that research, publications, and exhibitions can continue.
access to the fossils for research, and to properly house and curate them for future generations of scientists.
The Lauer Foundation, not any individual, owns the collections. At some point, all of the specimens – with precise provenance information intact and archived – will be deposited in a museum, university, or otherwise public repository such that research, publications, and exhibitions can continue.
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Dr. Calvin So of the Field Museum (left) investigating Mazon Creek tetrapods and Leiana Santoro surveying spider-like arachnids.
Collections
The Lauer Foundation collections primarily focus on three key areas – those fossils from the region around Solnhofen, Germany (Late Jurassic); the Mazon Creek area of Northeastern Illinois, USA (Late Carboniferous);
and shark specimens from worldwide localities of any age. The Solnhofen and Mazon Creek collections seek
to represent the entire biota of each site. The shark collections are specifically curated for the study of shark evolution and that of their relatives.
and shark specimens from worldwide localities of any age. The Solnhofen and Mazon Creek collections seek
to represent the entire biota of each site. The shark collections are specifically curated for the study of shark evolution and that of their relatives.
Undetermined Coelacanth, Schamhaupten, Germany - LF 6123
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Located halfway between Nuremberg and Munich, the Solnhofen of southern Germany (Bavaria) is one of the world’s most famous fossil deposits. Its limestone formations – the Solnhofen Plattenkalk, formally known as the Altmühltal Formation – are Late Jurassic in age (approximately 152.1 to 145.5 million years old). Because of the fine-grained nature of the limestone matrix, it was originally quarried as a source for lithographic plates. Extensive quarrying in the 19th century revealed many extraordinary fossil finds.
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It is considered a Konservat-Lagerstätte for its exceptional fossil preservation as soft-bodied organisms, soft tissues, and plants make up this
rare and diverse biota. Over 600 species have been identified, including twenty-nine kinds of pterosaur ranging from the size of a small bird upwards to four feet in length. Solnhofen is best known for the early, feathered proto-avian therapod dinosaur, Archaeopteryx. Other significant members of the Solnhofen paleofauna include a broad array of marine invertebrates. |
Marie Angkuw inspecting the Solnhofen chimera, Ischyodus.
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The Mazon Creek fossil assemblage, a designation derived from its namesake tributary of the Illinois River,
has formally come to represent the most complete record known of associated Upper Carboniferous plants
and animals. As a Konservat-Lagerstätte (a deposit with exceptional fossil preservation), this extraordinary fossil assemblage ranks among other great fossil sites, such as the Precambrian Ediacara of Australia, the Cambrian Burgess Shale of Canada, the Devonian Bundenbach and Jurassic Solnhofen of Germany, and the Eocene Green River Shale of the United States.
has formally come to represent the most complete record known of associated Upper Carboniferous plants
and animals. As a Konservat-Lagerstätte (a deposit with exceptional fossil preservation), this extraordinary fossil assemblage ranks among other great fossil sites, such as the Precambrian Ediacara of Australia, the Cambrian Burgess Shale of Canada, the Devonian Bundenbach and Jurassic Solnhofen of Germany, and the Eocene Green River Shale of the United States.
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Dr. Russell Bicknell of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, with René Lauer (left) discussing
horseshoe crab specimens, and Bruce Lauer showcasing Solnhofen fossils for ESCONI club officer, Rich Holm.
horseshoe crab specimens, and Bruce Lauer showcasing Solnhofen fossils for ESCONI club officer, Rich Holm.
Occurring in the 308.5-million-year-old Middle Pennsylvanian Francis Creek Shale, the Mazon Creek area comprises one of the most diverse fossil assemblages in North America, including more than 300 animal species representing 11 phyla and 23 classes, and approximately 400 species of plants. Many soft-bodied groups are represented among the faunal specimens, as well as insects and complete vertebrate skeletons with soft parts. These are rarely seen in the fossil record, and many species have been singularly described from this deposit.
Thunnosaur ichthyosaur Stenopterygius quadriscissus in Posidonia Shale, Holzmaden, Germany (Early Jurassic) - LF 527
Mission
The goals of the Lauer Foundation can be best summarized in their mission statement:
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The Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education is a not-for-profit organization that acquires and curates collections of paleontological specimens. This material is available to members of the scientific community
for the purposes of collaborative research, publication, education and exhibition. Permanent access to type and figured specimens, those listed or cited in publications, as well as other scientifically important specimens is guaranteed. |
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Left to right: visiting Field Museum researcher Dr. Calvin So at the Foundation; Elis Santana, Dr. Victoria E. McCoy,
Leiana Santoro, and Bruce Lauer; and Andrew Young as a new Lauer Foundation Research Associate, 2025.
Leiana Santoro, and Bruce Lauer; and Andrew Young as a new Lauer Foundation Research Associate, 2025.
And from this commitment, numerous researchers from the U.S. and the international scientific community have published their works with and by the Foundation, not to mention the shared passion and relationships born of the effort. The Douglass Collection is proud to be among its many partners.
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Copyright © 2021 Andrew Young. All specimen images on this page and in the fossil galleries may be protected by copyright. They are presented here in accordance with fair use principles and are only being used for informational and educational purposes. They may not be republished electronically or in print without the written consent of the individuals and institutions who have lent them here.
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