2017 Outstanding Mentor of the Year

Dr. Edward Daeschler

Dr. Edward (Ted) Daeschler is an associate professor in the department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science, as well as Associate Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Vice President for Systematic Biology and the Library at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Dr. Daeschler’s responsibilities at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University focus on research, collections building, and on public programs within the museum. He served as a scientific advisor for the renovation of the Academy’s Dinosaur Hall, and a variety of other paleontological exhibits. Dr. Daeschler’s work is a reflection of the rich history of vertebrate paleontology at the Academy of Natural Sciences, both in research and in public education.

“I was an 18 year old with a handful of classes in the field under my belt, driven by 90% passion, and 10% technical knowledge, who had just discovered a new species, because for some strange reason, Dr. Daeschler saw some potential in me, set a tray of fossils from a chunk of Devonian rock in the Canadian Arctic in front of me and told me to figure out what was there. He opened the doors and set me on a path to do something most 18 year olds don’t dare dream of….I didn’t expect to discover a new species, I aspired to find the most complete specimen of something. But here I was, literally beyond a dream come true, I was a real paleontologist, because Dr. Daeschler facilitated my growth as a scientist and person.”

-AR Ciccariello.

“At (a recent symposium) one of the keynote speakers made a point of acknowledging academic lineages, how we can trace mentorship like family back through the years to the forefathers of scientific inquiry. I will be forever be grateful that I am part of (Dr. Daeschler’s) lineage, and for the opportunities I have been given.”

- Kevin Sievers