Paleontological Research Institution
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| Founder(s) | Gilbert Harris |
|---|---|
| Established | 1932 |
| Focus | Paleontological research |
| Director | Warren Allmon |
| Key people |
Gregory P. Dietl Jonathan Hendricks Robert Ross |
| Location | 1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, New York |
| Website | http://www.priweb.org |
The Paleontological Research Institution, or PRI, is a paleontological organization in Ithaca, New York with a mission including both research and education. PRI is affiliated with Cornell University, houses one of the largest fossil collections in North America, and publishes, among other things, the oldest journal of paleontology in the western hemisphere, Bulletins of American Paleontology.
PRI’s facilities include the Museum of the Earth, a natural history museum that houses some of PRI’s collections for public viewing and educates visitors on the history of life on Earth, and, since 2013, the Cayuga Nature Center, an educational venue with a focus on outdoor and environmental education.
PRI was founded in 1932 by Gilbert Harris, a professor of geology at Cornell University from 1894 to 1934. Frustrated by the university’s lack of assurance for the safety and perpetuation of his fossil collections and printing enterprise, Bulletins of American Paleontology, Harris established PRI as a separate organization, unaffiliated with Cornell, to house his collection of fossils and continue to publish research. Beginning as a small building behind Dr. Harris' home in Ithaca, New York, the institution served as a haven for Harris and others who wished to pursue research in paleontology. PRI was granted a provisional charter by the New York State Board of Regents in 1933, and an absolute charter in 1936. Through various additions over the next two decades, the original building grew into a 20-room complex that housed the Institution's collections, library, laboratories, and offices. In 1968, PRI relocated to its present facility on West Hill, along Trumansburg Road (N.Y. Rte. 96), which currently holds a collection of over 3 million specimens and a 50,000 volume research library.
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