| Ivan Regen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 9, 1868 Lajše, Austria–Hungary (now Slovenia) |
| Died | July
27, 1947 (aged 78) Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | Slovene |
| Fields | animal physiology, bioacoustics |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Academic advisors | Karl Grobben, Sigmund Exner, Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus |
| Known for | establishing modern bioacoustics |
| Influences | Karl Grobben |
Ivan (Janez) Regen (known also as Johann Regen) (December 9, 1868 – July 27, 1947) was a Slovenian biologist, best known for his studies in the field of bioacoustics.
Regen was born in the village of Lajše (in what is today Slovenia) and became interested in insect sounds as a child. His family couldn't afford to pay for his schooling, so he studied first at the local seminary for which he received a scholarship, and slowly saved enough funds for the tuition fee in Vienna. There he studied natural history at the University of Vienna under the tutorship of Grobben, Exner and Claus.[1] He received his doctorate in 1897 and began to work as a gymnasium professor, first in Vienna, and later in Hranice (Moravia). At last he was transferred back to a gymnasium in Vienna after a recommendation from Exner and worked there until his retirement in 1918.[1]
In the meantime Regen began his research in animal physiology, being one of the first Slovenian scientists to work abroad after the World War I.[2] With careful observations of katydid and cricket stridulation he proved that insects respond to acoustic stimuli from other individuals and was able to provoke his subjects to respond to artificial stimulation using a loudspeaker. Later, he demonstrated that insect hearing depends on intact tympanal organ which was the first description of this organ's function.[3] For his contributions he is regarded as the founder of modern bioacoustics.[2] He also studied other physiological phenomena in insects, such as breathing, hibernation, the development of pigment under different conditions, and ecdysis.[1]
Regen's largest project was a so-called "geobiological laboratory", a large terrarium in which he studied phonotaxis on a large scale. Using as many as 1600 females with intact or damaged hearing organs, he was able to statistically evaluate their behaviour.[4]
He was a private researcher since 1911, but remained in touch with Slovenia, supporting several local societies and cultural institutions, and establishing Slovene terminology for the fields he worked in. In 1921, he declined the invitation to become a professor at the University of Ljubljana. In 1940, he became an associate member of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and was also an honorary member of Slovenian society of natural history.
| Born | December 9, 1868 Lajše, Austria–Hungary (now Slovenia) |
|---|---|
| Died | July 27, 1947 (aged 78) Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | Slovene |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Known for | establishing modern bioacoustics |
Ivan (Janez) Regen (called Johann Regen) (December 9, 1868 – July 27, 1947), was a Slovenian biologist. He is best known for his studies in bioacoustics, the science of hearing and communicating.
Regen was born in the village of Lajše (now Slovenia). His mother encouraged his interest in insect sounds. His father lost a lot of money bring cloth into Slovenia and could not pay for Ivan to go to school. Ivan was given a scholarship so that he could go to school at the local seminary. He was able to save enough money go to study in Vienna. He studied natural history at the University of Vienna with teachers Grobben, Exner and Claus.[1] He got his doctorate in 1897 and began to work as a school teacher in Vienna, and later in Hranice, Moravia. Exner helped him get a job back in Vienna. He worked in a secondary school there until his retirement in 1918.[1]
Regen began to study insects in great detail. He was one of the first Slovenian scientists to work in another country after World War I.[2] He was the first scientist to study the grasshopper in a lot of detail. He studied katydid and cricket sounds, he proved that insects did react to sounds from each other. He was able to make crickets react to artificial sounds using a loudspeaker. In one experiment, he used a telephone to send sounds from one cricket to another in different rooms.[3] Later, he showed that insects hear with their ear drum. He was the first person to work out what the ear drum does.[4] He is the person who started the study of bioacoustics.[2] He also studied the insects breathing, their hibernation, coloring, and how they shed their skin.[1]
Regen's largest project was his "geobiological laboratory", a large glass cage, called a terrarium. He used this to study the way crickets could find other crickets using sounds; this is called phonotaxis. Using up to 1600 females with normal or damaged hearing, he was able to work out how they did this.[5]
He worked for himself after 1911, but he supported several groups and organizations in Slovenia. He started using Slovene terminology in his areas of study. In 1921, he was asked to be a professor at the University of Ljubljana, but did not take it. In 1940, he became a member of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and was also a member of Slovenian Society of Natural History.
Even though he was a famous scientist known around the world, he was poor and lived alone. His experiments were paid for by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, but he was not allowed to be a member. He did all his work at home. After his death, a lot of his special equipment such as microphones, oscilloscopes, galvanometer, and his written notes were destroyed. [5]
|
|
Wikis
Facts
Map
Search
