Ioan Borcea (January 30, 1879–July 30, 1936) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n zoologist. Born in Buhoci,

Bacău County Bacău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania. Geography This county has a total area of . In the western part of the county the ...

, he entered secondary school at the National College in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

before going on to the Costache Negruzzi Boarding High School, from which he graduated in 1897. He then entered the natural sciences section of

Iași University The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romanian: ''Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"''; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia Mi ...

's sciences faculty, graduating in 1900. Initially a teaching assistant in the animal morphology department, Borcea received a scholarship to study in France the following year. In 1903, he obtained an undergraduate degree from the natural sciences faculty of the Sorbonne. In 1905, the same institution awarded him a doctorate; his thesis dealt with the genitourinary system of the

Elasmobranchii Elasmobranchii () is a subclass of Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish, including sharks (superorder Selachii), rays, skates, and sawfish (superorder Batoidea). Members of this subclass are characterised by having five to seven pairs of ...

. He performed research at the marine biology stations in the French villages of

Banyuls-sur-Mer Banyuls-sur-Mer (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It was first settled by Greeks starting in 400 BCE. Geography Location Banyuls-sur-Mer is located in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the ar ...

and

Roscoff Roscoff (; br, Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure ...

, as well as in Naples.Ioan Borcea
at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University site In 1909, Borcea became a professor at the Iași sciences faculty, at one point serving as dean remaining until his death. In 1926, he founded the Agigea Marine Biology Station, located on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

coast near Constanța, and served as its director for the last decade of his life. From 1919 to 1920, he served as Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction in the government of

Alexandru Vaida-Voevod Alexandru Vaida-Voevod or Vaida-Voievod (27 February 1872 – 19 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician who was a supporter and promoter of the Union of Transylvania with Romania, union of Transylvania (before 1920 part of ...

. From 1912 to 1936, he directed the Iași Natural History Museum. In 1909, he became a member of the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

in Paris, obtaining a similar position with the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

in New York City in 1935. He was an honorary member of the ''

Société zoologique de France La Société zoologique de France ( en, "Zoological Society of France"), founded in 1876 by Aimé Bouvier, is a scientific society devoted to Zoology. It publishes a bulletin and organises the Prix Gadeau de Kerville de la Société zoologique d ...

'', and edited the ''V. Adamachi Scientific Magazine''. In 1919, he was elected a corresponding member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

. Borcea published over a hundred scientific works on theoretical and applied entomology, oceanography, museology, Black Sea fauna and the

relicts A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

of the Black and Caspian seas as well as the

Lake Razelm Lake Razelm or Lake Razim (, ''Limanul Razelm'') is the name of a large freshwater lagoon on the shores of the Black Sea in Romania, south of the Danube Delta and part of its World Heritage Site. It is the largest liman in Romania. The name is a ...

area. He introduced the concept of biologically countering agricultural pests in Romania. He died at Agigea. The Ion Borcea Technical College, located in

Buhuși Buhuși (; hu, Buhus; yi, באהוש, Bohush) is a town in Bacău County, Romania with a population of 14,562 (2011). It was first mentioned in the 15th century when it was named "Bodești" and was a property of an important family of Boyars na ...

, close to Borcea's birthplace, was named after him in 1990. Additionally, the Constanța Aquarium bears his name.Ionel Maftei, ''Personalități ieșene'', p. 93. Iași: Comitetul de cultură și educație socialistă al județului Iași, 1972

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borcea, Ioan 1879 births 1936 deaths People from Bacău County Corresponding members of the Romanian Academy Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni Academic staff of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Romanian Ministers of Culture Romanian Ministers of Education Romanian Ministers of Industry and Commerce Directors of museums in Romania Marine biologists 20th-century Romanian zoologists Romanian entomologists Romanian magazine editors