iation ▁and ▁ne uro bi ology . ▁ ▁A ▁teacher , ▁experiment er ▁and ▁the or ist , ▁he ▁made ▁a ▁last ing ▁contribution ▁to ▁science ▁in ▁his ▁length y ▁career , ▁throughout ▁which ▁he ▁sought ▁to ▁encou rage ▁special ists ▁in ▁different ▁fields ▁to ▁meet ▁and ▁share ▁ins ights . ▁ ▁Paul ▁We iss ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Vienna , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁a ▁Jewish ▁couple , ▁Carl ▁S . ▁We iss , ▁a ▁business man , ▁and ▁Ros al ie ▁K ohn ▁We iss . ▁His ▁background ▁fav oured ▁music , ▁poetry , ▁and ▁philosophy ▁– ▁We iss ▁himself ▁was ▁a ▁viol in ist ▁– ▁but ▁an ▁uncle ▁encourag ed ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁science . ▁We iss ▁received ▁his ▁b ac cala ure ate ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 6 . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁First ▁World ▁War , ▁having ▁served ▁for ▁three ▁years ▁as ▁an ▁officer ▁in ▁the ▁art illery , ▁he ▁comm enced ▁studies ▁in ▁mechanical ▁engineering ▁at ▁the ▁Techn ische ▁Hoch schule ▁in ▁Vienna , ▁( now ▁Vienna ▁University ▁of ▁Technology ). ▁He ▁then ▁shift ed ▁his ▁focus ▁to ▁bi ology ▁with ▁a ▁minor ▁in ▁physics . ▁He ▁absor bed ▁the ▁studies ▁of ▁Ed mond ▁B . ▁Wilson , ▁Ed win ▁G . ▁Con ck lin , ▁and ▁The odor ▁B ov ari ▁and ▁completed ▁his ▁doctor al ▁th esis ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 2 ▁under ▁Hans ▁Leo ▁Prz ib ram , ▁then ▁director ▁of ▁the ▁Bi ological ▁Research ▁Institute ▁of ▁the ▁Academy ▁of ▁Sciences ▁in