Nicolae Culianu

A native of Iași, he enrolled in the University of Paris after graduating from Academia Mihăileană in 1855, and earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics in 1860.

[3] While active in Junimea, his renowned affability and venerable bearing earned him the nickname "Papa Culiano".

[5] He helped found the Iași astronomical observatory for the use of students and teachers, and published textbooks on mathematics and geodesy.

[3] He was among the founders Recreații Științifice [ro], the country's first scientific periodical addressed to young people and to a generalist audience.

[1][4] Briefly involved in politics, he was vice president of the Romanian Senate during the fourth conservative government of Lascăr Catargiu (1892–1896).