Dec. 17, 2009
The two are among 531 Fellows—eight from UC Davis--selected this year by their peers for their “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications,” an AAAS spokesperson said today. The new Fellows, announced in the Dec. 18 edition of the AAAS journal Science, will receive a certificate and a rosette pin at the Fellows’ meeting on Feb. 20 in San Diego.
Karban was selected for “distinguished contributions to the field of plant-herbivore interactions, particularly for work on induced plant resistance and volatile cues used by plants” and Rosenheim for “distinguished contributions to the field of ecology, particularly for empirical and theoretical contributions to our understanding of insect predator-prey and host-parasitoid interactions.”
Rick Karban
Rick Karban is “one of the distinguished, innovative and productive workers in the field of plant-insect interactions,” said nominator Robert E. Ricklefs, an AAAS Fellow and professor in the Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis.
“He has almost single-handedly developed the important field of induced resistance in neighboring plants through volatile chemical signals,” Ricklefs wrote. “This work has been published in a number of widely cited articles and summarized in the influential book, Induced Responses to Herbivory by Karban and Ian Baldwin (University of Chicago Press, 1997).”
Karban’s work has appeared in more than 100 publications. His research published in Science showed that induced plant resistance could reduce herbivore populations and could affect plant pathogens. His work published in Nature showed that feeding by periodical cicadas imposes periodical growth on their host trees; that herbivores can fine-scale their adaption to individual host plants; and that the function of plant “domatia” (structures that house predaceous arthropods) can help protect plants from herbivores and pathogens.
In recent years, Karban has worked on volatile communication between plants that affect their defenses against herbivores. He authored two books, Induced Responses to Herbivory (with Ian Baldwin) and How to Do Ecology (with Mikaela Huntzinger).
His other honors include the Ecological Society of America’s 1990 George Mercer Award for outstanding contributions to the field of ecology by a young scientist. Karban has graduated 14 graduate students or post-docs; 13 are professors at top institutions including UC Davis (3) and Cornell (3).
Karban joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty in 1982. He received his bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Haverford (Penn.) College in 1977 and his doctorate in ecology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982.
Jay Rosenheim
“Although one hears much talk about the blending of applied and basic sciences, there are relatively few scientists who have the intellectual and operational reach to actually bridge the applied-basic gap,” Carey said.
Rosenheim focuses his research primarily on behavioral, population, and evolutionary ecology of parasitoid-host and predator-prey interactions and direct applications to biological control in agricultural ecosystems.
“My current research,” Rosenheim said, “includes work on predator ecology (predator-predator interactions and cannibalism); parasitoid ecology (evolution of egg limitation); life history evolution for organisms in unpredictable environments; and the application of ecoinformatics approaches to problem solving in agricultural insect ecology.”
Praised for excellence in teaching, Rosenheim won the 2009 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Undergraduate “Excellence in Education” award, sponsored by the UC Davis Associated Students. Students nominate and select the recipients.
Rosenheim’s work has appeared in some 130 publications. He serves or has served on numerous editorial boards and distinguished research organizations. His credits include Annual Review of Entomology; Biological Control; Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata; Oecologia; Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society; guest editor, Ecology, and associate editor, Journal of Insect Science.
Rosenheim joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty in 1990. He received his bachelor of science degree from UC Davis in 1983 with a double major in entomology and genetics, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley in 1987. He completed postdoctoral work at the University of Hawaii, 1987-1989, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Israel from 1989 to 1990.
Other Fellows from UC Davis
This year’s list of AAAS Fellows also include six from UC Davis:
David G. Amaral, professor and research director, The M.I.N.D. Institute, selected “for contributions to the neuroscience of memory, emotion and social behavior and for leadership in translating neuroscience for the understanding and treatment of autism.”
Peggy Farnham, professor, UC Davis Genome Center, Department of Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine: “For distinguished contributions to the field of biology, particularly for genome-wide characterization of transcription factor binding sites and chromatin modifications.”
Susan Kauzlarich, professor of chemistry: “For distinguished contributions to the study of Zintl-type compounds, including discovery of unprecedented magnetic behavior and for her exceptional mentoring of underrepresented scientists and engineers.”
John R. Roth, distinguished professor, College of Biological Sciences: “For important and fundamental contributions to the understanding of bacterial genetics and metabolism.”
Katherine Whittaker Ferrara, professor of biomedical engineering: “For distinguished contributions in the field of biomedical ultrasonics and for exceptional service as founding chair of the department.”
Valerie Moroz Williamson, professor of nematology: “For distinguished contributions to our understanding of the molecular genetics of a plant endoparasitic nematode and a multi-phyla effective plant resistance gene.”
AAAS, founded in 1848, is the world’s largest general scientific society and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. It publishes the journal, Science as well as Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer.
Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
Seven AAAS Fellows in UC Davis Entomology Department
The UC Davis Department of Entomology now has a total of seven AAAS Fellows:
James Carey, elected in 2000
Bruce Eldridge, elected in 1981
Walter Leal, elected in 2006
Robert Page (emeritus professor at UC Davis and now at Arizona State University), elected in 2006
Thomas Scott, elected in 2007
Richard Karban, elected in 2009
Jay Rosenheim, elected in 2009
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894