- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Leal, a leading global scientist and inventor in the field of insect olfaction and communication, is known for his impact in the fields of molecular, cellular biology and entomology.A member of RES since 2008, he was named a Fellow of RES in 2009 and Honorary Fellow in 2015.
The organization, founded in 1833 in London, is devoted to the understanding and development of insect science, and supporting international collaboration, research and publication. It aims “to show every person how remarkable and valuable insects are,” RES officials said.
Leal said he plans to “hone in on new ways to develop and promote diversity and inclusivity,” and “to see our global entomological community bud, bloom and flourish.”
Leal, who joined the UC Davis entomology faculty in 2000, chaired the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2006-2008 before accepting a position in 2013 as professor of biochemistry in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He chairs the Council of the International Congresses of Entomology, the body that ensures the continuity of the international congresses of entomology, succeeding May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“As a citizen of the world--born in Brazil, educated in Brazil and Japan, and honored as a Distinguished Professor with the University of California, Davis---I am eager to be serve as a trustee of the Royal Entomological Society and be part of the RES strategic plan to (1) move insect science forward internationally, (2) empower the global entomological community, and (3) to promote diversity and inclusivity,” Leal said.
His peers praise him for his contributions to insect science, including his teachings (he has taught insect physiology for almost 15 years); his internationally recognized research for his pioneering and innovative work in insect olfaction and communication; his publication record; his global entomological leadership; his administrative positions; and his commitment to serving humanity and engaging with scientists from all over the world.
Leal, named a UC Davis Distinguished Professor in 2016, co-chaired the 2016 International Congress of Entomology in Orlando, Fla., one of entomology's most prominent events (6,682 registrants from 102 countries).
He is a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (2009), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005), and the National Academy of Inventors (2019). He served as president of the International Society of Chemical Ecology, among other leadership activities.
During the COVID pandemic, Leal brought together the entomological and chemical ecology communities through various creative activities, including inventing and organizing a symposium, “Insect Olfaction and Taste in 24 Hours Around the Globe,” drawing thousands of participants from nearly 60 countries. He provided a platform for young scholars to highlight their recent work and interact with well-established scholars in the field.
Leal received his Ph.D. in applied biochemistry from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, with subsequent postdoctoral training in entomology and chemical ecology at the National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science and Cornell University, respectively. He was the first non-Japanese person to earn tenure at Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
UC Davis and RES are closely connected. Peter Cranston, emeritus professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, became an Honorary Fellow of RES in 2010. Among the RES Fellows are emeriti professors Frank Zalom (a past president of the Entomological Society of America) and Phil Ward, both of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and Art Shapiro, emeritus professor, Department of Evolution and Ecology.
As of October 2018, there are approximately 1,689 living Fellows, Foreign and Honorary Members, of whom 85 are Nobel Laureates, according to Wikipedia. Among the notables are Sir David Attenborough, Honorary Fellow; and Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein, Fellows. RES Fellowship has been described by The Guardian as "the equivalent of a lifetime achievement Oscar."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Jay Rosenheim was a third-year physics major at the University of California, Davis, in 1981 when—“on a lark”--he enrolled in Professor Harry Kaya's Entomology 100 course.
The professor inspired him, the class enthralled him, and insects captivated him.
In mid-term, Jay changed his major to entomology, and went on to earn two degrees in entomology (bachelor's degree from UC Davis in 1983, and doctorate from UC Berkeley in 1987); join the UC Davis faculty in 1990; and become a UC Davis distinguished professor in 2018.
The former UC Davis physics major is now a newly inducted Fellow of the 7000-member Entomological Society of America (ESA), a global honor accorded to only 10 persons annually.
Marshall Johnson, a 2006 ESA Fellow and an emeritus Cooperative Extension specialist and researcher at UC Riverside, nominated Rosenheim for the award. “Jay was my postdoc at the University of Hawaii,” Johnson said. “He did a great job and I have kept my eye on his career ever since.
ESA singled out Rosenheim at its virtual meeting for his contributions on the ecology of insect parasitoids and predators, insect reproductive behavior, and the application of big data, or "ecoinformatics," methods in agricultural entomology.
And it all began four decades ago in a UC Davis classroom. This is what occurred.
“About a month or so before the course was to be taught, I received a call from this physics student, Jay Rosenheim, who wanted to take Entomology 100,” recalled Kaya, now an emeritus professor and himself an ESA Fellow (2007) for his international contributions to insect pathology and nematology. “I asked a few questions on why he wanted to take the course. He said he always loved insects but he said he did not have the prerequisites for the class--no college biology-- but he was keenly interested in insects and really wanted to take the class.”
Kaya was actually teaching the class for Professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), a bee specialist on sabbatical. “At the time, I had a 25 percent teaching appointment in entomology and a 75 percent research appointment in nematology,” Kaya said. “When Martin Birch, the department chair, asked me to teach the course, I told him that I hoped he could find someone else, but he came back and said I would be the best to teach it.” Birch assigned two of Thorp's graduate students, Evan Sugden and John Skinner, as teaching assistants for the twice-a-week entomology lab.
“Jay also worked briefly in my lab as an undergraduate as well,” Kaya related. “I should add other superlatives as outstanding and world-renowned entomologist. In my view, it did not matter who taught the ENT 100 course. Jay is simply an outstanding individual and has contributed so much on his own merit. Plus, he has a great personality.”
A native of Yorktown, N.Y, young Jay developed an interest in biology while exploring the vernal pools behind his Hudson River Valley home.
His insect interests not only led to his being elected an ESA Fellow but a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; recipient of teaching awards from the Associated Students of UC Davis and the UC Davis Academic Senate; and the Distinguished Student Mentoring Award from ESA's Pacific Branch. He has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications, and mentored nearly 40 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, now in the private sector, conservation nonprofits, journalism, or academia.
And it all began when a physics major named Jay Rosenheim asked to enroll in Professor Harry Kaya's entomology class.