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UC News about Entomology and Nematology.
Alumnus and 10 Former or Current UC Davis Entomologists Make List of World's Top 2 Percent
Published on: November 16, 2023

One UC Davis doctoral alumnus and 10 current or former members of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology are listed as among the world's top two percent of entomologists in a database announced by Stanford University with data from Elsevier's “science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators.” 

A separate list, gleaned from the main document, names the world's top entomologists, totaling 708. UC Davis alumnus Murray Isman, who received his doctorate in 1981 from UC Davis, studying entomology and toxicology, is ranked No. 2. He is the dean emeritus of the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Land and Food Systems and emeritus professor of entomology and toxicology at UBC.

The highest UC Davis entomologist/faculty member on that list is No. 22-ranked UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, former professor and chair of the Department of Entomology (now Department of Entomology and Nematology). 

Other UC Davis entomologists on the list, in the order of ranking, are:

Murray Isman. UC Davis doctoral alumnus Murray Isman is internationally recognized for his discoveries and development of botanical insecticides and antifeedants, and for research in insect-plant chemical interactions and insect chemical ecology. He was named a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) in 2014. An excerpt from the ESA website: "Isman was born in Vancouver, Canada on 14 June 1953. He attended the University of British Columbia, receiving his B.S. degree in 1975 and his M.S. degree in 1977. At the University of California, Davis, he earned a Ph.D. in entomology in 1981, followed by a postdoctoral position in insect toxicology at the University of California, Irvine. In 1983 he accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Plant Science at UBC, attaining the rank of professor in 1994. He later served as dean of the faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC from 2005–2014. Early in his career he became known for his thorough studies on neem insecticides and azadirachtin, helping to bring some clarity to research of variable quality, dubious claims, and redundancy. More recently he worked with a team to provide research and development support for EcoSMART Technologies Inc., propelling the company to become the world leader in pesticides based on plant essential oils." (See more)

Walter Leal. UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal joined the UC Davis faculty in 2000 and chaired the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2006-2008 before accepting a position in 2008 as professor of biochemistry in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.  An expert on insect communication, he investigates how insects detect odors, connect and communicate within their species; and how they detect host and non-host plant matter. His research, spanning three decades, targets insects that carry mosquito-borne diseases as well as agricultural pests that damage and destroy crops. He and his lab drew international attention with their discovery of the mode of action of DEET, the gold standard of insect repellents. Among his many honors: Fellow of ESA, a trustee of the Royal Entomological Society, and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Leal co-chaired the 2016 International Congress of Entomology in Orlando, Fla., one of entomology's most prominent events (6,682 registrants from 102 countries).  (See news story)

Jay Rosenheim. UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim is internationally known for his research on the ecology of insect parasitoids and predators, insect reproductive behavior, and the application of big data, or "ecoinformatics," methods in agricultural entomology.  He holds a bachelor's degree in entomology (1983) from UC Davis and then obtained a doctorate in entomology (1987) from UC Berkeley. He joined the UC Davis faculty in 1990, and become a UC Davis distinguished professor in 2018. His career has not only led to his being elected a Fellow of ESA and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, but 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 received a 2022 UC Davis Graduate Program Advising and Mentoring Award. Rosenheim co-founded and co-directs the campuswide Research Scholars Program in Insect Biology with Professors Joanna Chiu and Louie Yang of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.   The program aims to provide "undergraduates with a closely-mentored research experience in biology," according to the website.  (See news story)

Harry Kaya. UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harry Kaya is internationally recognized for his contributions to insect pathology and insect nematology, which include more than 220 peer-reviewed publications. He co-authored an insect pathology book and co-edited five books in several disciplines including forest entomology, entomopathogenic nematology, and invertebrate pathology. He is known for his research of the utilization of nematodes for biological control of insect pests; interaction between nematodes and other biological control agents; general insect pathology (protozoan, viral and fungal diseases of insects). Kaya focused his research on developing entomopathogens as control agents to reduce pesticide load in the environment and on understanding the ecology and behavior of insect parasitic nematodes. He taught many courses in entomology, including insect pathology, general entomology, biological control, and natural history of insects for non-majors. He chaired the Department of Nematology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology) from 1994–2001. A Fellow of both ESA and the Society of Nematologists, Kaya received the C. W. Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch of ESA in 1998. In 2000, he received the ESA Recognition Award in Entomology. He also served as an officer in the Society of Invertebrate Pathology and was one of the founding editors of the journal Biological Control.  Kaya, a native of Hawaii, received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Hawaii and his doctorate from UC Berkeley. (See news story)

Fumio Matsumura. The late Fumio Matsumura, UC Davis distinguished professor of environmental toxicology and entomology, was internationally known as “one of the grand masters of insect toxicology.” A member of the UC Davis faculty since 1987,  he was a former director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences, and former editor-in-chief of the journal, Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. He wrote the classic textbook, Toxicology of Insecticides, first published in 1975 and used by generations of college students throughout the world, including in UC Davis classes. Matsumura was an original member of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, directed by UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock. Matsumura contributed his expertise on the toxicology of pesticides and contaminants such as tetrachlorodioxin. (See more)

James R. Carey. UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey, globally recognized for his research in insect demography, mortality dynamics, and insect invasion biology, is one of the founding fathers of biodemography, an interdisciplinary field uniting the natural science of biology with the social science of human demography. A member of the faculty since 1980, he served as the principal investigator of a 10-year, $10 million federal grant on “Aging in the Wild,” encompassing 14 scientists at 11 universities. He is the lead author of the 480-page book, Biodemography: An Introduction to Concepts and Methods, published by the Princeton University Press. His peers have singled him out for numerous awards, including the 2015 Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award from ESA;  and the 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award from the UC Davis Academic Senate, given to internationally recognized professors who excel at teaching. Carey is a fellow of four organizations; American Association for the Advancement of Science, Entomological Society of America, California Academy of Science and the Gerontological Society of America. (See more)

Robbin Thorp. The late UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp was a global and legendary authority on bees. A member of the UC Davis entomology faculty for 30 years, from 1964-1994, he achieved emeritus status in 1994 but continued to engage in research, teaching and public service until a few weeks before his death in 2019. Thorp was an authority on pollination ecology, ecology and systematics of honey bees, bumble bees, vernal pool bees, conservation of bees, native bees and crop pollination, and bees of urban gardens and agricultural landscapes. A tireless advocate of pollinator species protection and conservation, he was known for his expertise, dedication and passion in protecting native pollinators, especially bumble bees, and for his teaching, research and public service. In his retirement,  Thorp co-authored two books Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (Princeton University, 2014) and California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists (Heyday, 2014). (See more)

Christian Nansen. Professor Christian Nansen, an agricultural entomologist, specializes in insect ecology, integrated pest management, remote sensing, host plant stress detection, host selection by arthropods, pesticide performance, and use of reflectance-based imaging in a wide range of research applications. He joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology in 2015, after holding faculty positions at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and most recently at the University of Western Australia. "We are seeking to develop food production practices that reduce reliance on pesticides in ways that are both environmentally sound and economically feasible," he writes on his website. "Often, insect pest outbreaks occur in crops that have already been weakened by environmental stressors such as insufficient water or fertilizer. This suggests that optimal management of crop inputs can be used to minimize the risk of pest outbreaks. We are investigating innovative crop management as a form of “preventive medicine” that reduces current reliance on pesticide applications." (See more)

Lester Ehler. The late Professor Les Ehler was a noted entomologist and biological control specialist. The first biological control specialist on campus, he was known as the “quintessential biological control researcher.”  He joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 1973, retiring in January 2008. For four decades he championed the use of natural enemies to control agricultural pests and warned of the dangers of pesticides.  He battled such pests as obscure scale and aphids on oaks, stink bugs on tomato, aphids on sugar beet and white fir, and beet armyworm on alfalfa and sugar beet. His expertise ranged from the theory and practice of biological control to the ecology and management of insects and mites in natural, agricultural and urban environments. Ehler co-edited the 1990 book, Critical Issues in Biological Control and served four years as president and four years as past president of the International Organization for Biological Control. He also chaired ESA's Biological Control Section. (See more)

Robert E. Page Jr. Robert E. Page is an internationally recognized honey bee geneticist. His latest book, The Art of the Bee: Shaping the Environment from Landscapes to Societies, 2020, Oxford University Press), focuses on the importance of honey bees and making science understandable to the public. Page created a free and publicly accessible YouTube channel, "The Art of the Bee," at https://www.youtube.com/@artofthebee. A UC Davis doctoral alumnus (1989) who studied with the late Harry H. Laidlaw Jr., "father of honey bee genetics,"  Page joined the UC Davis entomology faculty in 1989 and chaired the department from 1999 to 2004. He then transitioned to emeritus and was recruited by Arizona State University (ASU) to be the founding director of its School of Life Sciences. His career at ASU led to a series of top-level administrative roles: from founding director of the School of Life Sciences (2004-2010) to vice provost and dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2011-2013) and then to University Provost, 2014-2015. His many honors include Fellow of ESA, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the California Academy of Sciences; the Humboldt Prize; and the Exceptional Emeriti Faculty Award, from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.  (See more) 

Frank Zalom. UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Frank Zalom, who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1978, is an internationally known integrated pest management specialist and an icon in the entomological world. He retired from the university in 2018, but immediately joined the “recall professor” ranks. The Zalom lab has responded to numerous newly identified or invasive pests in the last two decades, with research projects on glassy-winged sharpshooter, olive fruit fly, a new biotype of greenhouse whitefly, light brown apple moth, grapevine red blotch disease, brown marmorated stink bug, and spotted-wing drosophila, among others. Zalom served as Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) coordinator from 1980 to 1987, advancing to associate director for research in the newly formed Statewide Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) Program in 1984, and then was promoted to director of UC IPM in 1986, a position he held until 2002 when he returned to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology full time.  A highly celebrated entomologist, he is an ESA Fellow (2008), past ESA president (2014), and he holds ESA's highest honor, Honorary Member (2021).  (See more)

Elsevier. Elsevier, a global information analytics company that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance, published its "science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators" on Oct. 4, 2023. The ranking of scientists is at https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw. It is a publicly available database "of top-cited scientists that provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). Separate data are shown for career-long and, separately, for single recent year impact. Metrics with and without self-citations and ratio of citations to citing papers are given. Scientists are classified into 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. Field- and subfield-specific percentiles are also provided for all scientists with at least 5 papers. Career-long data are updated to end-of-2022 and single recent year data pertain to citations received during calendar year 2022. The selection is based on the top 100,000 scientists by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above in the sub-field. This version (6) is based on the October 1, 2023 snapshot from Scopus, updated to end of citation year 2022. This work uses Scopus data provided by Elsevier through ICSR Lab (https://www.elsevier.com/icsr/icsrlab). Calculations were performed using all Scopus author profiles as of October 1, 2023. If an author is not on the list it is simply because the composite indicator value was not high enough to appear on the list. It does not mean that the author does not do good work."

Scientists from China filtered the list to spotlight only entomologists. The list is at https://wxredian.com/art?id=9f6eea221698e282/.

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal is ranked No. 22 among the world's top entomologists in the Stanford University-Elsevier
UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal is ranked No. 22 among the world's top entomologists in the Stanford University-Elsevier "science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators."
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management
Tags: Elsevier (0), journal citations (0), Stanford University (0), UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (0), Walter Leal (0), world''s top entomologists (0)
Comments: 0
A Video Tribute to UC Davis Emeriti
Published on: September 8, 2023

A video tribute to newly transitioned UC Davis emeriti--an ongoing public service project by UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal--is a three-fold celebration.

It's a celebration of (1) the accomplishments of the faculty entering a new chapter in their lives (2) the extraordinary retirement years of the late Robbin Thorp of the Department of Entomology and Nematology; and a congratulatory message by Chancellor Gary May.

The video is online at
https://youtu.be/s6fxdg2XZPA?si=u0SG1UvUG34zQxmV.

"Summer is nearly over, and the fall quarter begins soon," said Leal, professor of biochemistry in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and former professor and chair of the Department of Entomology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology). "Let's pause and express our gratitude to our colleagues who transitioned to emeriti status this summer."

"For decades, they strived to make UC Davis a better place, and many will remain engaged with research, teaching, and public service," he noted.

Leal said the late Distinguished Emeritus Professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) epitomizes how emeriti contribute to UC Davis. Thorp, a 30-year member of the entomology faculty, and a tireless advocate of pollinator species protection and conservation, retired in 1994, but he continued working until several weeks before his death on June 7, 2019, at age 85. In 2014, he co-authored two books:  Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide (Princeton University,) and California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists (Heyday). He published more than 50 percent of his papers following his retirement.

"The new generation of retirees," Leal said, "left active status with scores of accomplishments," including:

  • UC Davis offered COVID tests within three weeks of our nation's first known patient with community-acquired COVID-19.
  • Their research led to the development of better ceramic and glass materials;
  • They helped improve military retention;
  • They developed innovative techniques for shoulder and wrist reconstruction;
  • They generated one of the world's largest and longest-running systems for monitoring butterfly faunas;
  • They led plans for the UC Davis National Cancer Institute to be designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center;
  • They are film historians who authored books such as Paris in the Dark: Going to the Movies in the City of Light, 1930-1950;
  • They helped create the world's first total-body PET scanner;
  • They brought a global perspective to the table to create innovative and pragmatic approaches to sustainability;
  • Their research showed how music and dance articulate ethnic, gender, regional, and national identities;
  • They helped us, and more importantly, lawmakers, understand how the toxic action of pesticides may affect aquatic systems and organisms;
  • Their research shed light on the psychological development of young children;
  • They unraveled molecular processes leading to arthritis;
  • They showed how management controls facilitate strategic alliances and supply chain partnerships;
  • They integrated methods from traditional engineering, operation research, and economics to solve water and environmental management problems;
  • They provided comprehensive psychiatric services to ethnic and sexual minorities, including refugees and immigrants;
  • They colleagues created new approaches for using plants for the production of recombinant proteins with various applications, including medicine;
  • They elucidated how natural products influence the function of ion channels in the nervous system;
  • They provided emergency medical care and taught nursing, air medical, EMS, and disaster medicine courses;
  • They designed programs for teachers to investigate their teaching skills and students' learning;
  • They investigated how plants edit and repair DNA;
  • They advanced our understanding of infectious diseases and aging in nonhuman primates; and
  • Their research led to improvements in bean cultivars in California, the United States, Latin America and Africa;

The video tribute includes images of many of the emeriti, meant as a small representation of the achievements of all. 

In his message, Chancellor May told the new emeriti: "You played a central role in keeping UC Davis at the forefront of excellence. Your continued engagement through teaching, research, volunteering and philanthropy is vital to our continued growth and success. So I encourage you to stay engaged with campus. The UC Davis Emeriti Association is here with resources and support for this newest chapter of your career. Please take advantage of it. Thank you for our dedication to UC Davis and congratulations on reaching this milestone."

Among its many activities, UC Davis Emeriti Association (UCDEA) interviews and records emeriti who have made "significant contributions to the development of the university." See Video Records Project.

The late Robbin Thorp of the Department of Entomology and Nematology
The late Robbin Thorp of the Department of Entomology and Nematology "epitomizes how emeriti contribute to UC Davis," according to the video tribute celebrating emeriti faculty. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation
Tags: Chancellor Gary May (8), Department of Entomology and Nematology (2), Robbin Thorp (27), UC Davis emeriti (2), Walter Leal (49)
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UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal Elected Trustee of Royal Entomological Society
Published on: September 5, 2023

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal is a newly elected trustee of the Royal Entomological Society (RES), the 13-member council that governs the 190-year-old international organization. He is the first UC Davis scientist to be elected a trustee.

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 faculty in 2000, chaired the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2006-2008 before accepting a position in 2008 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."

Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management
Tags: insect science (2), Royal Entomological Society (3), trustee (1), UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (540), Walter Leal (49)
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Still Time to Register to Attend Vermeij Lecture Virtually
Published on: February 9, 2023

There's still time--and room--to register to attend virtually the New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 15 by UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Geerat Vermeij, an evolutionary biologist and paleoecologist with the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Vermeij will speak in-person at 3 p.m. to a capacity crowd in the Putah Creek Lodge on "The Evolution of Power."

Putah Creek Lodge reservations are closed, but folks can watch the seminar virtually on Zoom, announced coordinator Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and former chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology. 

The lecture will be live-streamed on Zoom; registration is underway at https://bit.ly/3BXh0zA. 

The program will include a poem by Andy Jones, continuing lecturer in the University Writing Program and a former poet laureate of the city of Davis. Leal also said that some "of our newest emeriti" will be honored.

In a pre-recorded video, Vermeij told Leal: "I'm going to talk about power. And I'm using power in the sense of physics and engineering, that is to say,  energy per unit time.  All kinds of biological phenomenon can be expressed in terms of power, so for example, productivity, even fitness, the  use of force with respect to time and so on. And it turns out that if you think about various biological functions and interactions in terms of power, you rapidly come to see that the most powerful organisms have the greatest effect  on their surroundings, in fact, they modify their own surroundings, often to their own benefit."

Vermeij is known for his work on coevolutionary telationships between predator and prey organisms, with a focus on marine mollusks.  A native of The Netherlands, he lost his sight to glaucoma at age three, but did not let that deter him. Majoring in biology and geology, he graduated summa cum laudefrom Princeton University in 1968, and obtained his doctorate in biology and geology from Yale University in 1971. In 1992, Vermeij received a MacArthur Fellowship, the “genius” grant, and in 2000, was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. (See The Shape of Life.) 

The three-part New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture series "is a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of retiring colleagues,” Leal said last fall. “They have dedicated their lives to laying the foundation for UC Davis to grow into a premiere academic institution. We are very thankful for their contributions to the university's missions and for making UC Davis a better place for us to succeed."

First speaker in the series was UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harris Lewin, renowned for his research in comparative mammalian genomics and immunogenetics. He spoke Dec. 7 on “From Chickens to Cows to Everything: Perspectives from 40 Years in Science."

The last speaker in the series is Sharon Strauss, distinguished professor emerita, Department of Evolution and Ecology, College of Biological Sciences. She will speak at 3 p.m. Monday, April 17.

 Leal released a “Tribute to Our New Emeriti" video last fall, spotlighting 24 faculty members who retired in 2021-22.

Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources
Tags: Geerat Vermeij (2), New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture Series (1), Putah Creek Lodge (3), UC Davis (62), Walter Leal (49)
Comments: 0
'Forty Years of Science in 40 Minutes': New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures Begin
Published on: December 30, 2022

He quipped that he was "going to cover 40 years of science in 40 minutes."

And UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harris Lewin, renowned for his research in comparative mammalian genomics and immunogenetics, did just that when he delivered the inaugural UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture on “From Chickens to Cows to Everything: Perspectives from 40 Years in Science."

The lecture, held Dec. 7 in the UC Davis International Center and live-streamed on Zoom to attendees from five countries (United States, South Korea, Australia, Japan and Israel), chronicled his bovine leukemia research  that led to his receiving the 2011 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, an award comparable to the Nobel Prize in Agriculture. 

Lewin's seminar was the first in a series of three lectures honoring new emeriti and coordinated by UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, former chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.  Lewin's lecture is online at https://youtu.be/sWzEyQTM-qQ.  

“The New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture series is a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of retiring colleagues,” Leal said. “They have dedicated their lives to laying the foundation for UC Davis to grow into a premiere academic institution. We are very thankful for their contributions to the university's missions and for making UC Davis a better place for us to succeed." 

All lectures are free and open to the public.

In his welcoming address, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May commented: "I'd like to thank Dr. Lewin for giving the first lecture in this series.  Harris is the former vice chancellor for research and a distinguished professor emeritus in evolution and ecology. He also holds the Robert and Rosabel Osborne Endowed Chair with work that specializes in the genome evolution of mammals. Like Dr. Lewin, all of our emeriti deserve recognition. They continue to make critical discoveries in their research and scholarship across disciplines. For our new emeriti, I welcome you to this distinguished group and encourage you to stay engaged with campus. Your emeriti play a vital role in keeping our campus on an upward trajectory lending time, talents and treasure to keep our university thriving. The Emeriti Association has resources and support for this newest chapter of our career. We're grateful for your dedication to UC Davis and congratulations on reaching this milestone."

UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, videoed that "Harris Lewin has a been an Aggie for a long time." Lewin received his doctorate in immunology at UC Davis in 1984, joined the faculty at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and returned to UC Davis in 2011 as vice chancellor for research, a position he held until 2016.

"I had numerous interactions with Harris but the the enduring memory is meeting him right in front of Briggs for coffee," Hammock said, "and he was so excited over his latest paper (genetics) that he was trembling. So he's been fun for a long time." 

Lewin thanked his mentors, colleagues, collaborators, family and friends. He recalled his 27 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he held the E.W. and J.M. Gutgsell Endowed Professorship in Immunogenetics and served as director of the University of Illinois Biotechnology Center, founding director of the W.M. Keck Center for Comparative and Functional Genomics, and founding director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

Following his nearly three decades at the University of Illinois, Lewin returned to UC Davis to serve as the vice chancellor for research, 2011-2016. Then UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi videoed how she was able to recruit him. She  praised him for "the stellar job that laid the foundation" for UC Davis to reach the recent billion dollar mark in research funding. 

After scores of colleagues lauded Lewin's scientific research, his daughter, Sara Lebwohl, stated that his most important title is "My Da (dy)." Granddaughter Halle, corrected her: "No, it's Grandpa Harris."

Next Two Lectures
UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Geerat Vermeij, an evolutionary biologist and paleoecologist with the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, will present the second in the three-part New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture series at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15 on" The Evolution of Power." It will be live-streamed on Zoom; registration is underway at https://bit.ly/3BXh0zA. 

In a pre-recorded video, Vermeij told Leal: "I'm going to talk about power. And I'm using power in the sense of physics and engineering, that is to say,  energy per unit time.  All kinds of biological phenomenon can be expressed in terms of power, so for example, productivity, even fitness, the  use of force with respect to time and so on. And it turns out that if you think about various biological functions and interactions in terms of power, you rapidly come to see that the most powerful organisms have the greatest effect  on their surroundings, in fact, they modify their own surroundings, often to their own benefit."

"I've looked at the geological effect of power, in all kinds of different ways, and integrated it with our own human history which is also a history of increasing power and I've come to realize that over the great arch of geological time, so hundreds to millions to billions of years, there's been an overall increase in maximum power, that is, accomplished by the most powerful entities in the world. I discuss this at some length and will end by saying that humans have now been the first species of earth to create what I would describe as an economic and power monopoly with all the problems that it has brought."

Vermeij is known for his work on coevolutionary relationships between predator and prey organisms, with a focus on marine mollusks.  A native of The Netherlands,  he lost his sight to glaucoma at age three, but did not let that deter him. Majoring in biology and geology, he graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1968, and obtained his doctorate in biology and geology from Yale University in 1971. In 1992, Vermeij received a MacArthur Fellowship, the “genius” grant, and in 2000, was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. (See The Shape of Life.)

The series of New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures concludes with the spring lecture by UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Sharon Strauss of the Department of Evolution and Ecology. It will take place at 3 p.m., Wednesday, April 19 in the International Center and also will be live-streamed on Zoom. Strauss is known for her work on how species evolve as a consequence of community membership (their complex interactions with co-occurring species); direct and indirect effects (through pollinators) of herbivory on male and female plant fitness.

Great Citizen of the Campus. In his opening remarks, Lewin described Leal "as a great citizen of the campus" and "Walter is really the only person who can pull something off like this." Leal won the Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award for his four online or virtual symposiums on COVID-19 that drew more than 6000 viewers from 35 countries. Widely recognized for his research, teaching and mentorships, Leal is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Academy of Sciences, Royal Entomological Society and the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The UC Davis Academic Senate named him the recipient of its 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, and the Pacific Branch of ESA presented him with its 2020 Award of Excellence in Teaching. Leal was recently selected the 2022 recipient of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) Faculty Teaching Award.

In this screen shot, UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, who is organizing and coordinating the series of UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures talks about a young Harry Lewin.
In this screen shot, UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, who is organizing and coordinating the series of UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures talks about a young Harry Lewin.
The crowd at the inaugural UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture on “From Chickens to Cows to Everything: Perspectives from 40 Years in Science
The crowd at the inaugural UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture on “From Chickens to Cows to Everything: Perspectives from 40 Years in Science" by UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harris Lewin listens attentively.
UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock comments on the life and work of UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harris Lewin.
UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock comments on the life and work of UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Harris Lewin.
Focus Area Tags: Economic Development, Environment, Natural Resources
Tags: Geerat Vermeij (2), Harris Lewin (1), Sharon Strauss (2), UC Davis Chancellor Gary May (3), UC Davis New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture (1), Walter Leal (49)
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