 |
| July 2009 |
| Billie Silvey |
 |
| Entomologists |
| Agriculture entomology is perhaps the oldest form, considering the role of insects in producing and protecting the food supply. Agriculture entomologists often work with other scientists in developing crops that are resistant to insects, as well as vaccines and medicines to combat insects that spread disease, like malaria-carrying mosquitos. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Forensic entomologists are the current rock stars of the field, based on the popularity of the characters like Bug (Ravi Kapoor) on Crossing Jordan, Gil Grissom on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (William Peterson), and Jack Hodgins on Bones (T. J. Thyne). They help establish times of death and verify alibis. However, studies indicate that forensic entomology is not always the perfect science it appears on TV. |
| Others, like Heinrich, engage in field work--collecting specimens, documenting populations, and just enjoying the vast variety of insects found in various parts of the world. |
| But most entomologists are engaged in tedious classification and lab work. |
| Elizabeth Royte's idea of a dream date is definitely not mine, but she caught my attention with her description of author Bernd Heinrich in her review of his Summer World in the New York Times. There's nothing very attractive about tethering moths to shrubs, examining botfly maggots on rodent skins and listening to the patter of caterpillar poop in the woods at night. But there is something attractive about someone who still loves his work after decades of doing it, and who can write about it with an enthusiasm that makes others enthusiastic as well. Heinrich, a 69-year-old emeritus professor of biology at the University of Vermont, is an entomologist, one of a rare breed of scientists engaged in studying the classification, life-cycle and habits of insects. Entomologists can work in several different areas of specialization. |
 |