He is considered the "Father of Chemical Ecology". Most famous for his
work with insect chemical defenses and publication of (at least) two
books (see below). He and Prof. Meinwald (also at Cornell and a famous
chemist in his own right) have often been called the "dynamic duo" of
chemical ecology and invertebrate chemistry in general. Some of
Eisner's prominent works elucidated various aspects of the mechanisms
underlying the heat-generating explosive chemical defense of the
Bombardier Beetle.
Many of the most prominent chemical ecologists and entomologists in the
country (and around the world) had their careers directly influenced or
started by his work, directly by working in his lab and thousands more
began their careers due to the inspiration of his research and outreach
efforts.
Here are the stories/obituaries that came out today. Also below are URL
links on Amazon to the two books I referred to above.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Insects-Thomas-Eisner/dp/0674018273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301346800&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Weapons-Scorpions-Many-Legged-Creatures/dp/0674024036/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1301346841&sr=8-2
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March11/EisnerObit.html
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110327/NEWS01/103270361/Eisner-remembered-much-more-than-scientist
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theithacajournal/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-eisner&pid=149742817
Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
On 3/28/2011 4:57 PM, malcolm McCallum wrote:
I am unfamilliar with Dr. eisner.
Some of you who are familiar, could you give us a brief background of
his importance/special legacy?
Thank you VERY MUCH!
malcolm
On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 1:07 PM, Aaron T. Dossey <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
This is extremely sad news - as someone whose career has been
strongly inspired and impacted directly by the work of Eisner.
Prof. Eisner was and will continue to be a paramount inspiration
to my career. I will spend much of today reflecting on his works,
his life and the immense contributions he made to both science and
education.
To partially answer your question:
I think it would be a fitting tribute to his life, career and
worthy of his legacy to establish an Invertebrate Studies
Institute. For a while I've been batting around the idea of some
kind of "Insect institute". There are a lot of disconnected
things that people in science (basic and applied) and
education/outreach do which would mutually benefit from being
under the same roof with a truly interdisciplinary focus.
Eisner taught us that the world of invertebrates and their
chemistry are incomprehensibly vast and diverse - yet he was able
to at the same time open the door for us to begin exploring it.
There is much to be explored and I think we would do justice to
his legacy by forging ahead with passion and vigor to advance our
understanding of invertebrates and their chemistry.
Anyone interested in working on such a project please contact me.
Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
On 3/28/2011 1:18 PM, Ecojobs Admin wrote:
The sad news that Tom Eisner has left us got me thinking...who
are the
early-career ecologists/organismal/evolutionary biologists
among us today
who will evoke such feelings of awe and respect and loss when
they pass away
30 or 40 or 50 years from now? Who among us will be looked
upon as shaping
(or re-shaping) an entire scientific discipline? Is it even
possible to
detect such people except in hindsight? These are not
rhetorical questions,
btw...I'm sincerely wondering whether any names come to mind.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March11/EisnerObit.html
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110327/NEWS01/103270361/Eisner-remembered-much-more-than-scientist
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theithacajournal/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-eisner&pid=149742817
<http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theithacajournal/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-eisner&pid=149742817>
--
Malcolm L. McCallum
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" -
Allan Nation
1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert
1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
and pollution.
2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!
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