News Release

UC Riverside scientist elected fellow of Entomological Society of America

Jocelyn Millar, a professor of entomology, is 1 of only 10 new fellows elected this year

Grant and Award Announcement

University of California - Riverside

Jocelyn Millar, University of California - Riverside

image: Jocelyn Millar is a professor of entomology at UC Riverside. view more 

Credit: Millar Lab, UC Riverside.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — For his outstanding contributions to entomology, Jocelyn Millar, a professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, has been elected a fellow of the prestigious Entomological Society of America (ESA), the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines.

This year, Millar and only nine others were elected to this honor. They will be recognized in November 2013, at the annual meeting of the ESA in Austin, Texas.

"I am delighted to see Dr. Millar's tremendous hard work and dedication to entomology, chemical ecology, and pest management recognized in this way by the Entomological Society of America," said Rick Redak, the chair of the Department of Entomology. "Dr. Millar is an internationally recognized leader in the area of chemical ecology. His research elucidates how insects communicate with their environment and has paved the way for new environmentally friendly approaches to pest management. The Department of Entomology is very pleased and proud that he has received this tremendous honor."

Millar's research primarily focuses on how insects use odors and tastes for communication, a branch of science known as chemical ecology. Chemical signals are used by virtually all types of insects for a wide variety of functions, including communicating location, species, sex, reproductive status, and alarm. Millar's group identifies these signals and determines their functional roles, and then exploits this information to develop practical applications for detection and management of insect populations.

In addition to chemical ecology, Millar's group has worked on the control of invasive pests with natural enemies, and on vibrational signals that some insects use for communicating via transmission of the signals through plant tissues. He has published more than 250 scientific papers, 24 book chapters and review articles, and four edited books. He has presented or been a coauthor on more than 200 invited and more than 300 submitted presentations at statewide, national, and international conferences.

"I am tremendously grateful to receive this honor as a mark of recognition of our work," Millar said. "I say 'our work' for good reason, because I have been fortunate to have numerous excellent collaborators, coworkers, and students, without whom many projects would not have been possible. It also has been a big advantage being in a world-class entomology department, in which high quality research is both the expectation and the norm."

Millar's group has been previously honored by awards from the Entomological Society of America, including the Recognition Award in Entomology (2001), the Entomological Foundation's Team Award in Integrated Pest Management (2006), the Entomological Foundation's Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management (2008), and the ESA Pacific Branch's C. W. Woodworth Award. He was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2003, and has been selected as the 2014 Silver Medal winner by the International Society of Chemical Ecology, in recognition of career achievement in chemical ecology.

Millar joins 17 current or former researchers at UCR who are fellows of the ESA: Robert L. Metcalf, 1951; Herman T. Spieth, 1952; George P. Georghiou, 1989; Martin M. Barnes, 1991; Vernon M. Stern, 1992; Mir S. Mulla, 1995; Nick C. Toscano, 1997; Ring T. Carde and John T. Trumble, 1998; Michael Rust, 2001; Marshall W. Johnson and Timothy D. Paine, 2006; Brian Federici and Alexander Raikhel, 2009; Thomas A. Miller, 2010; Bradley A. Mullens, 2011; and Joseph Morse, 2012.

Founded in 1889, the ESA has more than 6,500 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.

###

The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 21,000 students. The campus will open a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion. A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.