University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Michael Breed has been elected a fellow of the Entomological Society of America in 2006 for his lifetime contributions to the study of insects.
Breed, who is a professor in the ecology and evolutionary biology department and chair of the department, was one of only six scholars nationwide elected as fellows by the society in 2006. Since ESA was founded in 1889, only 197 people have been elected fellows of the society, which has more than 5,700 members worldwide affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry and government.
Breed was cited by the ESA governing board for his research on social insects, particularly on their kin and nest mate recognition behavior, which is considered central to the evolution of insects, according to the society.
Breed's research has ranged from studies on the ecology and feeding behavior of tropical ants and the mating frequency of yellow jackets to honey bee defensive behavior and cockroach mating systems and communication. He has published more than 100 research articles, has co-edited four books and currently is executive director of the British scientific journal, Animal Behaviour.
He is a faculty fellow at CU-Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Genetics and currently has a three-year appointment as an adjunct professor for the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Breed has received a number of awards and honors during his professional career. He was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004 and served as secretary general of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects from 1994 to 2002. He received his bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and his master's and doctorate from the University of Kansas.
Breed and the other five new ESA fellows will be recognized during the organization's annual meeting Dec. 10 to Dec. 13 in Indianapolis