Robert Lee Metcalf (November 13, 1916 – November 11, 1998) was an American

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, environmental toxicologist, and insect chemical

ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

. pubmed.gov: Homage to Robert Lee Metcalf (1916-1998): entomologist, environmental toxicologist, and insect chemical ecologist Metcalf was noted for making environmentally safe pest control achievable. Metcalf was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

, a member of

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

, a fellow and president of the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

. He was a member of

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

's Pesticide Advisory Panel. The

National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is approved and funded by the government of the United States. The ...

called Metcalf "one of the leading entomologists of the 20th century". The

National Academies Press The US National Academies Press (NAP) was created to publish the reports issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Research C ...

called him the twentieth century’s most influential entomologist. The

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

called him "a brilliant scientist and educator".

Notable awards and distinctions

*Order of Cherubini,

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

, Italy, 1966 *Charles T. Spencer Award,

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

, 1966 *Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research,

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

, 1967 *International Award, Pesticide Chemistry,

, 1972 *Meritorious Service Award, American Mosquito Association, 1976 *Ciba Geigy Award of the

, 1977 *Memorial Lecture Award of the

, 1978 *Honorary Member,

, 1979 *School of Life Sciences,

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, Distinguished Lectureship Award, 1979 *Founders' Award, Society for Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, 1983

Life and career

Metcalf was born in Columbus, Ohio. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from

in 1939 and 1940, respectively. He received his Ph.D. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1942. Metcalf joined the faculty of the

in 1948. He moved to the

in 1968. As his son, I must add that he was a wonderful father.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, Robert Lee 1916 births 1998 deaths American entomologists Chemical ecologists University of California, Riverside faculty University of Illinois faculty University of Illinois alumni Cornell University alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Columbus, Ohio American toxicologists 20th-century American zoologists Presidents of the Entomological Society of America