Mam·mal·o·gy / a branch of zoology dealing with mammals
Mam·mal·o·gist / a person with the best job in the world!
Mam·mal·o·gy / a branch of zoology dealing with mammals
Mam·mal·o·gist / a person with the best job in the world!
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The Honorary Membership Committee was formed in 1957. Its function is to recommend candidates for Honorary Membership to the Board of Directors and to the general membership of the Society. Honorary Members are elected in recognition of long-term (i.e., >10 years) distinguished service to the science of mammalogy. It is considered the Society’s highest honor.
The Honorary Membership Committee comprises the five most-recent Past Presidents, being chaired for a two-year term by its second-most senior member. The Committee considers nominations tendered by both its own members as well as those received from outside the committee, assembles supporting documentation, and evaluates the qualifications of the candidates. After deliberation, the Committee forwards to the Board of Directors the name(s) of nominees deemed by at least 4 members to meet the high standards of this recognition. Nominees that are recommended by at least 75% of those Directors voting will be presented to Members for their majority approval at the annual Members’ Meeting.
Persons who wish to nominate a candidate for Honorary Membership should first review the list of previous recipients to gauge the merits of their nominee. Nominators are encouraged to consult with the Chair of the Committee during their preparation of nomination materials. Nominees need not be members of ASM or citizens of the United States. All parties involved should treat the nomination procedure in strict confidence. A completed nomination shall consist of: (1) a letter of nomination from an ASM member, (2) three supporting letters, and (3) a curriculum vitae. These materials should be transmitted electronically to the Committee’s Chair no later than 1 March.
“Distinguished service to the science of mammalogy” is generally interpreted as including one or more components of the following non-exhaustive list. Because Honorary Membership recognizes sustained, often career-long contributions to mammalogy, the scope and impact of a nominee’s efforts are expected to be broad. To increase the strength of nomination packets, nominators and letter-writers are encouraged to comment on as many of these aspects of a nominee’s career as relevant as well as highlight any other significant accomplishments and contributions to mammalogy that are deserving of recognition.
Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (1858–1929). British Museum invertebrate biologist; shifted to mammal taxonomy. Greatest mammal taxonomist in history, naming more than 2,000 types and publishing more than 1,100 papers. His research was mainly conducted on museum specimens rather than field research. In recognition of the end of WW1, he named a genus of Argentine rodent, Irenomys, for Irene, the Goddess of Peace. Died by suicide after his wife and research partner, Mary, died. He named Eligmodontia marica in her honor.
C. Hart Merriam (1855–1942). Father of American mammalogy and early researcher in ornithology. Medical doctor but dedicated his life to studying birds and mammals. First major publications were on birds of Connecticut and New York. Began collecting mammal specimens and soon had 7,000. Appointed chief of Biological Survey, which became the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Led expeditions of discovery to much of North America and formed a group of outstanding explorer/scientists to survey the US and Mexico. Discovered 660 new mammals and developed a collection of 140,000 specimens.
James Smith Findley (1926–2018). Mammalogist and natural historian at the University of New Mexico (Mammals of New Mexico). Student of E. R. Hall, University of Kansas. Specialist in both shrews and bats (Bats: A Community Perspective), with more than 100 publications. President of ASM. Teacher whose students became well known in mammalogy and ecology, several becoming presidents and officers of ASM.
Eviatar Nevo (1929– ). Evolutionary biologist in Israel studying speciation across taxa. Published 1,200 papers and 24 books, 57,000 citations. Founder and director of Institute of Evolution at the University of Haifa. Developed the Evolution Canyon model of sympatric speciation (called the Israeli Galapagos). Discovered many new species, including 77 new mushrooms in the Dead Sea. Studied subterranean mammals.
James Hemphill Brown (1942– ). Evolutionary biologist, University of Arizona and University of New Mexico. Studied desert rodent ecology, ants, birds and other taxonomic groups. Developed field of macroecology. Contributed to an engineering and ecological theory of metabolic ecology. Published 363 scientific articles cited more than 57,000 times.. President ASM. Member National Academy of Sciences.
Philip Hershkovitz (1909–1997). Field biologist (University of Pittsburgh, University of Michigan). Research in tropics on primates and rodents. Described 70 new mammals. Spent 50 years as curator at Field Museum. Started doctoral studies but never completed them. Notwithstanding, he published 162 sole-authored articles and monographs, and only 3 papers with multiple authors. Some publications were classics: Living New World Monkeys (Platyrhini) with an Introduction to Primates; The Recent Mammals of the Neotropical Region; Evolution of Neotrpical Cricetine Rodents (Muridae) with Special Reference to the Phyllotine Group.
Franklin H. Bronson (1932– ). PhD at Pennsylvania State University. Professor at University of Texas at Austin. Specialist in environmental regulation of mammalian reproduction. Author of Mammalian Reproduction. Examined how global climate change affects reproduction in mammals. Studied reproduction in wild house mice, deer mice, and other rodents, as well as tropical bats; more than 175 publications on reproduction.
Don E. Wilson (1944– ). PhD at University of New Mexico under J.S. Findley. Worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the Smithsonian Institution. Conducted research in 64 countries, mainly studying bats and rodents. Author, co-author or editor of classic books: Mammals of New Mexico, Mammal Species of the World, Handbook of Mammals of the World, A Field Guide to North American Mammals. He published more than 270 scientific contributions. He was president of the ASM.