May Berenbaum

Who is this?

May Roberta Berenbaum (born July 22, 1953) is an American entomologist, who is a professor of entomology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on the chemical interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants, and the implications of these interactions on the organization of natural communities and the evolution of species. She is particularly interested in nectar, plant phytochemicals, honey and bees, and her research has important implications for beekeeping. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was named editor-in-chief of its journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019; she is also a member of the American Philosophical Society (1996), and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996). She has held a Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair in entomology since 2012, which is the highest title a professor can hold at the University of Illinois. In 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Science.

Career

1. 1953
   Born
2. 1994
   Member of National Academy of Sciences
3. 2004
   Won Robert H. MacArthur Award
4. 2004
   Won Weizmann Women & Science Award
5. 2011
   Won Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
6. 2012
   Won Fellow of the Ecological Society of America
7. 2014
   Won National Medal of Science
8. Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
9. Member of British Ecological Society

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Trenton
• •Citizenship: United States
• •Known as: zoologist, university teacher, entomologist