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Cornell University Department of Entomology

David Pimentel


David Pimentel

Professor Emeritus

Cornell, 1951.
Insect ecology; biological control; population ecology.

5126 Comstock Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2601
Phone: 607.255.2212
Fax: 607.255.0939
Email: dp18@cornell.edu

Table of Contents

Education

Year Institution
1945-48 University of Massachusetts, Amherst (B.S. Degree)
1948-51 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (Ph.D. Degree)
1954-55 University of Chicago, Ill. (Post-doctorate, winters)
1961
 Oxford University, England (O.E.E.C. Fellow)

Positions

1951-55 Chief, Tropical Research Laboratory, U.S. Public Health Service, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1955-60 Assistant Professor of Insect Ecology, Department of Entomology and Limnology, Cornell University
1960-63 Associate Professor of Insect Ecology, Cornell University
1963-69 Professor and Head of Department of Entomology and Limnology, Cornell University
1973-74 Professor, Core Faculty, Center for Environmental Quality Management, Cornell University
1969-76 Professor of Insect Ecology, Department of Entomology and Section of Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University
1976- Professor of Insect Ecology & Agricultural Sciences, Department of Entomology and Section of Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University

Honors

  • Phi Kappa Phi
  • Sigma Xi
  • Organization for European Economic Cooperation Fellowship at Oxford University
  • NSF Computer Scholar
  • Invitational lectures at the following international congresses:
    • XVI International Congress of Zoology (1963)
    • XI International Congress of Genetics (1963)
    • XII International Congress of Entomology (1964)
  • Keynote Address Xth and XIth International Congress of Nutrition (1975, 1978)
  • Marine Sciences Distinguished Lecture Series, Louisiana State University
  • Baton Rouge, LA (1979)
  • Gustavson Memorial Lecture
  • University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (1980)
  • The Fourth A.C. Neish Memorial Lecture, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro (1980)
  • Lectures on Science, Technology, and Society, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, (1981)
  • Keynote Address American Institute of Biological Sciences (1982)
  • Keynote Address Easter School of Food Sciences, England (1982)
  • Keynote Address Italian Society of Genetics, Italy (1984)
  • Keynote Address Biological Control Symposium Mainz, West Germany (1984)
  • Keynote Address Conference of African Association of Insect Scientists, Monrovia, Liberia (1986)
  • Keynote Address Agricultural Ecology and Environment, Padova, Italy, (1988)
  • Keynote Address Agroecology and Conservation Issues, Padova, Italy (1990)
  • Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar (1990-1991)
  • Keynote Address Energy Strategies for Sustainable Food Production, Berlin, Germany (1991)
  • Keynote Address Reducing the Nonrenewables in Agriculture, Nova Scotia (1991)
  • Keynote Address Council of Biotechnology Centers, Washington, D.C. (1991)
  • 1992 Award for Distinguished Service to Rural Life, Rural Sociological Society Council
  • Honorary Professor, Institute of Applied Ecology, Shenyang, China (1995)
  • Keynote Address Microbial Control Agents in Sustainable Agriculture, St. Vincent, Italy (1995)
  • Keynote Address International Conference on Pesticides in Developing Countries: Impact on Health and Environment, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica (1998)
  • Keynote Address Wildlife, Pesticides, and People, Fairfax, VA (1998)
  • Keynote Address Conference on the
  • Ecology of Sustainable Agriculture, Stuttgart, Germany (1998)
  • Keynote Address International Conference on the Sustainable Use of Soils, Tutzing, Germany (1998)
  • Keynote address
  • Entomological Society of Canada, Plenary Session on Managing the Millenium Bug (1999)
  • Keynote Address Association of Applied Insect Ecologists, Santa Barbara, CA (1999)
  • Keynote Address Population-Environment Balance ASAP Action Conference, Breckenridge, CO (1999)
  • Keynote Address, British Soil Association, Cirencester, U.K. (2000)
  • Entomological Society of America Special Symposium (2000)
  • Keynote address Bora Conference on World Food Supply and Human Population, University of Idaho (2000)
  • Keynote address, Tribeta Conference on Population, Food and Environment, Eastern Connecticut State University (2000)
  • Keynote address, World Population Balance Conference on Population Carrying Capacity for the Earth (2000)
  • Keynote address, Toxicology Conference, Guelph University (2001)
  • Keynote address, Pesticide Conference, University of Colorado (2001)
  • Keynote address, International Congress of Population, Food and Energy, Adelaide, Australia (2002)
  • Keynote address, Celebration Honoring Rachel Carson, Baltimore, MD (2002)
  • Keynote address, Congress on Sustainable Agriculture, Raleigh, NC (2002)
  • Keynote address, International Vegetarian Congress at Loma Linda University, CA (2002)
  • Keynote address, International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, University of Wisconsin (2002)
  • Rachel Carson Award, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2002)
  • Keynote address, Aquatic Nuisance Species Symposium, Philadelphia (2003)
  • Keynote address, Environmental Law Symposium, William and Mary School of Law, Williamsburg, VA (2003)
  • Keynote address, International Workshop: Livestock, Environment and Sustainable Development, Havana, Cuba (2003)
  • Keynote address, St. Philips College Literacy Conference on Fuel Cell Technology, San Antonio, TX (2004)
  • Keynote address, International Conference on Area-Wide Control of Insect Pests, United Nations/ International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria (2005)
  • Keynote address, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Bar Harbor, ME (2005)
  • Honoree, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Wassaic, NY (2005)

National and International Activities

1964-66 Panel on Environmental Pollution, President's Science Advisory Council
1966-68 Chairman, Panel on Biology and Renewable Resources, Committee on Life Sciences, National Academy of Sciences
1966-69 Management and Resources Committee, Int. Biol. Program
1967-68 Council, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
1967-70 Chairman, Training Committee, International Biological Program
1969 U.S. Delegate to UNESCO Conference on "University Governance and the Role of the Student"
1969 Commission on Pesticides, Established by Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
1969-70 Ecologist Consultant on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology
1970 ad hoc Committee on Environmental Aspects of Foreign Assistance Programs, National Academy of Sciences
1970 Panel on "Water in Man's Life in India," National Academy of Sciences"
1972-73 Co-chairman, Panel on Innovative Mosquito Control, Office of the Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Sciences
1972-73 Advisory Council on Environmental Education of the Office of Education
1972-73 Chairman, Panel on Environmental Impact of Herbicides, Environmental Protection Agency
1973-77 Chairman, Panel on Economic and Environmental Aspects of Pest Management in Central America, National Academy of Sciences
1974-76 Committee on Food and Food Production, National Academy of Sciences
1974-75 Committee on "World Food, Health, and Population", National Academy of Sciences
1974 World Food Conference, Consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
1975-79 Chairman, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, Office of the Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Sciences
1975-78 Chairman, National Advisory Council on Environmental Education, Office of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare
1975-79 Commission on International Relations, National Academy of Sciences
1976-77 Chairman, Study Team on the Interdependencies of Food, Population, Health, Energy, and Environment, World Food and Nutrition Study, National Academy of Sciences
1977-78 Chairman, U.S. Advisory Committee to IIASA Program "Food and Agriculture," International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria
1979-80 Chairman, Gasohol Panel, Energy Research Advisory Board, Department of Energy
1979-83 Chairman, Biomass Energy Panel, Energy Research Advisory Board, Department of Energy
1979-82 Chairman, Environmental Studies Board, National Academy of Sciences
1979-83 Member, USAID Research Advisory Committee, Department of State
1979-89 Member, AAAS Committee on Climate
1981-88 Vice Chairman, Committee on Research Grants, Board on Science and Technology for Development, National Academy of Sciences
1980-82 Chairman, Land Productivity Panel, Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress
1982-83 Member, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources, National Academy of Sciences
1982-83 Vice Chairman, Solar R&D Panel, Energy Research Advisory Board, Department of Energy
1982-86 Member, Environmental Advisory Committee, Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant, Pennsylvania Power and Light
1983-86 Chairman, Energy and Agriculture Panel, Energy Research Advisory Board, Department of Energy
1984-85 Consultant, National Institutes of Health, Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee
1984-86 Member, National Institutes of Health, Working Group on Release into the Environment of Genetically Engineered Organisms
1985-89 Member, Committee on Population, Resources, and the Environment, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Chairman, Subcommittee on Agriculture and Resources
1985-89 Member, Committee for the Study on the Role of Alternative Farming Methods in Modern Production Agriculture, National Academy of Sciences
1985 Chairman, Panel on Population and Natural Resources, Commission on Ecology, IUCN
1985- Member, Advisory Board, Council for Responsible Genetics
1986-1993 Chairman, Committee on Soil Conservation, Commission on Ecology, IUCN
1988 Member, New Production Reactor Technology Assessment Panel, Energy Research Advisory Board, Dept. of Energy
1988- Member, Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society Council
1990-1992 Member, Committee on Malaria Prevention and Control, Board on International Health, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
1990-2001 Member, Board of Directors, Rachel Carson Council
1990- Member, National Board of Directors, Carrying Capacity Network
1990- Member, Earth's Best Scientific and Environmental Advisory Board
1990-2000 Member, Advisory Committee, African-American Institute
1990-1993 Member, Panel on Vetiver, National Research Council
1991-2000 Member, Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society
1993 Member, Expert consultation of the UNEP list of Selected Environmentally Harmful Chemical Substances, Processes and Phenomena, IRPTC/UNEP
1993-1995 Member, Advisory Committee, Environmental Refugees Project, Climate Institute
1994- Member, International Advisory Committee, 2020 Vision for Food Agriculture, and the Environment. International Food Policy Research Institute
1994-2000 Member, Board of Directors, Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
1994- Honorary member, Academic Committee, Institute of Applied Ecology
Shenyang, Chinese Academy of Sciences
1995- Honorary Professor, Institute of Applied Ecology Shenyang, Chinese Academy of Sciences
1998- Co-Chair, Mexico: Energy/Environment Assessment Study, The World Bank
1998- Editor, Journal of the Environment, Development, and Sustainability
1999- Elected Member, Board of Directors, American Institute of Biological Sciences
1999-2000 Elected Member, Board of Directors, National Audubon Society
1999-2003 Member, Committee on Research Opportunities in Agriculture, National Academy of Science
2000- Elected President of the Rachel Carson Council
2004- Member, Board of Directors, The Organic Center for Education and Promotion
2005- Editorial Board Member, The Scientific World, Environmental Management and Policy Domain

Activities in the Entomological Society of America

1963 Chairman, Biological Control Section
1965 Chairman, Publicity and Public Relations Committee
1967 Chairman, National Medal of Science Committee
1968 Committee on Program Evaluation
1968-71 Governing Board
1971 Chairman, Editorial Board, Environmental Entomology
1973 Chairman, Screening Committee for Bussart and Geigy Awards
1974-75 President, Eastern Branch
1975-77 Chairman, Special Awards Committee
1977-80 Representative to American Association for the Advancement of Science

Activities in

1973-1998 American Institute of Biological Sciences, New York State Public Relations Legislative Representative
1973-77 American Midland Naturalist, Associate Editor
1971-74 Society for the Study of Evolution, Councilor for the Society for the Study of Evolution
1979-2000 Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment Journal, Editorial Board
1981- CRPS Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, Advisory Board
1986-2000 Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Editorial Board
1988- Ecological Economics, Editorial Advisory Board
1989- Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Board of Editors
1989- Crop Protection, International Editorial Board
1993- Human Ecology, Editorial Board
2000- Environment, Development and Sustainability , Editor-in-Chief (Springer Publishing)

Publications

Over 590 scientific publications of which 23 are books