Judith H. Myers

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Judith H. Myers
Born
Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityCanadian, American
Education
Known forEcological entomology, biocontrol, population cycles, tent caterpillars
SpouseJ.N.M. (Jamie) Smith (b. 1944 d. 2005)
Children2
Scientific career
FieldsEcology and entomology the population cycle, biological pest control, introduced species
InstitutionsUniversity of British Columbia
University of Edinburgh
Academic advisorsCharles J. Krebs
Notable studentsJens Roland
Websitewww.zoology.ubc.ca/~myers/myerslab

Judith (Judy) H. Myers is a Canadian-American ecologist. In 2014, she was elected president of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution,[1] and served in that role until 2016. Professor Myers is well known for her decades-long research into plant-animal-microbe interactions, including insect pest outbreaks, viral pathogens of insects, and pioneering work on biological control of insects and plants,[2][3][4] particularly invasive species.[5] Throughout her career she has advocated strongly for both the public understanding of science and for increasing the number of women in the STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Myers was a trustee of the Entomological Society of Canada. In 2004, she was awarded its gold medal for her contributions to the theory and practice of biological control.[6] She also won the McCarthy Award from the Professional Pest Management Association of British Columbia. As a published author, she is widely held in libraries worldwide.[7]

Research[edit]

Judy (Judith) Myers reading one of Charles Krebs books in downtown Vancouver
Myers reading one of Charles Krebs books in downtown Vancouver in 2013

Myers is known[8] for her work on population cycles[9][10] spanning more than four decades. She has made important contributions to understanding cycling dynamics through theory, reviews, and data via her long-term monitoring of western tent caterpillars.[11]

Early in her career Myers became one of the pioneers for studying biocontrol.[12] Her research takes an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive approach to the management of environmental pest problems. She emphasizes the importance of long-term ecological data with which to challenge and inform ecological models.[13]

Myers is currently (since 2006) Professor Emerita in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She joined the faculty in 1972 after being a Miller Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley (1970-1972).[14] She was cross-appointed to the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (now Faculty of Land and Food Systems).[15] Myers worked with fellow ecologists Charles Krebs, Tony (Anthony) R.E. Sinclair and her late husband, Jamie (James N.M.) Smith,[16] initially in the Institute of Animal Resource Ecology and later in the Biodiversity Centre at UBC.

Biography[edit]

Myers with some the organisms (western tent caterpillars) whose population biology she has studied for decades

In addition to research, Myers made lasting contributions to teaching at UBC, notably developing the long-running 'Conservation Biology' course.

Myers has served on various NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) committees, particularly those related to women in science including the Women's Faculty Award Committee and the Women in Science and Engineering Chair Program. She was a member of the NSERC Biological Control Network and was Theme leader – Greenhouses (2001-2006) and co-theme leader – New, improved microbial agents for management of insect pests (2001-2006).

She is the mother of Iain and Isla Myers-Smith, who were born in Vancouver, British Columbia and Canberra, Australia respectively. Isla Myers-Smith is a professor at the University of British Columbia[17] and honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh.[18]

Advocacy for women in STEM[edit]

Professor Emerita (UBC) Judy Myers on Saturna Island in the British Columbia, Canada Gulf Islands
Myers in 2019 on Saturna Island, BC, where she stays while continuing to write research articles

Myers was at the forefront of Canadian post-secondary education's efforts to recruit more women in STEM fields during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when she was Associate Dean of Science at the University of British Columbia. At that time simply discussing data related to the leaky pipeline[19] could be contentious. Myers is quoted on p. 298 of Martin Loney's 1998 book critiquing what he described as identity politics in Canadian post-secondary education, The Pursuit of Division: Race, Gender, and Preferential Hiring in Canada.[20] Loney challenged Myers to produce data to support her assertion that policies impeding women being hired were operating during the 1960s. Research into the complex nature of barriers to women being hired in the post-secondary education STEM sector has since expanded significantly. Judy Myers continues to be a strong advocate for women in STEM.

Myers describes some of her own experiences as a woman in STEM (including being the first person to take maternity leave in the UBC Faculty of Science[21]) in a special issue of the journal Evolutionary Applications.[22]

In addition to her 2014-2016 presidency of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution (CSEE),[23] Myers is past President of the Canadian Coalition for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) and of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology.

Honours[edit]

  • Lifetime Achievement McCarthy Award and Elected Honorary Member, Professional Pest Management Association of B.C. (2009)[24]
  • Gold Medal, Entomological Society Canada (2004)
  • Elected Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of Canada (2015)
  • Cornerstone Award for Contributions to Women in STEM, Chatham University, Pittsburgh PA (2018)[25]

Major publications[edit]

  • Judy Myers and coauthor Dawn R. Bazely's 2003 monograph, "Ecology and Control of Introduced Plants" (Cambridge University Press) was selected as an American Library Association CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title in 2005.
  • Myers, J.H. and Sarfraz, R.M. 2017. Impacts of insect herbivores on plant populations. Annual Review of Entomology 62, 207–230.
  • Myers, J.H. and Cory, J.S. 2013. Population cycles in forest Lepidoptera revisited. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 44: 565-592
  • Cory, J.S. and J.H. Myers. 2003. The ecology and evolution of insect Baculoviruses. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 34: 239–272.
  • Myers, J.H. et al. 2000. Eradication revisited: dealing with exotic species. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 20: 331–348. This is one of Prof Myers best known publications, having been cited more than 700 times[26]
  • Myers J.H. 1988 Can a general hypothesis explain population-cycles of forest Lepidoptera. Advances in Ecological Research 18: 179-242
  • Krebs, C.J. and J.H. Myers. 1974. Population cycles in small mammals. Advances in Ecological Research. Academic Press. pp. 267–399.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. "CSEE Contact Us". Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Coastal and Central BC engulfed in tent caterpillar population explosion". vancouversun.com. May 28, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "An unsightly, creepy, squishy infestation". theglobalandmail.com. June 10, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. ^ Myers, Judith H.; Higgins, Charlene; Kovacs, Ervin (1989-08-01). "How Many Insect Species are Necessary for the Biological Control of Insects?". Environmental Entomology. 18 (4): 541–547. doi:10.1093/ee/18.4.541. ISSN 0046-225X.
  5. ^ Myers, Judith H.; Simberloff, Daniel; Kuris, Armand M.; Carey, James R. (2000-08-01). "Eradication revisited: dealing with exotic species". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 15 (8): 316–320. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01914-5. ISSN 0169-5347. PMID 10884695.
  6. ^ Entomological Society of Canada. "Past Gold Medal Winners". ESC Gold Medal Winners. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Myers, Judith H." worldcat.org. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  8. ^ Mortillaro, Nicole (June 17, 2017). "'Tell people not to panic': Experts say Canada's caterpillar and worm infestation will end". CBC. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  9. ^ Krebs, Charles J.; Myers, Judith H. (1974), "Population Cycles in Small Mammals", Advances in Ecological Research, vol. 8, Elsevier, pp. 267–399, doi:10.1016/s0065-2504(08)60280-9, ISBN 9780120139088
  10. ^ Myers, Judith H. (2018-03-28). "Population cycles: generalities, exceptions and remaining mysteries". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 285 (1875): 20172841. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.2841. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 5897639. PMID 29563267.
  11. ^ Myers, Judith H. (1990). "Population Cycles of Western Tent Caterpillars: Experimental Introductions and Synchrony of Fluctuations". Ecology. 71 (3): 986–995. Bibcode:1990Ecol...71..986M. doi:10.2307/1937367. JSTOR 1937367.
  12. ^ Myers, Judith H. (1982). "Research in biological control at the University of British Columbia". Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada (Canada).
  13. ^ "Judy Myers' blogs | Ecological Rants". Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  14. ^ "All Miller Fellows: By Name". miller.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  15. ^ "Professors Emeriti, Faculty of Land and Food Systems". The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  16. ^ Martin, Kathy (5 March 2007). "Jamie Smith, University of British Columbia, 1944–2005". Avian Conservation and Ecology. 2 (1). doi:10.5751/ACE-00115-020101.
  17. ^ UBC Faculty of Forestry (27 June 2023). "Isla Myers-Smith / Faculty Profile / UBC Forestry". University of Columbia. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  18. ^ School of Geosciences (21 April 2021). "Profile / The University of Edinburgh". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  19. ^ Miller, David I. "A Metaphor to Retire". Inside Higher Ed. AAUP. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  20. ^ Loney, Martin (1998). The Pursuit of Division: Race, Gender, and Preferential Hiring in Canada. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-1744-8.
  21. ^ Myers, Judith H.; Cory, Jenny S. (2016). "Ecology and evolution of pathogens in natural populations of Lepidoptera". Evolutionary Applications. 9 (1): 231–247. Bibcode:2016EvApp...9..231M. doi:10.1111/eva.12328. ISSN 1752-4571. PMC 4780379. PMID 27087850.
  22. ^ "Bio | Myers Lab". Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  23. ^ "Past Councils". CSEE – Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution.
  24. ^ "Professional Pest Management Association of BC". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  25. ^ "Alumni Weekend Giving Awards | Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA". www.chatham.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  26. ^ "Judith H Myers - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
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