Engel, Michael S. 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born September 24, 1971, in Creve Coeur, MO; son of Alger Gayle (a conference minister for the United Church of Christ) and Donna Gail (a music educator and church organist) Engel. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Kansas, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1993, B.S., 1993; Cornell University, Ph.D., 1998. Religion: United Church of Christ. Hobbies and other interests: Playing the violin, classical studies and languages, antiquities, reading, travel.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Lawrence, KS. Office—Division of Entomology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Dr., Ste. 140, Lawrence, KS 66049-2811; fax: 785-864-5260. E-mail—msengel@ku.edu.

CAREER:

Academic, entomologist, and paleontologist. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, curator-in-charge, 2000-01, 2007, assistant curator, 2000-05, associate curator, 2005-08, courtesy curator of invertebrate paleontology, 2006—, senior curator, 2008—, Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, assistant professor, 2000-05, associate professor, 2005-08, professor, 2008—, courtesy professor of geology, 2008—. American Museum of Natural History, research scientist, 1998-2000, research associate, 2000—.

MEMBER:

American Association for Zoological Nomenclature, American Beethoven Society, Paleontological Society, Willi Hennig Society, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Lamda Upsilon.

AWARDS, HONORS:

National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow, 1995-98; Guggenheim fellow, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 2006; Kempler fellow for Teaching Excellence, 2006; Linnean Society of London fellow; Outstanding Academic Title Award, Choice, and Book Honor Award in Teaching Resources, Skipping Stones, both for Evolution of the Insects; recipient of numerous grants from the National Science Foundation.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with Byron A. Alexander) Proceedings of the Eickwort Memorial Symposium, Kansas Entomological Society (Lawrence, KS), 1997.

(With Molly G. Rightmyer) Contributions Dedicated to Jerome G. Rozen, Jr., Kansas Entomological Society (Lawrence, KS), 2003.

(With David Grimaldi) Evolution of the Insects, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Author of several hundred peer-reviewed scientific articles. Series editor of "Cambridge Evolution Series," 2007—. Member of editorial boards for Psyche and Uludag Bee Journal; member of publication committee of Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 2000—; associate editor of Journal of Paleontology, 2002-06; assistant editor of Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny, 2003—.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael S. Engel is an American academic, entomologist, and paleontologist. Engel completed two bachelor degrees in 1993 from the University of Kansas in chemistry as well as in physiology and cell biology. He then pursued graduate studies at Cornell University, earning a Ph.D. in entomology in 1998. Engel began working as a research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History upon graduation, and in 2000 he became a research associate of the museum. That same year he accepted positions at the University of Kansas as an assistant professor and as assistant curator of the university's Natural History Museum. In 2005 he was promoted to associate professor and associate curator, respectively. He became a full professor and senior curator in 2008, and also received appointments as courtesy curator of invertebrate paleontology and courtesy professor of geology.

In 2005 Engel wrote Evolution of the Insects with David Grimaldi. The book takes a systematic approach to outlining the vast history and evolutionary paths of insects, relying on a mix of the fossil record of insects from public and private collections, biogeography, phylogeny, and ecology. Engel and Grimaldi supplement their studies with numerous color photographs and drawings. A contributor to SciTech Book News said that Engel and Grimaldi "bring a wealth of knowledge to this impressive volume." The same contributor noted that the book is of "exceptional value," citing an "exhaustive examination" on a scientific level of fossil records found throughout the text. The article noted the book's benefit for amateurs as well as professionals in the field. George Poinar, Jr., writing in the American Scientist, pointed out that the book is filled with "facts about fossil insects that will be useful to general biologists" and that systemists working on evolutionary tracks will find the book especially appealing. He noted, however: "The failure of Grimaldi and Engel to discuss the controversy surrounding the age, interpretation, and identification of fossils that were initially announced with much fanfare and bravado is certainly not a service to the reader." Poinar noted that the book "is filled with lavish color photographs of both fossil and recent insects, thanks to a generous donation that defrayed publication costs." Poinar remarked that other scientists will have different approaches to the study than the authors, but he noted that from the publishing of this book, "one thing we can be certain about: insects have spent a tremendously long period on the planet, and chances are excellent that they will still be around to witness our disappearance."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, July 1, 2006, George Poinar, Jr., review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 376.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, January, 2006, G.C. Stevens, review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 830.

Evolution, November, 2005, Peter S. Cranston, review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 2492.

New Scientist, June 25, 2005, Douglas Palmer, review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 56.

Quarterly Review of Biology, September, 2006, Matthew L. Forister, review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 288.

Science News, February 10, 2001, S. Perkins, "Did Ancient Superbees Squash Diversity?," p. 87.

SciTech Book News, September, 2005, review of Evolution of the Insects.

Times Literary Supplement, June 2, 2006, Quentin D. Wheeler, review of Evolution of the Insects, p. 13.

ONLINE

University of Kansas Natural History Museum Website,http://www.nhm.ku.edu/ (January 9, 2008), author profile.