Michael S. Engel
Encyclopedia
Michael S. Engel is an American paleontologist and entomologist. He has undertaken field work in Central Asia
, Asia Minor
, and the Western Hemisphere, and published more than 300 papers in scientific journal
s. He was trained at the University of Kansas
where in 1993 he received a B.S. in Cellular Biology and a B.A. in Chemistry, and at Cornell University
where in 1998 he obtained his Ph.D. in Entomology
. In 2006 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
for his work in insect paleontology. Dr. Engel is an authority on the geological history, phylogeny, and taxonomy
of insects, and has made particular contributions to the systematics of living and fossil Zoraptera
, Isoptera, Dermaptera, Raphidioptera, Neuroptera
, and Hymenoptera
, most notably the bees, including the honey bees (genus Apis). Some of Dr. Engel's research images have been included in exhibitions on the aesthetic value of scientific imagery http://www.rit.edu/cias/photo/iis-2002.html.
Among his current positions are Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History
in New York; Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
; and joint appointments as Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Courtesy Professor in the Department of Geology, and Curator-in-Charge (Senior Curator) in the Division of Entomology and Courtesy Curator in the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology of the Natural History Museum
at the University of Kansas
.
Ismael A. Hinojosa-Díaz, Allan H. Smith-Pardo, Daniel J. Bennett, Jon Kieckhefer, Stephanie J. Swenson, Ming-luen Jeng, and Steven R. Davis are just some of his numerous students from all over the world http://www.nhm.ku.edu/ksem/staff-students/stafflist.html.
With David Grimaldi
, also an insect systematist and paleontologist, he is co-author of Evolution of the Insects (2005).
Dr. Engel is a violinist; versed in theology, philosophy, and antiquities; and is a member of the United Church of Christ
. His father, Rev. A.G. Engel, was a long-time Conference Minister with the United Church of Christ. He has two siblings - Elisabeth Anne Engel (1975- ), Curator of Artifacts for the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum in Wisconsin, and Jeffrey Gayle Engel (1980- ). On 7 July 2008 Engel was engaged to Ms. Kellie K. Magill (1970- ) at the Cape of Good Hope
, South Africa
. The couple was subsequently married by Engel's father on 25 April 2009.
to Donna G. Engel, a former music instructor and organist, and Rev. A.G. Engel, former minister active within the United Church of Christ. The family soon moved from their home in Washington, Missouri
to Phoenix, Arizona
before relocating a few years later to Walnut Creek, California
. Eventually, the household settled in Wichita, Kansas where Engel completed high school, graduating in 1989 from Wichita High School Southeast
.
In 1989 Engel moved to the University of Kansas
in Lawrence, Kansas
and completed undergraduate study in Chemistry and Cellular Biology. Engel moved to Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
and in 1998 completed doctoral studies in Systematic Entomology.
in New York, New York. Upon departing the American Museum in 2000 he was appointed as Research Associate. Engel returned to the University of Kansas in 2000 with joint appointments in the Department of Entomology, the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and the Division of Entomology in the University’s Natural History Museum. At the close of that year the Department of Entomology was merged with the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. In 2005 Engel was granted continuous tenure and promoted to Associate Professor/Associate Curator, followed by promotion to full Professor and Senior Curator in 2008. In addition to his regular appointments Engel was appointed as Courtesy Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology (2006) and Courtesy Professor in the Department of Geology (2008). In 2000 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
.
Along with fellow paleontologist and entomologist David A. Grimaldi
, Curator at the American Museum, Engel published in 2005 a comprehensive overview of insect evolutionary history (Evolution of the Insects, Cambridge University Press
). This work synthesized for the first time the fossil record of insects with the wealth of information on the biology and ecology of the modern diversity.
In 2006-2007 Engel resumed regular activity in the American Museum of Natural History while a Guggenheim Fellow http://es.gf.org/fellows/4182-michael-s-engel, completing work on the geological history of termites and their influence on carbon recycling in paleoenvironments. In 2008 he received the Charles Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society
and subsequently the Bicentenary Medal of the Linnean Society of London (2009) for his contributions to the field.
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and the Western Hemisphere, and published more than 300 papers in scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
s. He was trained at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
where in 1993 he received a B.S. in Cellular Biology and a B.A. in Chemistry, and at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
where in 1998 he obtained his Ph.D. in Entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
. In 2006 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for his work in insect paleontology. Dr. Engel is an authority on the geological history, phylogeny, and taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of insects, and has made particular contributions to the systematics of living and fossil Zoraptera
Zoraptera
The insect order Zoraptera contains a single family, the Zorotypidae, which in turn contains one extant genus with 34 species, Zorotypus as well as 9 extinct species.-Phylogeny:...
, Isoptera, Dermaptera, Raphidioptera, Neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
, and Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
, most notably the bees, including the honey bees (genus Apis). Some of Dr. Engel's research images have been included in exhibitions on the aesthetic value of scientific imagery http://www.rit.edu/cias/photo/iis-2002.html.
Among his current positions are Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York; Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
; and joint appointments as Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Courtesy Professor in the Department of Geology, and Curator-in-Charge (Senior Curator) in the Division of Entomology and Courtesy Curator in the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology of the Natural History Museum
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
The University of Kansas Natural History Museum is part of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, which is itself part of the KU Biodiversity Institute....
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
.
Ismael A. Hinojosa-Díaz, Allan H. Smith-Pardo, Daniel J. Bennett, Jon Kieckhefer, Stephanie J. Swenson, Ming-luen Jeng, and Steven R. Davis are just some of his numerous students from all over the world http://www.nhm.ku.edu/ksem/staff-students/stafflist.html.
With David Grimaldi
David Grimaldi
David A. Grimaldi is an entomologist and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He received his graduate training at Cornell University, where he earned his doctorate in Entomology in 1986. Dr. Grimaldi is an authority in many fields of insect...
, also an insect systematist and paleontologist, he is co-author of Evolution of the Insects (2005).
Dr. Engel is a violinist; versed in theology, philosophy, and antiquities; and is a member of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. His father, Rev. A.G. Engel, was a long-time Conference Minister with the United Church of Christ. He has two siblings - Elisabeth Anne Engel (1975- ), Curator of Artifacts for the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum in Wisconsin, and Jeffrey Gayle Engel (1980- ). On 7 July 2008 Engel was engaged to Ms. Kellie K. Magill (1970- ) at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The couple was subsequently married by Engel's father on 25 April 2009.
Early life and education
Engel was born in Creve Coeur, MissouriCreve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, derived from French for "heartbreak" , is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census...
to Donna G. Engel, a former music instructor and organist, and Rev. A.G. Engel, former minister active within the United Church of Christ. The family soon moved from their home in Washington, Missouri
Washington, Missouri
Washington is a city on the Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,243 at the 2000 census. It is the corn cob pipe capital of the world, with Missouri Meerschaum located in Washington.-Geography:...
to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
before relocating a few years later to Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
. Eventually, the household settled in Wichita, Kansas where Engel completed high school, graduating in 1989 from Wichita High School Southeast
Wichita High School Southeast
Wichita Southeast High School, known locally as Southeast, is a fully accredited urban high school, serving students in grades 9-12, located in Wichita, Kansas. The school is within the Unified School District 259. The current principal is Leroy Parks. Wichita High School Southeast is one of many...
.
In 1989 Engel moved to the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
and completed undergraduate study in Chemistry and Cellular Biology. Engel moved to Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
and in 1998 completed doctoral studies in Systematic Entomology.
Career
Engel’s academic career officially began in 1998 with an appointment as Research Scientist in the Department of Entomology (later the Division of Invertebrate Zoology) at the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York, New York. Upon departing the American Museum in 2000 he was appointed as Research Associate. Engel returned to the University of Kansas in 2000 with joint appointments in the Department of Entomology, the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and the Division of Entomology in the University’s Natural History Museum. At the close of that year the Department of Entomology was merged with the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. In 2005 Engel was granted continuous tenure and promoted to Associate Professor/Associate Curator, followed by promotion to full Professor and Senior Curator in 2008. In addition to his regular appointments Engel was appointed as Courtesy Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology (2006) and Courtesy Professor in the Department of Geology (2008). In 2000 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
.
Along with fellow paleontologist and entomologist David A. Grimaldi
David Grimaldi
David A. Grimaldi is an entomologist and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He received his graduate training at Cornell University, where he earned his doctorate in Entomology in 1986. Dr. Grimaldi is an authority in many fields of insect...
, Curator at the American Museum, Engel published in 2005 a comprehensive overview of insect evolutionary history (Evolution of the Insects, Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
). This work synthesized for the first time the fossil record of insects with the wealth of information on the biology and ecology of the modern diversity.
In 2006-2007 Engel resumed regular activity in the American Museum of Natural History while a Guggenheim Fellow http://es.gf.org/fellows/4182-michael-s-engel, completing work on the geological history of termites and their influence on carbon recycling in paleoenvironments. In 2008 he received the Charles Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society
Paleontological Society
The Paleontological Society, formally the Paleontological Society of America, is an international organisation devoted to the promotion of paleontology. The Society was founded in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland and was incorporated in April 1968 in the District of Columbia...
and subsequently the Bicentenary Medal of the Linnean Society of London (2009) for his contributions to the field.
Awards and honors
Prof. Engel's scientific honors include:- Fellow, The Linnean Society of LondonLinnean Society of LondonThe Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
, 2000 - Guggenheim FellowGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationThe John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
, 2006 (2006 Guggenheim Fellows) - Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, William T. Kemper Foundation, 2006
- Book Honor Award (for Evolution of the Insects), Skipping Stones, International Multicultural Magazine in Children's Education, 2006
- Charles SchuchertCharles SchuchertCharles Schuchert was an American invertebrate paleontologist who was a leader in the development of paleogeography, the study of the distribution of lands and seas in the geological past.-Biography:...
Award, The Paleontological SocietyPaleontological SocietyThe Paleontological Society, formally the Paleontological Society of America, is an international organisation devoted to the promotion of paleontology. The Society was founded in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland and was incorporated in April 1968 in the District of Columbia...
, 2008 - Bicentenary Medal, The Linnean Society of LondonLinnean Society of LondonThe Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
, 2009
Eponymy
The following species have been proposed in honor of Dr. Engel:- Lasioglossum (Dialictus) engeli Genaro (a halictid bee from Cuba)
- Braunsapis engeli Jobiraj (a small allodapine bee from southern India)
- † Cretostylops engeli GrimaldiDavid GrimaldiDavid A. Grimaldi is an entomologist and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He received his graduate training at Cornell University, where he earned his doctorate in Entomology in 1986. Dr. Grimaldi is an authority in many fields of insect...
& Kathirithamby (the oldest fossil StrepsipteraStrepsipteraThe Strepsiptera are an order of insects with ten families making up about 600 species...
, from Myanmar) - † Sigmophlebia engeli Béthoux & Beckemeyer (a protorthopteran from the Early Permian of Oklahoma)
- Triepeolus engeli Rightmyer (an epeoline bee from Texas)
- † Archaeoellipes engeli Heads (a tridactylid orthopteran from Dominican amber)