What have insects ever done for us?

George McGavin, President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust; Honorary Research Associate, Oxford University Museum of Natural History; Senior Principal Research Fellow, Imperial College

Wednesday 6th November, 1-2pm, Cottrell LT A4 and streamed on Teams (if the link does not work for you contact tony.robertson[a]stir.ac.uk). This seminar is open to the public to join in person but not online. The seminar is hosted by Biological and Environmental Sciences (BES). Please note that this seminar will not be recorded.

Who this might appeal to: Anyone studying or with an interest in biological sciences.

Title: What have insects ever done for us?

Abstract: Insects are the most diverse and successful group of multi-cellular animals on Earth. They are an essential component of every terrestrial and aquatic food chain – without them the world would be a very different place. But insects have a dark side – they have changed the short course of human history by killing hundreds of millions of people and destroying their crops. But without a rich diversity of insects we will be living on an impoverished planet and will be facing a very uncertain future.

Bio: Dr George McGavin studied Zoology at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD in entomology at Imperial College and the Natural History Museum in London. After 30 years as an academic, mostly at Oxford University, he became an award-winning television presenter. George is an Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and an Honorary Principal Research Fellow at Imperial College. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and an Honorary Life Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. In 2019 George became the President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust.