www.wellsreserve.org/news/2006-10-16_patch.htm

"DAME BUG," PIONEERING INSECT SCIENTIST, IS TOPIC OF WELLS RESERVE TALK

WELLS, MAINE - On Thursday, October 26 at 7 pm, the Wells Reserve presents "Dame Bug and Her Students: The Educational Legacy of Edith Marion Patch" with Mary Dickinson Bird. The presentation is free, but donations are accepted. Reservations are not needed. Please bring a mug for free organic coffee or tea. For information, call (207) 646-1555.

Edith Marion Patch (1876-1954) was a true pioneer. She was one of the first women in America to graduate from college with a specialization in entomology, the first woman scientist hired by the University of Maine, the first woman to head an agricultural experiment station department, and the first woman president of the Entomological Society of America.

Patch's voice was also one of the first calling for reduced use chemical pesticides. She warned of their threat to the environment in speeches as early as 1906, a year before Rachel Carson was born.

Patch published more than 80 scientific and technical reports, and more than 100 stories, books, poems, and articles about nature for children and lay adult audiences. Her aphid research continues to be cited in scientific journals worldwide.

Despite this record of accomplishment, Edith Marion Patch is little remembered in Maine, where her career and community service spanned five decades. This presentation will explore the life and legacy of Dr. Edith Marion Patch, examining the lessons she offers to those who would carry on her integration of entomology, education, and environmentalism.

Mary Dickinson Bird is an instructor in science and environmental education at the University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development.

This is the final lecture in the Wells Reserve's 2006 series.

# # #
NEWS HOME