Dr. Anurag Agrawal, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology with a joint appointment in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, delivered the Founders’ Memorial Award lecture at Entomology 2013, the 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) in Austin, Texas.

The subject of his presentation was Dame Miriam Rothschild, who started her research in the 1950s in the area that is now known as chemical ecology. She had no traditional education, but was tutored in natural history by her father and her uncle. She is best known for her work with mimicry, and she conducted classic studies on the role of carotenoids in insect mimicry. In addition to her work cataloging the famous Rothschild flea collection, Dame Rothschild was also a pioneer in the area of insect chemical ecology.

A video of the presentation can be viewed below: