1961-1962 - American Museum of Natural History
1961-1962 - American Museum of Natural History
1961-1962 - American Museum of Natural History
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dition, the newly appointed director <strong>of</strong> the planetarium now under<br />
construction in St. Louis, Missouri, spent two weeks here on<br />
an orientation visit.<br />
All members <strong>of</strong> the staff took active parts in the work <strong>of</strong> the<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional societies in which they have memberships. The<br />
influence <strong>of</strong> the staff was also expressed through numerous<br />
outside lectures, appearances on television and radio, and by<br />
participation in panels and workshops for the National Science<br />
Foundation, the <strong>American</strong> Association for the Advancement<br />
<strong>of</strong> Science, and several other agencies <strong>of</strong> the museum, planetarium,<br />
and astronomy pr<strong>of</strong>essions.<br />
DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY<br />
Jerome G. Rozen, Jr., Chairman<br />
The new direction that the Department <strong>of</strong> Entomology is<br />
gradually taking was evidenced this year by considerably increased<br />
activity in three areas-research productivity, curatorial<br />
accomplishments, aiid exhibition.<br />
Dr. Rozen, working under a National Science Foundation<br />
grant, continued the biosystematic study <strong>of</strong> the parasitic bees<br />
in the genus Oreopasites. All species in this genus are obligatory<br />
parasites in the nests <strong>of</strong> the non-social bee genus Nomadopsis.<br />
Having previously completed the initial taxonomic<br />
work, Dr. Rozen devoted his attention this year to a study <strong>of</strong><br />
the behavior and biology <strong>of</strong> the various species. During three<br />
field trips to the western and southwestern United States (in<br />
spring, summer, and early fall), he worked out comparative<br />
life histories and host associations, performed nutritional<br />
experiments in order to determine the nature <strong>of</strong> the intraspecific<br />
variation in these bees, and made extensive collections which<br />
included over-winter immature stages <strong>of</strong> eight different forms.<br />
In addition, Dr. Rozen brought to completion an anatomical<br />
and systematic study <strong>of</strong> the larvae <strong>of</strong> the beetle family Nitidulidae,<br />
an investigation that was initiated by the late Dr.<br />
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