The annual Patton Lecture in Insect Physiology is hosted by the Department of Entomology, Cornell University, and sponsored by Dr. Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria. The annual traveling lectureship is in honor of Dr Robert L. Patton (1914-2008). Dr Patton was a member of faculty at Cornell from 1939-1978. He was a pioneer in insect electrophysiology and contributed to many other areas of insect physiology.

The 10th Annual Patton Lecture and Symposium: 17-18 October 2011

The 10th Annual Patton Lecture was given by Professor Jon Harrison, Arizona State University on Monday 17th October.

The title of Professor Harrison's lecture was Oxygen Effects on Insects: Responses in Seconds to Geological Eras
Insect tracheal systems allow the fastest rates of oxygen delivery known in the animal kingdom.  This observation would seem to conflict with the popular hypothesis that the giant insects of the late Paleozoic were made possible by elevated atmospheric oxygen at that time.  This lecture will explore the complex relationships between oxygen and the structure, function and evolution of insects.  Topics will include oxygen effects on metabolism and behavior, developmental effects of oxygen (including the hypothesis that declining oxygen levels within an instar are involved in triggering molting), evolutionary responses of population, and new evidence of oxygen effects on the size of insect fossils.

Linked to the Patton Lecture, we held The Patton Symposium on Perspectives on Insect Nutrition, with hands-on workshops.  More information is available here.

The Patton Lecturers

2011 Professor Jon Harrison, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

2010 Professor Serap Aksoy, Head of the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health (2010 Patton Lecture Summary)

2009 Professor Bruno Lemaitre École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

2008 Professor Julian Dow Integrative and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow

2007 Dr Walter Leal Chemical Ecology and Olfaction Group, Department of Entomology, University of California at Davis

2006 Dr David Denlinger Department of Entomology, Ohio State University

2005 Professor Fred Nijhout Department of Biology, Duke University

2004 Professor Dr Randolf Menzel Freie Universität Berlin

2003 Dr Jim Truman Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm

2002 Professor Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, John Hopkins Malaria Research Institute

Robert L. Patton

Robert Patton (1913-2008) was born in Livingston, Montana and received a BS degree from Montana State College, Bozeman and a PhD degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty at Cornell in 1939, and he contributed to the field of insect physiology through research, a textbook and mentoring of 22 graduate students, several of whom became distinguished contributors to the discipline.
Dr Patton was a pioneer in insect electrophysiology. In the early 1950s, he monitored the electrical activity of the insect nervous system using electro-mechanical equipment of his own design. This work was reported in Newsweek magazine. In 1978, he was named a Professor Emeritus and, in 2002, he was honored by Cornell with the creation of a permanent visiting lectureship in his name.

Dr Patton was also skilled in ultra-micro chemistry. During World War II, he was a member of the team that developed a method for the chemical isolation of Plutonium 239. In 1948, he was cited by President Truman for his contribution to the war effort.

Dr Patton was very active in scouting, serving as a troup leader and in other roles, for which he was recognized by the Silver Beaver Award in 1981. He enjoyed playing the clarinet and was an accomplished woodworker.