Listen to the Interview (mp3, 60mb)
(1 hour, four minutes)

May Berenbaum graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree and honors in biology from Yale University in 1975. She attended graduate school at Cornell University and received a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology in 1980. Since 1980, she has been a member of the faculty of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has served as head of the department since 1992. In addition to her research, she is devoted to teaching and to fostering scientific literacy; she is the recipient of the 2006 Entomological Society of America Distinguished Teaching Award and has authored numerous magazine articles as well as five books about insects for the general public. She has also gained some measure of fame as the organizer of the Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois, an annual celebration of Hollywood's entomological excesses.

Listen to the Interview using RealPlayer ( requires free RealPlayer software):

 TRACK 1
May Berenbaum describes early influences that made her interested in science and her educational experiences. She then provides background information for her work on plant-insect interactions. (11 minutes)

 TRACK 2
Berenbaum explains the evolutionary "arms race" between caterpillars and plants. She described the explorations of the molecules that animals, including insects, use to detoxify poisons in their food. (10 minutes)

 TRACK 3
Berenbaum discusses the use of toxins in insect defense and the mimics, non-toxic insects that masquerade as poisonous insects. She describes her work on host plants, particularly the changing chemical profile of wild parsnips in response to predation by the web worm. She ends this track with a story of her discovery of a weevil species. (9 minutes)

 TRACK 4
Berenbaum describes the work currently being done on insect genomes. This leads to a discussion on the impact of genetically modified plants on wild insect populations. This track ends with a brief discussion of Berenbaum's work to increase the public understanding of science. (9 minutes)

 TRACK 5
Berenbaum discusses insects' unusual abilities and their importance in the world. People's discomfort with insects has lead to the popularity of Berenbaum's Insect Fear Film Festival. (8 minutes)

 TRACK 6
Berenbaum talks about the impact of insects on popular culture and the course that she teaches, which explores the pervasiveness of insects in our society. She mentions the beneficial role of insects and the impact of insect extinction. (9 minutes)