Entomological Society of Canada – Fellows

Entomological Society of Canada Fellowships are bestowed by the Society to recognize members for their major contributions to entomology via research, teaching, application, and (or) administration. This year the society recognizes two new fellows.

Michel Cusson

Michel Cusson recently retired (2022) after a long and illustrious career, largely at Natural Resources Canada’s Laurentian Forestry Centre, where he is currently emeritus scientist. He earned his PhD at Université Laval (1989) before the genomic revolution, but following a career trajectory first as an insect physiologist then as a biochemist or molecular biologist, he finished as a specialist in genomics applied to forest invasive alien species, most notably, Lymantria dispar and Agrilus planipennis. Through his career, he authored 116 peer-reviewed articles and 20 book chapters and presented 88 invited conferences. He made seminal advances in several entomological research fields, from semiochemistry to molecular diagnostics to virology.

Dr Cusson has served as president of the Entomological Society of Canada (2012) and the Société d’Entomologie du Québec (2004). He was recipient of the ESC’s Gold Medal Award (2020) and NRC’s Achievement Award for Exceptional Career (2022).

Donna Giberson

Donna Giberson is professor emerita at the University of PEI where she held a faculty position for 25 years. Her outstanding teaching and scholarship there earned her the Presidential Merit Award for Teaching, the MacLauchlan Prize for Effective Writing (leadership in the development of writing among students), and the UPEI Award for Scholarly Achievement (twice).

Dr Giberson earned her PhD at the University of Manitoba (1991) and joined the faculty at UPEI after one year as NSERC Post-doctoral Fellow and sessional lecturer at Mount Allison University. She has published 48 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, 36 reports and other articles, and 8 books and identification guides, mostly on aquatic insects. She has presented 24 invited or keynote talks.

Dr Giberson has been a tireless contributor to the entomological community in many ways, but most obviously in her editorial activities, helping to produce over 60 issues as assistant editor of the Bulletin of the ESC and as editor of the Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada (and, incidentally, of the Mayfly Newsletter). She has had almost continuous leadership roles in the BSC for over 25 years, led the organization of the ESC JAM in 2004, and was awarded the ESC’s Gold Medal in 2022.