Boris Uvarov
Boris Uvarov | |
|---|---|
 B. P. Uvarov at the International Congress of Entomology in Madrid, 1935 | |
| Born | Boris Petrovitch Uvarov 3 November 1886[2] |
| Died | 18 March 1970 (aged 83)[1] London |
| Alma mater | Saint Petersburg State University |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society (1950)[1] |
Sir Boris Petrovitch Uvarov KCMG FRS (born 1886,[2] – died 1970) was a Russian-British entomologist.[1]
Biography
Boris Petrovitch Uvarov was born in Ural'sk, in the Russian Empire (now Oral, Kazakhstan[3]), the son of Pyotr P. Uvarov, a state bank employee, and his wife, Aleksandra. He studied biology in the Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1910. He worked as entomologist in Stavropol and put locust control on a sound scientific basis. From 1915 he worked in Tiflis, which after the Russian revolution of 1917 had become the capital of the short-lived Democratic Republic of Georgia. Moved to London in 1920.
Starting in 1945, Dr. Uvarov and his small team received official designation as the Anti-Locust Research Centre, London. During the next fourteen years, the Centre developed into the foremost laboratory in the world for research on locusts. He made important contributions in the areas of taxonomy, population biology and locust control.
Honours
- Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (1943)[1]
- Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (10 June 1961) for contributions to science, particularly as Director of the Anti-Locust Research Centre[1]
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1950)[1]
- Commander of the Royal Order of the Lion (Belgium, 1948)[1]
- Honorary DSc from the University of Madrid (1935)[1]
- President of the Royal Entomological Society of London (1959–61)[1]
Uvarov was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1950,[1] his nomination reads:
His researches on taxonomy, morphology, biometrics and behaviour of locusts led him to formulate the phase theory respecting those insects, greatly influencing locus research throughout the world. It has also provided a basis for international policy of prevention of locust outbreaks. His studies of outbreaks in Africa contributed much towards establishing correlation between seasonal weather conditions and locus migrations thus providing a basis for forecasting. Other work includes over 150 papers on taxonomy of Orthoptera and many on Orthopterous faunas. Has also done much to encourage locust research and played a leading part in planning international anti-locus measures.[4]
Personal life
His niece was Dame Olga Uvarov.
Works
- Locusts and Grasshoppers (1928)
- Insect Nutrition and Metabolism (1928)
- Insects and Climate (1931)
- Grasshoppers and Locusts (V. I, 1966, ISBN 0-85135-072-0 V. II, 1977 ISBN 978-0-85135-072-1)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Uvarov, Sir Boris Petrovich". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ a b Fedotova, Anastasia; Kouprianov, Alexei (2016). "Archival research reveals the true date of birth of the father of locust phase theory, Sir Boris Uvarov, FRS" (PDF). Euroasian Entomological Journal. 15 (4): 321–327. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Lockwood, Jeffrey A. (2004). Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect That Shaped the American Frontier. p. 139. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Library and Archive Catalogue: Uvarov, Sir Boris Petrovich". London: The Royal Society. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- 1889 births
- 1970 deaths
- People from Oral, Kazakhstan
- People from London
- Saint Petersburg State University alumni
- Russian entomologists
- British entomologists
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Disease-related deaths in England
- Soviet entomologists