Four Decades of Vector Biology at the University of Notre Dame: A Scientific Perspective

DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is dedicated, with affection, to the late George B. Craig, Jr., a colleague, a collaborator, and a friend for nearly four decades.... INTRODUCTION During the last forty years, the field of vector biology has evolved from a largely descriptive science to one of considerable sophistication, addressing fundamental as well as applied aspects of the above mentioned human diseases. Considerable emphasis has been placed on studying the biology, including genetics, field ecology, reproductive physiology, epidemiology, and more recently, molecular biology, of several important insect species that are vectors of the diseases mentioned above. Since its founding by the late Professor George B. Craig, Jr., in 1957, the Vector Biology Laboratory of the University of Notre Dame has played an important role in shaping the field into what it is today. In terms of scholarly productivity, national and international recognition, grant support, training, placement of graduate students and posrdoctorals, and the overall quality of the published work, this group has few peers. Indeed, the case can perhaps be made that this group historically ranks among the best in the world in the broad area of vector biology spanning the last four decades....