B.A., University of Tennessee (Zoology and Botany), 1953
M.S., Ohio State University (Entomology), 1954
Ph.D., Ohio State University (Entomology), 1957
Employment
Assistant Professor (1957-1962), University of Florida
Associate Professor (1962-1968), University of Florida
Professor (1968-2001), University of Florida
Professor Emeritus (2001-present), University of Florida
Current Research Interests
Systematics and acoustic behavior of katydids and crickets
Migratory behavior of butterflies
Toll-free access to journal articles
Selected Accomplishments
In 2005, became Administrative Assistant for the Natural Area Advisory Committee and oversaw noteworthy improvements to NATL.
Initiated and developed Singing Insects of North America, a web site that enables almost anyone to identify species of North American crickets, katydids, and cicadas.
Taught numerous courses including general education biology (17 yrs), systematics (4 yrs), insect ecology (41 yrs), and information techniques in research (31 yrs).
Coordinated a successful proposal to designate 46 acres in the SW corner
of the University of Florida campus as a natural area and outdoor teaching
laboratory.
Organized and chaired the Natural Area Advisory Committee, which manages
the University of Florida’s Natural
Area Teaching Laboratory.
Led UF's mole cricket project during its initial years (1979-1985). During this period the origins, ecology, and behavior of Florida's three pest species were clarified, and the initial steps taken in what became their successful biological control by the introduction of natural enemies from temperate South America (Walker 1984).
Headed the faculty planning committee for the Entomology and Nematology Building (1986-1990).
Editor of Florida Entomologist (1964-1966).
Web Master of Florida Entomologist (1994-date).
Led the development, production, and installation of 56 computerized environmental
chambers (“Florida Reach-Ins”) (1987-1991) as described by Walker et al. 1993.
Developed and improved acoustical traps for agriculturally important insects (Walker 1988, 1996).
Showed that butterflies migrate into and out of peninsular Florida each
fall and spring by the tens of millions (Walker 1991).
Developed economical, effective, portable traps for monitoring butterfly
migration (Walker and Whitesell 1993, 1994).
Established that fall migrating cloudless sulfur butterflies fly different
compass directions appropriate to reaching peninusular Florida.
Analyzed the acoustical template of larvipositing Ormia ochracea. (Walker 1993).
Completed a database of more than 10,000 records of tape recordings of
insect sounds.
Headed a project to electronically publish Florida
Entomologist on the Internet in parallel with its traditional version.
Successfully urged the Entomological Society of America to offer its authors, at a fair price, unlimited, immediate free Web access to their articles.
Headed a project
that made the 1917 to March 1994 issues of Florida Entomologist publicly
accessible on the Web. The cost of scanning, indexing, and optical
character reading the 20,000 pages was less than $12,000.
Discovered
that the pulse rates in the calling songs of Gryllus rubens and G. texensis
were influenced by temperature during development.
