Justin Orvel Schmidt (March 23, 1947 – February 18, 2023) was an American entomologist, co-author of Insect Defenses: Adaptive Mechanisms and Strategies of Prey and Predators,[1] author of The Sting of the Wild,[2] and creator of the Schmidt sting pain index. Schmidt studied honey bee nutrition, chemical communication, physiology, ecology and behavior at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona, before taking lead and devoting full-time to The Southwestern Biological Institute in 2006. As research director of the Southwest Biological Institute, he studied the chemical and behavioral defenses of ants, wasps, and arachnids.

Justin O. Schmidt
Born
Justin Orvel Schmidt

(1947-03-23)March 23, 1947
DiedFebruary 18, 2023(2023-02-18) (aged 75)
Alma materPennsylvania State University
Known forWork on killer bees
Notable workSchmidt sting pain index
AwardsIg Nobel Prize (2015)

Schmidt shared a 2015 Ig Nobel Prize in Physiology and Entomology for the development of the Schmidt sting pain Index.[3] His work was highlighted by major media outlets around the world.[4][5]

Schmidt died in Tucson, Arizona, of complications of Parkinson's disease on February 18, 2023, at the age of 75.[6][7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Insect defenses : adaptive mechanisms and strategies of prey and predators. David L. Evans, Justin O. Schmidt. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1990. ISBN 0-88706-896-0. OCLC 17877706.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Schmidt, Justin O. (2016). The sting of the wild. Baltimore. ISBN 978-1-4214-1928-2. OCLC 914445886.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Past Ig Winners". improbable.com. 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  4. ^ Steinberg, Avi (2016-08-18). "The Connoisseur of Pain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  5. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Bittel, Jason. "This Guy Got Himself Stung 1,000 Times For Science—Here's What He Learned". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  6. ^ Sandomir, Richard (March 3, 2023). "Justin O. Schmidt, Entomologist Known as 'King of Sting,' Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Rodriguez, Paola. "Tucson's "King of Sting," Justin Schmidt, dies from Parkinson's disease". news.azpm.org. Retrieved 2023-02-22.

Further reading

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