Leigh Seminar Speaker Michael Hoffmann: Noted Entomologist

Cornell University emeritus professor MIchael Hoffmann, who will deliver the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award Seminar, hosted Monday, Oct. 14 by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be introduced by his longtime friend and colleague, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Frank Zalom.

Hoffmann, a noted entomologist and climate change spokesperson who received his doctorate from UC Davis in 1990, will speak on "Our Changing Menu: Using the Power of Food to Confront Climate Change." The event, to be held in the Putah Creek Lodge, begins at 4 p.m.,  and will include a social, lecture and dinner. Reservations are closed but the seminar will be on Zoom and then archived. The Zoom link: 
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

Hoffmann is the lead author of the book, Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and Need (Cornell Press 2021). 

"Mike is one of the nicest people who I have ever known," said Zalom, who officially retired in 2018 but continues his IPM research and outreach efforts as a recall professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. "He is caring, unselfish, and passionate in his support of issues that he believes in. He is devoted to his family, and has always been willing to commit his personal and professional time to making things better for others. He was committed to IPM as a graduate student at Davis and subsequently as a faculty member in entomology at Cornell. He not only conducted IPM research, but he put it into practice through personal interactions with diverse agricultural and urban communities in New York State." 

Zalom, who directed the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) Program for 16 years, noted that Hoffmann "assumed leadership of the New York State IPM Program, one of the very best IPM programs in the country, then applied his enthusiasm for sustainability to Cornell’s Agricultural Experiment Station as its director where it is generally acknowledged that he created a ‘culture of sustainability.' "

"Mike is a big-picture-kind of person," Zalom said, "and has dedicated much of the latter half of his career to preparing communities for the effects of climate change by illustrating its effects through food. He has given hundreds of engaging presentations on climate change including a highly regarded TEDx talk."

Hoffmann was "the executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Change Solutions when he retired from Cornell in 2020, but remains active in presenting the story of what is happening and what can be done about it nationally and internationally," Zalom said. "I am proud to say that Mike remains one of my very closest friends, and it will be my honor to introduce him for his upcoming seminar where is will receive the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award."

Food is essential for life, it is emotive, it is personal, and it is deeply imbedded in our cultures and family histories," Hoffmann says in his abstract. "Let’s face it, we love it. However, not enough people know that climate change is changing the flavors, aromas, nutritional quality, and prices of the foods we love and need. Food is the ideal messenger for the climate change story and one that can make climate change relevant to everyone — we all eat. Regardless of political affiliation most people are interested in learning more about climate change impacts on their food — an audience awaits. We also talk a lot about food but far less about climate change yet talking about climate change is the first step in confronting it. It is time to meld these conversations. Imagine consumers, producers, chefs, food media, restaurateurs, retailers, and many more tapping the power of food to confront climate change and keeping our favorites on the menu. And coincidentally, keeping the planet livable."

Hoffmann said he is dedicating his life to "confronting the grand challenge of climate change by helping people understand and appreciate what is happening through the foods we all love and need. He has published climate-change articles in the popular press, including The Hill, Fortune, Medium, and USA Today.  He also delivered a TEDX Talk, titled Climate Change: It’s Time to Raise Our Voices," teaches an online eCornell course, Climate Change Leadership; and has presented more than 150 climate-change talks.

"I will tell the climate change story until I no longer can," Hoffmann said.

A native of Wisconsin, Hoffmann grew up on "a one-cow dairy farm" and recalls milking a cow named "Mabel." After graduating from high school, he served in the U. S. Marines during the Vietnam War. He received his bachelor's degree in 1975 from the University of Wisconsin, master's degree in 1978 from the University of Arizona, and his doctorate in 1990 from UC Davis, where he studied with Professor Ted Wilson and later Frank Zalom.

Hoffmann joined the Cornell faculty in 1990 and held multiple leadership roles in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions (2015-2020). He transitioned to emeritus in January 2020 after a 30-year career at Cornell.

The Leigh seminar memorializes cotton entomologist Thomas Frances Leigh (1923-1993), an international authority on the biology, ecology and management of arthropod pests affecting cotton production. During his 37-year UC Davis career, Leigh was based at the Shafter Research and Extension Center, also known as the U.S. Cotton Research Station. When his wife, Nina, passed in 2002, the name of the alumni seminar changed to the Thomas and Nina Distinguished Alumni Award Seminar.

Zalom remembers Leigh well. "Tom was a physically imposing figure, but he was quiet, thoughtful and a true gentleman," Zalom said. "He was a respected member of the southern San Joaquin Valley community and he maintained close ties with a number of local organizations. People associated with the San Joaquin Valley cotton industry revered him, and his work benefited them greatly."

"Although he was located 4 ½ hours from campus in Shafter (near Bakersfield), he made an effort to stay in good communication with our department in Davis," Zalom said. "This was not so easy given the distance but also the lack of internet, Zoom, etc. that facilitates remote communication nowadays. He was a solid researcher, and open to collaboration with other entomologists and researchers from other disciplines, and was active in the Entomological Society of America (ESA), and served as president of the Pacific Branch in 1981."

Zalom, who holds a doctorate in entomology from UC Davis (1978), joined the University of Minnesota faculty as assistant professor before returning to UC Davis in 1980. He is a past president (2014) of the 7000-member Entomological Society of America and was elected Honorary Member, ESA's highest award, in 2021.