Dr. Gavin Svenson Honored by Crain's Cleveland
Museum Assistant Director of Science and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Dr. Gavin Svenson has been named to the Crain's Cleveland Cleveland Business 2017 class of 40 Under 40! The group is noted for taking a leading role in the Greater Cleveland Business Community.
Dr. Svenson’s research is transformational. He is earning national accolades his expertise in biological diversity and evolutionary history of praying mantises. The results of his research are changing the traditional scientific classification of these insects and revealing new evolutionary patterns.
Svenson has named 19 new bark mantis species based on specimens he collected on expeditions to eight Central and South American countries and studied on visits to the collections of 25 museums in the Americas and Europe. A fieldwork project Svenson led in the African country of Rwanda has already yielded one new species and likely several more.
The New York Times, Science Daily, National Geographic, The Daily Mail UK and other publications have covered his discoveries. He was also noted for co-authoring research that named a new species of leaf-dwelling praying Mantis – “Ilomantis Ginsburgae"--after Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and discovered a new species of praying mantis in Peru and named it “Liturgusa Krattorum” after Martin and Chris Kratt.
Svenson became intrigued with understanding insect evolution during a college study-abroad program in Australia. He began working with praying mantises and their systematics as a graduate student and now shares his knowledge as an adjunct assistant professor in the department of biology at Case Western Reserve University. Svenson is also eager to share his knowledge through educational programs offered at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and is involved in the Museum’s mission to open its doors to a world of discovery through its expansion and innovative programing.
Twice each year, Svenson conducts fieldwork internationally to study and collect praying mantis specimens. He is collaborating with researchers from institutions around the country on a National Science Foundation-funded effort to create a research-quality online database of the Museum’s arthropod and mollusk collection and nine other collections housed at major museums.
Read More About Dr. Svenson's Research
Discovering the Oldest Resident of the Greater Antilles
The Definitive Guide to Mantises
Meet Hondurantemna chespiritoi
Predator Strategies Shaped Orchid Mantis Evolution
Mantis Species Named After Supreme Court Justice in the Name of Feminist Biology
Discovering a Horned Neck Mantis Amid a French Collection
Revising the Mantis Family Tree
Discovering the Re-evolution of Disruptive Camouflage
Discovering a "Bush Tiger" Praying Mantis
Uncovering 19 New Praying Mantis Species