Dr. Henry F. Howden is considered the world’s preeminent expert on scarab beetle systematics. His research on the taxonomy, systematics, evolution, biogeography, faunistic surveys, and natural history of Coleoptera has culminated in more than 170 scientific papers and book chapters, as well as collaborations with 43 coauthors.
A fellow of the Entomological Society of Canada (1985) and honorary member of the Instituto de Ecologia in Xalapa, Mexico (1998) and the Coleopterists Society (2003), Howden earned his M.S. (1949) from the University of Maryland, and in 1953, was the first student to earn a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University.
During his 42-year career, he spent nearly 30 years at Carleton University in Ontario, Canada before retiring in 1995. Today he is a professor emeritus at Carleton and an honorary research associate at the Canadian Museum of Nature, also in Ontario.
As a professor, Howden was the major supervisor for nine M.S., 10 Ph.D., and hundreds of undergraduate students whom he taught evolution, biogeography, and insect systematics. He also helped stimulate a generation of scientists by organizing and leading field courses to the Amazon in the 1970s, inspiring future entomologists and others such as wildlife artist Robert Bateman and natural history writer Adrian Forsyth.
(updated September, 2005)