Thomas E. Moore, Ph.D., professor of biology and curator of insects, Museum of Zoology, retired from active faculty status on May 31, 2000, after a most productive career as a teacher and researcher.

A native of Illinois, Professor Moore received his B.S. (1951), M.S. (1952), and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. He joined the University of Michigan faculty as an instructor in zoology and curator of insects in 1956. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1959, associate professor in 1963, and professor in 1966. He served as director of the Exhibit Museum from 1988-93. Professor Moore's research interests include systematic, evolutionary, and ecological relationships of cicadas (insects) of the world, especially their acoustical behavior in nature. He also researched periodicity and associated behavior, development, nature of sound-producing and sound-receiving structures, species-specific physiology of acoustic nerves, and long-term interactions among animals and plants and soils. More recently, he studied functional morphology and neural control of live insect robots (biobots) as carriers of environmental sensors and their MEMS-engineering and artificial intelligence applications. He had extensive field experience in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Professor Moore was a member of a dozen state, regional, national, and international organizations. He served on the board of directors and the executive committee of the Organization for Tropical Studies and has been a member of the Royal Entomological Society of London since 1980. Locally, he served as a Washtenaw County representative for the Huron River Watershed Council 1987-94 and as an LS&A college representative to the University of Michigan High School Accreditation Advisory Committee from 1987-92. He was on the executive board, Michigan Conference, of the American Association of University Professors from 1996-98 and was president of the University of Michigan chapter from 1996-98.

The Regents now salute this distinguished educator for his dedicated service by naming Thomas E. Moore professor emeritus of biology and curator emeritus of insects.