小時候曾經害怕昆蟲的蜜蜂專家梅．貝倫鮑姆(May Berenbaum)，致力於研究蜜蜂數量減少的原因，以及昆蟲與植物間的共同演化關係，她因環境科學研究的貢獻而獲頒2011年泰勒環境成就獎(Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement)。
泰勒獎包含了20萬美元獎金與一面金質獎牌，表揚在環境科學研究中具有遠見與貢獻的人士。該獎項是由農民保險公司創辦人約翰‧泰勒(John Tyler)和妻子艾莉絲‧泰勒(Alice Tyler)所創立。專門表彰對環境護育具有卓越貢獻、讓世人得以受益的人士，是最早的國際環境獎項之一。
「我懷著謙卑的心情接下泰勒獎」，貝倫鮑姆說，她也是伊利諾州大學昆蟲系的系主任，「我所敬佩的人物都是曾經得過泰勒獎的人士」。
貝倫鮑姆對蜜蜂以及昆蟲的研究興趣，出自於她想克服童年時對昆蟲的恐懼。
「我一直害怕昆蟲，直到進入大學後才喜歡上他們。我瞭解到，恐懼來自於無知。」貝倫鮑姆回憶，「我理解害怕昆蟲的感覺，因此我努於想促進大眾對昆蟲的認知與了解」。
貝倫鮑姆的核心研究題目是北美洲與其他地方的蜜蜂族群數量減少──也就是「蜂群崩壞症候群」(CCD)。
藉由遺傳分析與實驗研究，貝倫鮑姆發現植物演化出抵禦昆蟲的化學毒素，但是昆蟲也演化出克服的方法。
她說，理解植物和昆蟲間的共同演化(coevolution)，或者「軍備競賽」，有助於農作物病蟲害的防治以及基因轉殖作物。
1984年，貝倫鮑姆發起了一年一度的昆蟲電影節，這是項廣受歡迎的校園活動。昆蟲電影結合了恐怖片的效果以及認識生物的科普教育。
2007年，她建立了 BeeSpotter website，蒐集了美國境內蜜蜂的資訊，包含了物種多樣性與豐富度。這個網站也協助民眾辨識當地的蜜蜂種類，民眾也可以將蜜蜂的照片與相關地理資訊上傳到網頁。
貝倫鮑姆也在校園內創辦了授粉者博物館，這個獨立的博物館宗旨在於促進大眾對開花植物以及授粉者有更多認識。
「總是要有人對那些小傢伙(昆蟲)有興趣」貝倫鮑姆說。「這個世界缺少了昆蟲就無法正常運作，若少了他們，我們的生活會變得很悲慘，但是人們很難意識到這一點。」
「貝倫鮑姆教授對於拓展昆蟲學領域的知識，與解釋其重要性的貢獻，遠超越其他科學家。」泰勒獎的執行委員長兼貝勒大學(Baylor University)生物學教授歐文琳(Owen Lind)指出，「她是位蜜蜂專家，也深入了解蜜蜂族群數量減少的幕後原因，因此成了媒體、決策者與同儕間的絕佳蜜蜂專業資訊來源。」
※ 譯註：泰勒獎被認為是國際環境科學的最高獎，世界科學界的最高獎之一。
Bee expert May Berenbaum, who was afraid of insects as a child, has been awarded the 2011 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for her original work on the science behind the bee population collapse and on the evolutionary relationship between insects and plants.
The Tyler Prize, consisting of a $200,000 cash prize and a gold medal, honors exceptional foresight and dedication in the environmental sciences.
Since 1973 when John Tyler, co-founder of Farmers Insurance Group, and his wife, Alice Tyler, established the prize as one of the world's first international environmental awards, it has been given to those who confer great benefit upon humankind through environmental restoration and achievement.
"I'm absolutely humbled to receive the Tyler Prize," said Berenbaum, the head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "All of my scientific heroes are Tyler Prize alumni."
Dr. Berenbaum's interest in bees and other insects grew out of her wish to overcome her childhood fear.
"I was afraid of insects and didn't fall in love with them until college. I placed out of introductory biology and the only course that fit my schedule was Terrestrial Arthropods, and I figured, fear stems from ignorance, so here I go," recalls Berenbaum. "That's one reason I do so much outreach and public understanding because I know what it's like to fear insects."
Berenbaum's research has also been central to understanding the decline of bee populations in North America and around the world, known as colony collapse disorder.
Through a combination of genetic analysis and experimentation, Berenbaum has shown that plants evolve to create natural defenses, like chemical toxins to ward off pests, and that insects in turn evolve to overcome these defenses.
She says that understanding this coevolution, or "arms race," between plants and insects is fundamental to a better understanding of pesticide resistance, insects and genetically modified crops.
In 1984, Berenbaum founded the annual Insect Fear Film Festival, a popular campus event that combines insect horror movies with basic education about the creatures portrayed in the films.
In 2007, she initiated the BeeSpotter website, a tool for collecting information about the abundance and diversity of wild bees in the United States. The website helps people identify local wild bees and post photographs and enter geographic information about them.
Berenbaum also founded the campus Pollinatarium, a free-standing museum dedicated to broadening public understanding of flowering plants and their pollinators.
"Someone has got to stick up for the little guy," said Berenbaum. "This world, this planet, would not function without insects. Our lives would be miserable without insects and people don't realize that."
"Professor Berenbaum has done more to advance the field of entomology and explain its significance than nearly any other researcher today," said Tyler Prize Executive Committee Chair Owen Lind, professor of biology at Baylor University. "Her expertise on bees and the causes behind declining bee populations has further positioned her as a leading resource for the media, policymakers and peers."
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