MSU entomologist wins international photography award

Dr. Gerald T. Baker, professor of entomology and director of the university's Electron Microscope Center, won the $2,500 grand prize in the 1993 Polaroid International Instant Photomicrography Competition.

Baker's entry, photographed through the electron microscope, showed the intricate surface of a polyphemus moth egg. Baker's research interest is the microstructure of insect eggs.

"In my research, I look at the egg structure of various insects, mites, and ticks," he said. "I'm interested in learning if we can use the egg stage to identify and classify insects."

Baker has been an entomology professor at Mississippi State since 1982. He has directed the Electron Microscope Center for the past three years. A native of Canada, he received his bachelor's degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia; his master's from Carleton University in Ottawa; and his doctorate from Oregon State University.

The 12th annual Polaroid competition drew entries from around the world with more than $12,000 in prize money awarded to the top 30 microscopists. A three-judge panel unanimously selected Baker's scanning electron micrograph as the best image of 1993.