CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 6/4/18: David Eades, a scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) at the University of Illinois, has received the Frank Bisby Prize for 2018 for his outstanding contributions in building global species databases.
Species 2000, a federation of taxonomists worldwide, presented the prize. Their product, the Catalogue of Life, is the most authoritative and comprehensive index of animals, plants, fungi, and micro-organisms on Earth. Eades is considered by Species 2000 to be a driving force of the online database.
As a scientist in INHS and an entrepreneur in biodiversity informatics, Eades was the principal developer of the Species File software, a web-based tool that helps taxonomists create electronic catalogs of animal names with literature, distribution, and specimen information included, all conforming to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
The software also provides access to and facilitates the use of taxonomic information in multiple databases and is free for scientific use.
Eades started contributing to the Catalogue of Life in 2004. Since 2010, he has served in various capacities on the Global Team and the Species 2000 Board of Directors. In 2015, Eades received a Species 2000 Certificate of Appreciation for 10 years of contribution to the Catalogue.
The Frank Bisby Prize was initiated in 2015 as a way to award scientists who contribute to the field of biodiversity informatics and e-taxonomy. Awardees receive a financial contribution and an award certificate.
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Contact: David Eades, 217-244-9422, dceades@illinois.edu; Tricia Barker, Associate Director for Strategic Communications, 217-300-2327, tlbarker@illinois.edu
