Herbert Osborn (1856-1954) was professor of entomology at Ohio State and served as chairman of the Department of Zoology and Entomology from 1898-1916. In 1916, he was named by then-President Thompson as the university’s first research professor.
Osborn published over 500 scientific articles during his lifetime and authored several important entomology books. He donated his extensive insect collection and library to Ohio State. According to many though, his greatest contribution to entomological science, was the number of students he trained throughout his career.
Osborn also founded and served as the first Director of the Ohio Biological Survey, an inter-institutional consortium of universities, museums, metro parks, zoos and other organizations the serves to produce and disseminate information concerning the flora and fauna of Ohio.
He was a member and held leadership positions in the Association of Economic Entomologists, the Entomological Society of America, the American Microscopic Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.