Merav Ben-David

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Merav Ben-David

| native_name = מירב בן-דוד

| native_name_lang = he

| image = Merav Ben-David.png

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|1|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Rehovot, Israel

| citizenship = {{hlist|Israel|United States}}

| alma_mater = {{ubl|Tel Aviv University (BS, MS)|University of Alaska, Fairbanks (PhD)}}

| workplaces = {{ubl|University of Alaska, Fairbanks|University of Wyoming}}

| fields = {{hlist|Ecology|zoology}}

}}

Merav Ben-David ({{langx|he|מירב בן-דוד}}; born 17 January 1959) is an Israeli-American ecologist, zoologist, and politician who is the chair of the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate election in Wyoming, losing to former Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis in the general election. She ran for state representative from Wyoming's 46th District in 2022.

Early life and education

Ben-David was born to a Jewish family in Rehovot, and raised on a farm{{cite web |title=November 7, 2016 |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2016/11/the-wildlife-society-honors-uws-ben-david.html |website=University of Wyoming|accessdate=19 August 2020}} near Rishon LeZion. She spent two years in the Israeli Air Force in fulfillment of the country's compulsory military service.

Ben-David earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1984, and a Master of Science in 1988 from Tel Aviv University. She spent five years as a safari tour guide in Kenya, before moving to Alaska, where she studied wildlife management. She earned her PhD from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1996.{{cite web |title=UW Professor Elected as TWS Fellow by the Wildlife Society |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2017/04/uw-professor-elected-as-tws-fellow-by-the-wildlife-society.html |website=University of Wyoming |accessdate=19 August 2020}}{{cite web |title=Zoologist Merav Ben-David to Give UW Faculty Senate Speaker Series Talk|date=26 October 2015 |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2015/10/zoologist-merav-ben-david-to-give-uw-faculty-senate-speaker-series-talk.htmlZoologist |website=University of Wyoming |accessdate=30 October 2020}}

Career

Ben-David emigrated from Israel to the United States due to worsening job prospects in Israel in the early 1990s as a result of the 1990s post-Soviet aliyah.{{cite news |last1=Maltz |first1=Judy |title=One, two, three, four – we opened up the Iron Door |url=https://www.haaretz.com/st/c/prod/eng/25yrs_russ_img/ |accessdate=30 October 2020 |work=Haaretz |issue=November |date=2014}} After earning her PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Ben-David remained there as an ecologist. She was fascinated by local marine ecosystems, which included otters, mink, marten, polar bears, and the salmon they fed on.{{cite journal |last1=Cahan |first1=Eli |title=In Wyoming, an ecologist seeks a new niche as a U.S. senator |journal=Science |date=19 October 2020 |doi=10.1126/science.abf2639 |s2cid=226356536 }}{{cite web |title=Merav Ben-David, Israeli-born scientist, wants to be the next Senator from…Wyoming? |url=https://forward.com/news/national/451911/merav-ben-david-israeli-born-scientist-wants-to-be-the-next-senator/|website=The Forward|date=August 2020 |accessdate=19 August 2020}}

In 2000, Ben-David became an associate professor at the University of Wyoming. She became a full professor in 2010. She has served as the editor-in-chief of Wildlife Monographs, succeeding Eric Hellgren in 2017.{{cite web |last1=John |first1=Julia |title=TWS names new Wildlife Monographs editor-in-chief |work=The Wildlife Society |date=24 February 2017 |url=https://wildlife.org/tws-names-new-wildlife-monographs-editor-in-chief/ |access-date=30 October 2020}} As of January 2020 she was head of the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming.{{cite web |last1=Stiller |first1=Jesse |title=Prof's senate campaign hinges on realizing 'Equality State' |url=https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=14260 |website=Campus Reform |date=23 January 2020 |accessdate=17 July 2020}}

Her work mostly centers around carnivores and their behavior in ecosystems.{{cite web|title=Merav Ben-David|url=http://www.uwyo.edu/zoology/people/bendavid.html|website=University of Wyoming|accessdate=19 August 2020}}{{cite web |title=Merav Ben-David |url=https://polarbearsinternational.org/profiles/merav-ben-david/ |website=Polar Bears International |accessdate=16 July 2020}}

She has published more than 110 scientific papers that analyze the impact of climate change, invasive species, logging and pollution on animals, often using innovative research techniques.{{cite web |title=Merav Ben-David |url=https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=HqkRWpoAAAAJ |website=Google Scholar |accessdate=16 July 2020}}

Among her most-cited works are studies applying stable isotope analysis to animal ecology to document changes in the diet of generalist predators; exploring the impact of flooding, predation, and salmon runs on vegetation in the Alexander Archipelago; and examining the effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill on otters in Prince William Sound. She has helped to study the effects of the Exxon and BP spills in terms of both immediate and long-term effects.{{cite journal |last1=Bowyer |first1=R. Terry |last2=Blundell |first2=Gail M. |last3=Ben-David |first3=Merav |last4=Jewett |first4=Stephen C. |last5=Dean |first5=Thomas A. |last6=Duffy |first6=Lawrence K. |title=Effects of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on River Otters: Injury and Recovery of a Sentinel Species |journal=Wildlife Monographs |date=2003 |volume=153 |issue=153 |pages=1–53 |jstor=3830746 }}{{cite journal |last1=Esler |first1=Daniel |last2=Ballachey |first2=Brenda E. |last3=Matkin |first3=Craig |last4=Cushing |first4=Daniel |last5=Kaler |first5=Robert |last6=Bodkin |first6=James |last7=Monson |first7=Daniel |last8=Esslinger |first8=George |last9=Kloecker |first9=Kim |title=Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill |journal=Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography |date=January 2018 |volume=147 |pages=36–42 |doi=10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.04.007 |bibcode=2018DSRII.147...36E |doi-access=free }}

Her work was included in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report, which assessed damage and potential for remediation, and was a basis for fining Exxon and BP after their respective oil spills of 1989 and 2010.{{cite book |last1=Holland-Bartels |first1=L. E. |title=Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report Mechanisms of Impact and Potential Recovery of Nearshore Vertebrate Predators Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project 99025 |date=2002 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |location=Anchorage, Alaska |url=https://evostc.state.ak.us/media/2278/1999-99025-final.pdf |accessdate=30 October 2020}}

Ben-David has focused deeply on the river otter (Lontra canadensis), examining it in its role as a sentinel species and also using it as a model for predicting effects of pollutants on the rarer and more difficult to study sea otter (Enhydra lutris).{{cite journal |last1=Peterson |first1=Elizabeth K. |last2=Schulte |first2=Bruce A. |title=Impacts of Pollutants on Beavers and Otters with Implications for Ecosystem Ramifications |journal=Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education |date=2016 |volume=157 |issue=157 |pages=33–45 |doi=10.1111/j.1936-704X.2016.03212.x |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rutishauser |first1=Matthew |title=More than Our Guests: Research with Captive Sea Otters |journal=The Otter Raft |date=2002 |volume=Spring/Summer |issue=66 |page=4 |url=http://seaotters.org/pdfs/spring02.pdf}}{{cite web |last1=Rozell |first1=Ned |title=Oil-fed Otters May Provide Clues to Spill Damage |url=https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/oil-fed-otters-may-provide-clues-spill-damage |website=University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute |accessdate=19 August 2020}}

She has carried out work with Alaskan otters for over 30 years.{{cite news |last1=Mast |first1=Thaddeus |title=UW professor studies humans' effects on environment |url=https://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/local_news/uw-professor-studies-humans-effects-on-environment/article_86b6dd04-55e0-11e5-a063-67384f132123.html |accessdate=30 October 2020 |work=Laramie Boomerang |date=8 September 2015}}

Her field studies of chemical bioaccumulation have gained international attention.{{cite journal |last1=Brink |first1=Nico W. van den |last2=Arblaster |first2=Jennifer A. |last3=Bowman |first3=Sarah R. |last4=Conder |first4=Jason M. |last5=Elliott |first5=John E. |last6=Johnson |first6=Mark S. |last7=Muir |first7=Derek CG |last8=Natal‐da‐Luz |first8=Tiago |last9=Rattner |first9=Barnett A. |last10=Sample |first10=Bradley E. |last11=Shore |first11=Richard F. |title=Use of terrestrial field studies in the derivation of bioaccumulation potential of chemicals |journal=Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management |date=2016 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=135–145 |doi=10.1002/ieam.1717 |pmid=26436822 |doi-access=free }}

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage= 210px | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QjqQsFHbtY Polar Bears and Climate Change: Walking on a Faster Treadmill], Merav Ben-David, 2016}}

She began studying the impact of human activity and climate change on polar bears in 2001. She has worked for nearly 20 years with Steven Amstrup to study polar bear ecology in the Beaufort Sea and other areas.{{cite web |last1=Falconer |first1=Rebecca |title=Science Research flashes new warnings of polar bear survival due to climate change |date=20 July 2020 |url=https://www.axios.com/polar-bears-greenhouse-gas-survival-threat-c73e52d6-d722-4ed0-bef4-daa4defba4e8.html |website=AXIOS |accessdate=31 October 2020}} One of the behavioral patterns she has observed via satellite tracking is that polar bears show high fidelity to the local area of ocean in which they live. As sea ice is thinning, it drifts faster, requiring polar bears to walk farther each day on the ice to retain their position. This increases the energy requirements of the bears while decreasing their available time to hunt.{{cite news |last1=Victor |first1=Jeff |title=Climate change puts polar bears on treadmill |url=https://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/climate-change-puts-polar-bears-on-treadmill/article_010fbe22-4be9-11e7-979e-df1cf32ff223.html |work=Laramie Boomerang|date=8 June 2017 |accessdate=31 October 2020}} Models project that polar bear populations may collapse by 2080.

In 2004, she began another long-term project, studying chipmunks that live in the Laramie Mountains. One of the findings of Ben-David and her students is that chipmunks are more likely to survive the shorter winters resulting from climate change. Ben-David also studies river otters of the Powder River Basin, and the effects of nearby oil drilling. Her work has revealed low populations of otters in the New Fork River, compared to areas nearby.{{cite web |title=Case of the Missing Otters |url=https://westernconfluence.org/case-of-the-missing-otters/ |website=Western Confluence|date= 14 March 2017 |accessdate=30 October 2020}}

Ben-David has received a variety of awards for her work including the Barrett-Hamilton distinguished ecologist award from the University of Manitoba in 2012 and the Excellence in Wildlife Education award from The Wildlife Society in 2016.{{cite web |title=The Wildlife Society Honors UW's Ben-David |date=7 November 2016 |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2016/11/the-wildlife-society-honors-uws-ben-david.html |website=University of Wyoming |accessdate=30 October 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Newman |first1=Eve |title=UW professor wins national teaching award |url=https://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/outdoors/uw-professor-wins-national-teaching-award/article_36787d36-b39d-11e6-9cee-0b8a2a27725c.html |accessdate=30 October 2020 |work=Laramie Boomerang |date=26 November 2016}}

She was selected as a Wildlife Fellow of the Wildlife Society in 2017.{{cite web |title=UW Professor Elected as TWS Fellow by the Wildlife Society |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2017/04/uw-professor-elected-as-tws-fellow-by-the-wildlife-society.html |website=University of Wyoming |accessdate=16 July 2020}} ‍

Personal life

Ben-David has resided in Laramie, Wyoming, since 2000, and was naturalized as a United States citizen in 2009.{{cite news |last1=Kampeas |first1=Rom |title=Merav Ben-David, an Israeli-American scientist, wins Wyoming's Democratic Senate primary - U.S. News |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/merav-ben-david-an-israeli-american-scientist-wins-wyoming-s-democratic-senate-pri-1.9085361?v=1604088545519 |accessdate=30 October 2020 |work=Haaretz |date=19 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bendavid2020.com/merav|title=Merat|website=bendavid2020.com|accessdate=25 August 2020}}

=Politics=

Ben-David announced her candidacy for the 2020 U.S. Senate election at the 2020 Wyoming Women's March in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on 18 January 2020.{{cite web |last1=Lorenz |first1=Jonna |title=Women rise to action at Wyoming Women's March for Equality |url=https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/women-rise-to-action-at-wyoming-women-s-march-for-equality/article_ec0a5b57-56ea-5085-8261-ab2044bc8eec.html |website=Wyoming Tribune Eagle |date=19 January 2020 |accessdate=17 July 2020}} On 18 August 2020, she placed first in a field of six candidates to become the Democratic nominee.{{cite web|title=Israel-born ecology professor wins Wyoming Democratic Senate primary

|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-born-ecology-professor-wins-wyoming-democratic-senate-primary/|website=Times of Israel| date=19 August 2020 |accessdate=19 August 2020}}{{cite news|title=Merav Ben-David, an Israeli-American Scientist, Wins Wyoming's Democratic Senate Primary|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/merav-ben-david-an-israeli-american-scientist-wins-wyoming-s-democratic-senate-pri-1.9085361|website=Haaretz|accessdate=19 August 2020}}

Ben-David's platform centered on 'future-proofing' Wyoming's economy through diversification, including public investments in reclaiming old mines, capping oil and gas wells, and building wildlife crossings.{{Cite web|date=25 September 2020|title=Meet the climate expert running to be the first female scientist in the Senate|url=https://grist.org/politics/meet-merav-ben-david-the-climate-expert-running-to-be-the-first-female-scientist-in-the-senate-wyoming/|access-date=25 September 2020|website=Grist|language=en-US}}

She lost the general election to Republican Cynthia Lummis, gaining just 27% of the vote.

She was the Democratic nominee for state representative from Wyoming's 46th District in 2022, running against Republican incumbent Ocean Andrew.{{cite news |last1=Wolfson |first1=Leo |title=House District 46: Albany County Race One Of The Few "Purple" Areas In Wyoming |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/06/02/house-district-46-albany-county-race-one-of-the-few-purple-areas-in-wyoming/ |access-date=15 July 2022 |work=Cowboy State Daily |date=2 June 2022}}{{cite web |title=Wyoming State Legislature Primary Election Results |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/16/us/elections/results-wyoming.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=17 August 2022 |date=16 August 2022}}

Electoral history

=2020=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2020 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Wyoming

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Merav Ben-David

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 9,579

| percentage = 40.98%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Yana Ludwig

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 4,822

| percentage = 20.63%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Nathan Wendt

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 4,166

| percentage = 17.82%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Kenneth Casner

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 2,139

| percentage = 9.15%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Rex Wilde

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 1,823

| percentage = 7.80%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = James DeBrine

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| votes = 843

| percentage = 3.61%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 23,372

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

{{Election box begin

| title = 2020 U.S. Senate election in Wyoming{{cite web |title=Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 3, 2020 |url=https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2020/Results/General/2020_General_Statewide_Candidates_Summary.pdf |website=Wyoming Secretary of State |accessdate=11 November 2020}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Cynthia Lummis

| votes = 198,100

| percentage = 72.85%

| change = +0.66%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Merav Ben-David

| votes = 72,766