Marek Jindra: František Sehnal: A project that worked out
František Sehnal was a prominent and inspiring figure in many areas of insect science, most notably endocrinology, developmental biology, silk research, and recently insect interactions with genetically modified crops. In this article, I will briefly overview Sehnal's research and other academic and educational activities. I would also like to share my personal experience with František Sehnal as a mentor who drafted, in 1990, a plan for my doctoral thesis: to identify a receptor for juvenile hormone. The project ended up taking more than two decades to complete. While František has passed away, his legacy stays.
Who was František Sehnal to me
To his acquaintances around the world, František Sehnal was known as Franta. “How is Franta doing?” and “Say hello to Franta” was to be heard at every insect conference. Until November 2021, when he sadly passed away. František Sehnal was my mentor. He supervised my undergraduate and doctoral studies, which concluded in 1993. It would be difficult for me to comment on his work and contribution to science without describing my personal experience. While necessarily subjective, I hope that my following account on František Sehnal's legacy may be authentic and not excessively boring.
Jindra M. 2023: František Sehnal: A project that worked out. Journal of Insect Physiology 145: 104475. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104475
