The Williston Fund is a Smithsonian administered endowment fund established for the increase and diffusion of knowledge about Diptera. Williston was a great biologist, who made significant contributions to paleontology, entomology, medicine and education. He was the first native dipterist, the first to produce generic monographs of Nearctic Diptera, the first to curate and study the Diptera of the United States National Museum, and the first to make a contribution to that collection (his types of Nearctic Syrphidae). This man and his achievements, thus, epitomize what this fund was established to support

The Williston Fund is administered by a committee of at least three members of whom at least two (the majority) must be systematists actively working on Diptera and at least one must be a scientist affiliated with but not an employee of the Smithsonian, such as a dipterist of the United States Department of Agriculture Systematic Entomology Laboratory.

The current committee consists of: Wayne Mathis (Chair), Chris Thompson (Secretary-Treasurer), and Gary Hevel.

While the income from the endowment is small (currently about $6000 US dollars is available annually), over the years, the fund has supported the travel of American students to the International Congresses of Dipterology (Budapest, Brataslava, Oxford, Brisbane, Fukuoka) and Russians to the Guelph Congress. Support has also been provided to students visiting the USNM Diptera Collections and for field work.

The requirements for support are minimal, just contact any of the committee members with what you need to increase and diffuse knowledge about Diptera. Summarize your proposal in a short (1-2 page) e-mail message with a separate budget.

Contributions to the principal of the S. W. Williston Diptera Research Fund endowment are always welcome. For further information, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer or any member of the Committee.

Content by F. Christian Thompson

Please send questions and comments to Chris Thompson.
Last Updated: January 22, 2009 by Karolyn Darrow