Mary Terrall, a professor of history at UCLA, has been recognized by the Society for the History of Natural History for her book, “Catching Nature in the Act: Reaumur and the Practice of Natural History in the 18th Century” (University of Chicago Press, 2014). The society awarded Terrall’s book  the John Thackray Medal as a significant achievement in the history of the biological and earth sciences. The book focuses on the history of science and early modern Europe, and showcases Terrall’s expansive knowledge of 18th century European science and Enlightenment material culture. Terrall serves as the interim director of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and the Center for 17th and 18th Century Studies.