With Brood X only months away from emerging, Newsweek asks Raupp what to expect and what to look forward to. Follow link to read full article.

Quote: " Although the idea of swarms of insects appearing from the earth may sound "unbearable and frightening," Raupp said, "this is a wonderful opportunity for millions of people to witness and enjoy a remarkable biological phenomenon in their own backyard that happens nowhere else on the planet, truly a teachable moment." 

https://www.newsweek.com/trillions-brood-10-cicadas-emerge-us-17-years-underground-1562608  

​​Congratulations to the recipients of the Spring 2021 Ernest N. Cory Undergraduate Scholarship! This scholarship provides up to $1,000 for undergraduate students each semester who have creatively contributed to Entomology Department research and/or extension efforts. Choose, "Read More" to find out more about Elizabeth Butz, Sophia Barringer & Madison Tewey and their extraordinary efforts in Entomology.

We are very pleased to announce that the winner of the CMNS Board of Visitors Junior Faculty Award is Entomology's Assistant Professor, Megan Fritz! Megan’s work focuses on the study of insect evolution in response to a constantly changing environment. The lab uses molecular, genomic, and computational tools to shed light on the genomic variants that facilitate adaptation. Her outstanding research program has produced significant publications and attracted external funding. She has received two prestigious USDA- NIFA grants, which support her efforts to utilize genomic approaches to solve critical real-world problems and train students and postdoctoral fellows. Megan is a highly engaged university citizen, she teaches graduate and undergraduate level courses, participates in outreach and serves on a number of department and University committees. Congratulations Megan on this well-deserved recognition! 

Professor Emeritus, Galen Dively and his colleagues have a new paper out in the Journal of Economic Entomology titled, “Sweet Corn Sentinel Monitoring for Lepidopteran Field-Evolved Resistance to Bt Toxins” The study demonstrates that the sentinel plot approach as an in-field screen can effectively monitor phenotypic resistance and document field-evolved resistance in target pest populations, improving resistance monitoring for Bt crops. As a direct result of Galen’s research, the EPA has proposed a number of changes to the way the agency monitors genetically modified crop technologies. This fall Galen presented his research at the Fall Entomology Seminar Series. Check out PhD students Darsy Smith and Veronica Yurchak's Seminar Blog summarizing that talk. 

On a related note, a recent Maryland Farm & Harvest episode covered several stories on corn production, including a segment at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center featuring Galen’s research on genetically modified corn.