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Rethinking teaching biology to be gender neutral through careful wording of course-specific material concerning gender identity, disability, and Race

2/24/2021

 
​Written by: Mike Nan
​​
Dr. Karen Hales is a Biology Professor at Davidson College who employs genetic tools with the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) model to understand the molecular mechanisms of mitochondria function in cells. While past colloquium speakers have presented on the latest research in their lab, Dr. Hales addressed an even more pressing, teaching topic: Enhancing inclusivity in undergraduate science courses through careful wording of course-specific material concerning gender identity, disability, and race. 

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Entomology Student Organization Officer Profile: Meet Your Vice-president!

2/23/2021

 
Cramer Picture
Maria Cramer is the current Vice-president of ESO and a 2nd year PhD student in the Hamby Lab. She’s usually out in cornfields during the summer, investigating how preventatively-applied insecticides are impacting pest and beneficial insects in Maryland corn. She’s interested in the practices that can enhance naturally occurring biocontrol and lead to more sustainable farming. Before COVID, she spent her free time folk-dancing and shape-note singing, but now if she’s not at a research farm or doing lab work at the kitchen table, she’s probably gardening in her DC backyard.                               
​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bramble_fruits/

Raupp Talks Cicadas on WJLA

2/23/2021

 
"Maryland is at the epicenter of the cicada emergence, so there will be spectacular numbers of cicadas emerging very heavily, starting perhaps in early May," Michael Raupp, Prof Emeritus at UMD, told WJLA. "But the big ‘cicada-palooza’ is going to happen the last two weeks of May and into early June. So in some areas, there will be 1.5 million cicadas per acre emerging from the ground."

WJLA article: 'Cicada-palooza' is coming. Maryland will be at the epicenter

Pick Lab Article Spotlighted by GENETICS & G3 Editors

2/23/2021

 
​Katie Reding and Leslie Pick’s paper, High Efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis of the white Gene in the Milkweed Bug Oncopeltus fasciatus has been chosen for GSA journals’ 2020 Spotlight Collection of research and scholarship. The collection curated by the editors showcases noteworthy examples of genetics and genomics investigations. Congratulations to the Pick Lab for this exciting recognition!
 
Visit the collection here: https://academic.oup.com/genetics/pages/spotlight
 
More on the article: Entomology graduate student Katie Reding (Pick lab) used CRISPR/Cas9 to make a genomic deletion of the white gene in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. The white gene was one of the first genes identified in Drosophila, over 100 years ago, where it is necessary for the red eye color of flies. Interesting, in Oncopeltus, white is necessary for pigmentation throughout the body but it is also necessary for organismal survival, as animals homozygous for the white mutations do not survive to adulthood.  This is the first demonstration that CRISPR is effective in Oncopeltus. Methods Katie developed will be useful for researchers to test the function of other genes in this and related species.

Seminar Blog: Got good clean dirt? A necessity for ground-dwelling bees

2/17/2021

 
Figure 1. Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt enjoying a day of collecting in the field.
Figure 1. Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt enjoying a day of collecting in the field.
written by: Maggie Hartman & Kathleen Ciola Evans
​
At the intersection of hard work, novel thinking, and luck, you can find pollination ecologist Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt (Fig. 1) waiting for opportunity to knock. Dr. Harmon-Threatt, Associate Professor of Entomology (aht@illinois.edu), and her lab members at the University of Illinois are enthusiastic about understanding and promoting general pollinator conservation by dissecting the factors that affect their diversity. Given the long field hours and complex interactions between variables, this is no easy task!

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Return of Periodical Cicadas in 2021: Biology, Plant Injury and Management

2/15/2021

 
cicadas
In the spring, trillions of periodical cicadas are expected to emerge. "They will be a source of wonder and consternation as they emerge from the earth and lay eggs in treetops.” writes Prof. Emeritus Mike Raupp in Tree Care Industry Association Magazine.

Ento Grad Students Place in Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention Research Competition

2/11/2021

 
Exciting news out of Hooks Lab!
​

Congratulations to Veronica Yurchak & Demian Nunez who placed 1st and 2nd, respectively in the Graduate Student poster contest held during the Virtual Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. The judging panel saw 24 poster entries in total, and our students posters stood out as top. Award winning posters listed below.

Title: Using a living mulch in reduced tillage sweet corn  Authors: Veronica Yurchak, Alan Leslie and Cerruti RR Hooks
Title: Developing a perennial living mulch system for Mid-Atlantic cantaloupe growers. Authors: Demian Nunez, Macarena Farcuh, Karin Burghardt and Cerruti RR Hooks

Evans co-authors pub out in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

2/1/2021

 
Feral honey bees HarrisonValley (cropped)_Katy Evansphoto credit: Katy Evans
Katy Evans, PhD student in Espindola Lab, co-authors new publication w/ Penn State researchers, "The Role of Pathogen Dynamics and Immune Gene Expression in the Survival of Feral Honey Bees" out in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution earlier this month. Their research shows feral colonies may have higher tolerance to pathogens than managed honey bee colonies. Understanding environmental and genetic factors behind the feral bees' increased immunity could help beekeepers combat colony losses. 

For more details about the study, check out Penn State's press release.

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Department of Entomology 
University of Maryland 
4112 Plant Sciences Building 
College Park, MD 20742-4454
USA

Telephone: 301.405.3911 
Fax: 301.314.9290
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Web Accessibility
  • About
    • At a Glance
    • Welcome From the Chair
    • Code of Conduct
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion >
      • DEI Working Group
      • Resources
    • Departmental History
    • For Alumni
    • Support Entomology >
      • Steinhauer Scholarship Fund
    • Proposal Resources
    • Contact >
      • Directions
  • News
    • News
    • Seminar Blog
    • Seminar Schedule
    • Awards
  • People
    • Faculty
    • Post Docs
    • Students
    • Staff
    • Alumni
  • Academics
    • Graduate >
      • Admissions
      • MS Degree Requirements
      • PhD Degree Requirements
      • Graduate Student Resources
      • Financial Assistance
      • Award & Funding Opportunities
      • Entomology Student Organization
    • Online Masters in Applied Entomology
    • Undergraduate >
      • Entomology Minor
      • Honors Program
  • Research
    • IPM & Biological Control of Agricultural, Urban & Forest Pests
    • Ecology, Conservation, Restoration, Climate Change >
      • Pollinator Science and Apiculture
    • Evolution, Systematics and Evo-Devo
    • Genetics & Genomics and Medical Entomology
  • Extension/Outreach
    • Educational Outreach
    • Insect Camp
    • Insect Drawings
    • Insect Identification
    • Pesticide Education and Assessment Program
    • Plant Diagnostic Laboratory (PDL)