​Congratulations to the #InsectTerps who successfully defended their theses and dissertations this semester. We are so proud of each student; behind their accomplishment were years of arduous work and a dedicated commitment to contributing to the field of Entomology and Biological Sciences.

Kristen Au
Advisor: Leslie Pick
Master Thesis: DETERMINING THE NECESSITY OF PAIR-RULE CIS-REGULATORY ELEMENTS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
What's next: Continuing research in the Pick lab this summer while actively exploring job opportunities
Tips for students: Start your writing early-- future you will be grateful 

Amanda Rae Brucchieri
Advisor: Bill Lamp
Masters Thesis:  CHARACTERISTICS OF FARM PONDS THAT PROMOTE DRAGONFLIES AS CONSERVATION BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS IN PASTURE SYSTEMS. For more on her work check out the blog covering her exit seminar.

Ben Burgunder
Advisor: Megan Fritz 
Masters Thesis:  WEST NILE VIRUS HUMAN CASE PREDICTION, CRYPTIC VECTOR COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, AND FINE-SCALE VIRAL PREVALENCE ACROSS SUBURBAN CHICAGO  
What’s next: Ben is moving to Pennsylvania to start working as an Environmental Health Specialist for a county health department.
Tips from Ben to current and incoming Grad Students: 
1. Having a thought-out and comprehensive labeling system is one of the most important and most underrated keys to success in grad school. No one wants to have to dig through poorly labeled freezer boxes, desperately searching for samples from two years ago. Make sure to keep detailed notes and stay organized!
2. Never delete anything you spent more than five minutes on. I keep all of my bad/irrelevant code, deleted chunks of writing, and outdated spreadsheets in specific, separate places. If I ever realize that I still need them (which happens all the time, sometimes months later), I know where to look and do not have to restart from scratch or worry about track changes/version history.
Ben's shout out to the Fritz Lab and Dept: I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work in the Fritz Lab and be a part of the wonderful UMD Department of Entomology. I deeply appreciate all of your friendship and support these past three years. I would particularly like to thank Amy and Andy for their tireless help and guidance. 

Dongxu Chen
Advisor: David Hawthorne 
Dissertation: GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE CANDIDATE GENES IN THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE, LEPTINOTARSA DECEMLINEATA.
Tips for students (preparing for defense/thesis writing):
1. Consult your academic committee — they can offer you many valuable ideas and perspectives for understanding and solving problems.
2. When writing a dissertation, use a real mouse instead of a touchpad to avoid tenosynovitis.

Robert Salerno 
Advisor: Bill Lamp
Masters Thesis:  ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION WITHIN FORAGE SYSTEMS BENEFITS SOIL ARTHROPODS AND SOIL BIOTA-MEDIATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. For more on his work check out the blog covering his exit seminar. 

written by: Carter Dierlam

​Professor Akito Kawahara is a Professor, Curator, and Director of the McGuire Center located in Gainesville Florida. The McGuire Center serves as a primary hub for Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies) and biodiversity research in the US. Dr. Kawahara studies the evolution and diversity of Lepidoptera. His lab focuses on answering key questions, such as how growing cities and their light pollution affect nocturnal moths, how different moth species fend off bat attacks, and other aspects of their development. A PhD graduate of the University of Maryland, Dr. Kawahara recently visited and presented to the UMD Entomology department to discuss some of his interesting findings. Specifically, he shared his research on the various adaptations moths use to fend off bat attacks. 

written by: Robert Salerno & Helen Craig
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Have you ever applied a pesticide to control a pest problem in your yard, garden, or farm? If so, have you thought about where the pesticide may end up or the impacts it will have on the environment? If you answered yes to these questions, you may be relieved to know this is the job of environmental risk assessors at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There, they ask important questions like what are the potential effects of a pesticide, how does it move through the environment, how are different organisms in the environment potentially exposed, and what is the likelihood of harmful effects occurring when a pesticide is applied? The answers to these essential questions are what make up an ecological risk assessment. Before a pesticide can be registered, the EPA needs to obtain or produce evidence that the pesticide “will not generally cause any unreasonable risk to man or the environment.”
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Recently, Annie Krueger, a consultant from Compliance Services International, spoke to the UMD entomology department about the past, present, and future of pesticides and the Endangered Species Act. She highlighted how ecological risks are assessed for a pesticide, described how threatened and endangered species are protected from pesticides, and shared how different groups are working towards the coexistence of pesticides in agriculture and protected species. Her talk shed light on the complex balancing act between protecting biodiversity and supporting agricultural production: a challenge that continues to shape the future of pesticide regulation.