Entomology's Mike Raupp weighs in on enormous wasps about to emerge en masse throughout the eastern half of the U.S. to hunt cicadas—and to worry people. They are black with caution-yellow markings and the size of a USB stick.

Read the full story in the The New York Times. 

[College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences]

Does spraying Listerine in your yard repel mosquitoes? That idea may be popping up in your social media, but Entomology's "Bug Guy" Mike Raupp says there's no official evidence it would work. And it could be harmful. 

Learn more via WUSA 9
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[College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences]

Paula Shrewsbury, Professor and University of Maryland Extension Specialist, id's three invasive insects that have yet to reach the UK but have the potential to cause widespread disruption should they cross the pond.
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https://www.hortweek.com/pests-diseases-concern-uk-arborists/arboriculture/article/1690411  

Congratulations to Entomology faculty member Dr. Leo Shapiro who has been promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer!

Since joining the UMD Department of Entomology in 2014, Leo has made significant contributions to teaching and service. He teaches two of the core BSCI undergraduate courses, BSCI160 (Principles of Ecology & Evolution) and BSCI207 (Organismal Biology) and has been very involved with BSCI 161 (Principles of Ecology & Evolution Lab). These high enrollment classes have Leo engaging with several hundred Terps each semester! He is actively engaged with teaching innovation for the core BSCI curriculum and was a UMD Teaching & Learning Transformation Center Elevate Fellow in 2018, working to redesign key parts of his BSCI 160 course. Leo advises numerous Biology majors each semester, supporting their academic pursuits and often providing important broader guidance and mentoring as well. He has served on a range of departmental committees and regularly serves on Entomology and Biology Honors thesis committees, supporting undergraduate research activities. 
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In addition to teaching and service, Leo continues to be involved in research. Over the past several years, he has published a study on methodological and statistical considerations for large-scale sampling of bee communities and a paper elucidating the species identity of a visually striking terrestrial alga from coastal California that is regionally common but taxonomically confusing. He is currently working on a new insect biology textbook for Sinauer/Oxford University Press.

Congratulations again Leo on reaching this important, well-deserved milestone!

​Shout out to Entomology faculty member Dr. Tammatha O’Brien who has been promoted to the rank of Principal Lecturer!

Tammatha has a long standing and exemplary record with the department of entomology. In 2009, shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland with her PhD in Entomology, she was recruited as a lecturer with the Department. Since then O’Brien has been teaching a variety of courses both within the College and outside – lectures, labs, online courses, many with large enrollment. In addition to O’Brien’s undergraduate teaching and advising roles she serves as the Director of the Department’s on-line Applied Entomology Master’s Program. 

Tammatha has been recognized as a leader in teaching, receiving the Allen L. Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Teaching, CMNS Dean’s Outstanding Lecturer Award, Provost’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the CMNS Board of Visitors Creative Educator Award. Furthermore, Tammatha received media mentions this Spring for her expertise in delivering outstanding online instruction to students. With energy and spirit, Tammatha rallied behind the universities move to transition all courses online due to COVID. She offered sage advice and encouragement to leading instructors and students as campus moved all courses to online instruction. Her efforts have been mentioned in the Washington Post and MD Today.

Please join me in congratulating Tammatha on reaching this important, well-deserved milestone!

Congratulations to Gussie Maccracken who has been awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY2020. Starting in March 2021, she will be studying plant-insect interactions across the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.