Meet one of the "craziest creatures" University of Maryland Professor Emeritus Mike Raupp has ever seen, the hammerhead worm. Not only is this worm aptly named for the shape of its head, it secretes the same neurotoxin found in puffer fish & has cannibalistic tendencies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/22/hammerhead-worms-invasive-poisonous-dc/

https://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2023/7/24/hammer-time-in-the-dmv-hammerhead-worms-bipalium-spp

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Postdoctoral position in Fungal-Plant-Insect Associations, St. Leger Lab

Position summary: The St. Leger laboratory, Department of Entomology at The University of Maryland (UMD), invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar – Employee position starting when a qualified applicant is found-on a USDA/NSF funded project entitled “Determining the properties required for a genetically engineered biocontrol agent to work safely”. The candidate post-doctoral associate will work on a unique experimental system involving a radiating genus of fungi (Metarhizium spp) which have rapidly diversifying lifestyles that includes associations with plants and insects. The goal is to ask fundamental questions about invasion ecology (including persistence, propagation, potential horizontal gene transfer and biogeochemical impacts), potential adaptation in the field (e.g., divergence in insect and plant associations), mutational capacity (using genomic sequencing) and transgene stability. The project will provide insights into the genetic and molecular underpinnings determining evolutionary shifts in lifestyles that will be generally applicable to pathogens and hosts. Understanding these shifts is critical, especially in light of environmental change, invasive species and the laboratories work on transgenic approaches to controlling vectors of human disease. A combination of experimental approaches will be used, and there will be many opportunities to develop new projects to explore the evolution of lifestyle shifts.

Follow link to view full job announcement.

It is with great enthusiasm we share that Todd Waters has received the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Staff Award for his “Extraordinary Public Service to the University & Greater Community.”

Todd has been a leader in implementing the educational and land grant mission of our university, using insects to educate students and the public about STEM. Since 2017, Todd has maintained a blistering pace with the Insect Zoo. The zoo has been featured in approx. 100 events, reaching approx. 10,000 people. In this short time, he has had an immensely positive influence on learners from across academic environments. At UMD, Todd has been instrumental in: the Insect Petting Zoo at Maryland Day, an event that President Pines and UMD’s First Lady eagerly wait alongside community members for their chance to hold an insect; Entomology minor recruitment events on Hornbake Plaza where Todd talks up insects’ impacts on our environment; and classroom visits where Todd and Entomology professors introduce undergrads to the incredible diversity of arthropods. A few examples of the type of impact Todd’s Outreach work has had include: a classroom discussion with a Montgomery College Biology Class about insects as models across interdisciplinary studies; a presentation at Rockview Elementary School on insect anatomy and metamorphosis; and an exhibit in St. Mary's County where attendees learned about the Arizona blonde tarantula, among other fascinating arthropods.

Join us in congratulating Todd on this well-deserved recognition!