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written by: Amanda Brucchieri
You’re standing in front of a wall of mosquito repellent. You need to choose the best product, or you are going to be itchy and rather miserable. An ad for some obscure product interrupts the music from the store's speakers and you know you are running out of time to decide. What bottle do you reach for? Dr. Chris Potter, a researcher and professor from Johns Hopkins may have some useful information that will have you choosing the right product for you.  Photo Credit: Amy Yaich written by: Margaret Ann Schaefer
In her talk “Working at the Intersection: Reflections on public engagement in science,” Dr. Holly Menninger, Executive Director of the Bell Museum in Minnesota, discussed her path into a career of science communication. Although Dr. Menninger is now deeply involved in public engagement, it was not her original plan when she started at the University of Maryland as a student of Dr. Margaret Palmer. She also states she “never had an ah-ha moment” where she suddenly realized that was what she wanted to do – her career has been a journey in different areas of engagement (including science policy and extension) that ultimately led her to the museum field. While she was at UMD, she studied the effect of the nutrient pulse from the 2004 Brood X cicada emergence (and subsequent input to many streams) on stream metabolism. These periodical cicadas took flight across the Washington DC Metro area after seventeen years of feeding on tree roots as nymphs. When they came out and generated interest in the public, Dr. Menninger – as part of a group of grad students known as the “Cicadamaniacs” -- found herself the spokesperson. She noted that she had her first foray in media outreach live on CNN’s American Morning because Dr. Mike Raupp, the ‘Bug Guy,’ was appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America. written by: Jenan Baher El-Hifnawi
The Entomology Retreat looked quite different this year than it did in years prior. For the first time ever the department’s students, staff, and faculty piled into the wood-paneled walls of the Samuel L. Riggs Alumni Center. Historically, the event has been held in Annapolis, at The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Notably, the center was founded by the department’s own Dr. Margaret Palmer. More recently, departmental surveys revealed that the distance to the retreat as well as its being held on a Saturday were factors hindering department members ability to attend. In response to these findings the retreat was moved to an on-campus location and held on a Friday, maximizing attendance, and with it, opportunities for connection. This change was implemented for the first time last year, taking place in the Edward St. John Teaching and Learning Center, and the retreat has continued to evolve since. written by: Lasair ni Chochlain
Climate change is something that we are all worried about. But as scientific researchers, linking fields as disparate in focus as evolutionary development and global change is quite a challenge. Dr. Yui Suzuki from Wellesley College is helping to pioneer this interdisciplinary research area by exploring how climate change may shape insect evolution and development. The UMD Department of Entomology hosted Dr. Suzuki for a talk on his research as well as a talk on his experience as a liberal arts professor on August 30, 2024. written by: Ben Gregory
Compare the ears of these two species of rabbits: the Eastern cottontail rabbit (left), native to the temperate forests of the eastern United States; an6d the black-tailed jackrabbit (right), which lives in the deserts of the Western US and Mexico. The jackrabbit has much larger ears relative to the size of its body. Evolutionary biologists think that this species’ large ears may be an adaptation to deal with high temperatures. Rabbits living in the desert face a much higher risk of overheating than rabbits living in the much cooler forests on the east coast. Larger ears allow for more surface area for the rabbits to dissipate heat into the air far from their high-temperature core. Natural selection on rabbits in these very hot environments favored rabbits with larger ears because rabbits with smaller ears were more likely to experience the negative consequences of overheating. Over many generations, this continued pressure led to rabbits with larger and larger ears, while rabbits on the east coast did not experience this pressure, and so did not gain this trait. The closest to retirement Emeritus Professor Mike Raupp has gotten is "almost" retired. The 'Bug Guy' shares with The Silver Terp the range of activities he has been up to from cicada-mania to plans for a critter filled study abroad and everything in between.
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