Congratulations to the recipients of the Fall 24 Ernest N. Cory Undergraduate Scholarship, recognized for their extraordinary efforts in Entomology.

Veronika Valverde Jimenez is a senior at the University of Maryland majoring in Cell Biology and Genetics. She has been working in the Pick Lab since summer of 2023, with a focus on assessing the function of the ebony gene in Oncopeltus fasciatus with the help of Dr.  Katie Reding, work she continued this fall semester.In the Pick Lab she is learning to perform procedures such as RNAi and CRISPR injections. Afterwards, she plans to pursue genetic counseling, saying that “research has provided me with beneficial knowledge that will prepare me for this career.”

Margaret Kato is a junior majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Computer Science. Since June of 2023, she has worked as a lab technician in Krishnan Lab, helping with projects related to insect toxicology and how non-target species are impacted by pesticide application. She is also working on an entomology honors thesis about Coleopteran sensitivity to the major insecticide classes. Margaret says, “I am grateful for the hands-on experience offered by the Entomology Department and hope to use the skills and knowledge I have gained in my future career!”

Yasmine Helbling is an Ecology and Evolution Major, with an Entomology minor and Entomology honors student. She started off working in the Burghardt Lab dabbling in urban ecology research collecting insects off native red maple trees and invasive Norway maples. She currently works in the Lamp lab where she is embarking on her first independent research project which looks into whether host-plant resistance is reducing biological control, thereby allowing secondary pests to thrive. This semester she attended the Entomological Society of America’s annual meeting to present, “Does host-plant resistance inadvertently increase secondary pest populations by reducing biocontrol?”

​Congratulations to Lasair ní Chochlain, MS Student in Dr. Hamby’s Lab, for being named one of this year’s Distinguished Services Award finalists by campus’s Division of Student Affairs. Lasair is not only a talented researcher but also a fierce disability advocate. When Lasair isn’t researching the ecological interactions that structure insect communities and sustainable IPM techniques for grain and small fruit crops, they are inviting disability advocates to talk at our Entomology speaker’s series and facilitating affinity spaces for UMD graduate students with disabilities - a space to find support, resources, and community.

Please join us in applauding Lasair for this well-deserved recognition & thanking them for their dedication to this important work. Watch Lasair being acknowledged for their efforts at campus’s Student Leadership Award ceremony held this May. They are mentioned at about 2:00:03.

​We are thrilled to extend a big CONGRATULATIONS to Samantha Rosa, for being selected to join the esteemed cohort of NOAA’s Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellows! Samantha Rosa is a graduate student in the Gruner and Espíndola Labs. As part of the fellowship Samantha will conduct collaborative research with the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve in Ka-waha-o-ka-manō on the island of O‘ahu. Her research will focus on developing K-12 Community-Driven Science curriculum and programming that draws on Indigenous and contemporary knowledge to empower children and educators to lead biocultural restoration and management of Hawai‘i's cultural and ecological systems. Samantha is excited to contribute her experience as a classroom teacher and ecologist towards enhancing the education programs at the only NOAA reserve formally recognized as an Indigenous and community-conserved area. 

Congratulations to Dr. Margaret Palmer on her election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences! We are thrilled to see her receive this prestigious honor, sharing in President’s Pines sentiments…
 
“Margaret Palmer's election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences is a richly deserved honor," said university President Darryll J. Pines. "Her unwavering commitment to both academic excellence and real-world impact is truly inspiring. The University of Maryland is incredibly fortunate to count her among our faculty.”
 
Check out the University's full press release here>>

Shout out to Entomology Ph.D. student Megan Ma (Shultz Lab & Wood Lab at Smithsonian NMNH) for receiving the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Congratulations to the recipients of the Spring 24 Ernest N. Cory Undergraduate Scholarship!  Seth Caban (Gruner Lab),  Kyree Day (Hamby Lab), Nicole Rieger-Erwin (Burghardt Lab),  Felicia Shechtman (Lamp Lab), Michail Siokis (St. Leger Lab) and Fiona Torok (Lamp Lab) have all made extraordinary efforts in Entomology. "Read more" for a bit more about the recipients. 

National Postdoc Appreciation Week was celebrated at academic institutions across the U.S. last week. For Ento postdocs, faculty and grad students events included a dept coffee-and-snacks get together and participation in the UMD Postdoctoral Research Symposium where postdocs across campus presented their research. At the symposium two members of our Department were highlighted for their contribution as postdoc researchers and mentors.  

Congratulations to Profs Anahí Espíndola and Macarena Farcuh for being named Runners Up for The Entomological Society of America's Science Communication Award. ESA recognized the pair for their increasingly popular blog, Extension en Espanol. 

From ESA's press release: The blog has published more than 100 posts since its creation, offering varied expert information that is inclusive, culturally relevant, accessible, and understandable to its target population. The blog currently reaches more than 9,000 monthly readers and has become a prime extension resource in Spanish for the state and beyond.

Help spread the word about your colleagues award and blog by sharing with your networks on social ( X and facebook) and other platforms. 

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! 

Congratulations to the Fritz lab for their award winning posters at the Mid-Atlantic Mosquito Control Association (MAMCA) annual conference. UMD-SOARE student Sommer Stephens placed first, for her award winning poster, "Allele frequencies of Culex pipiens bioforms vary across an urban to rural gradient." When not messquitoing around in the Fritz lab for the summer, Sommer is a student at NC State majoring in Animal Sciences. Sommer's proud UMD mentor, Arielle Arsenault-Benoit, also placed in the poster competition with her work, "Spatiotemporal organization of cryptic North American Culex species along an urbanization gradient in greater Washington, D.C."


Link to MAMCA announcement: https://mosquito-va.org/scc-poster-competition
facbook: https://www.facebook.com/UMDEntomology/posts/pfbid0KFt3UVwVW2eg9gbTjME1NWC5R3KRkm5MDw4wuc2V4rtZmjMz1rUKh3RJekWPVW5Gl
twitter: https://twitter.com/UMDEntomology/status/1617938384651157505?s=20

Congratulations to Dr. Margaret Palmer for being awarded Honorary Membership at the British Ecological Society. This award recognizes Margaret's exceptional contribution at the international level to the generation, communication and promotion of ecological knowledge and solutions. See BES's press release here>>  

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Karen Rane, Director of UMD’s Plant Diagnostic Lab, for being named recipient of the National Plant Diagnostic Network’s (NPDN) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Quote from NPDN announcement:
“Since the beginning, NPDN has benefited from Rane’s practical experience and advice, whether it was in developing training tools, setting priorities or mentoring new diagnosticians.”

Read the networks full press release here: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/national-plant-diagnostic-network-recognizes-outstanding-service-lifetim

The Entomological Society of America's Eastern Branch Early Career Award recognizes early professionals who have made outstanding contributions to entomology, shown commitment to extension or outreach, and excelled in entomological education.  Congratulations to Dr. Karin Burghardt, the recipient of this year's award!

Dr. Karin Burghardt is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland College Park. Trained as a community ecologist, she specializes in understanding plant-insect interactions in human-modified landscapes ranging from suburban yards to abandoned agricultural fields to managed forests. Her research and extension program helps determine best practices for how humans can share space with a variety of flora and fauna.
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In April, Karin will be honored at the Eastern Branch Meeting in Philadelphia and entered for consideration for the Society–level award given at ESA's Annual Meeting. Congratulations again on the well-deserved recognition Dr. Burghardt!

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Big round of applause to the 11 undergrad minors and researchers who made it on the Fall 2021 CMNS Dean's List! Congrats Sejal Sinha, Jenan El-Hifnawi, Aaron Chan, Sankara Ganesh, Jane Quackenbush, Helen Craig, Shane Windsor, Colette Lord, Matthew Nikzad, Jenica Liu and Arthur Young on completing your classes with flying colors !

(& apologies if we missed anyone)

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Congratulations to Dr. Leslie Pick for being named a 2021 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Pick is being recognized for her “distinguished contributions to the fields of evolutionary developmental biology (evo devo) and insect biology, particularly the role of Hox genes in embryogenesis and organismal diversification.”
In February, Leslie will be awarded at the AAAS Annual Meeting. Congratulations again on the well-deserved recognition Dr. Pick! 

See full CMNS press release here>>
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Congratulations to Dr. Dan Gruner, recipient of the Entomological Society of America's Eastern Branch, Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching! Dr. Gruner has a long teaching career with undergraduate courses in the Biological Sciences Program, graduate classes in Entomology, and mentoring student researchers. Currently he teaches “Principles of Ecology,” where he incorporates ecology-related projects that highlight environmental issues, encouraging students to document current events and work with real world data. In 2021 this course was praised by students and the college alike for offering “A Hole New Perspective on Brood X.” 

In April, Dan will be honored at the Eastern Branch Meeting in Philadelphia and entered for consideration for the Society–level award given at ESA's Annual Meeting. Congratulations again on the well-deserved recognition Dr. Gruner!