Congrats Fall 24 Cory Award Recipients

photo credit: Jimenez, Kato and Helbling

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?”

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