InsectTerps Successfully Defend theses & DissertationS

​Congratulations to the #InsectTerps who successfully defended their theses and dissertations this semester. We are so proud of each student; behind their accomplishment were years of arduous work and a dedicated commitment to contributing to the field of Entomology and Biological Sciences.

Kristen Au
Advisor: Leslie Pick
Master Thesis: DETERMINING THE NECESSITY OF PAIR-RULE CIS-REGULATORY ELEMENTS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
What's next: Continuing research in the Pick lab this summer while actively exploring job opportunities
Tips for students: Start your writing early-- future you will be grateful 

Amanda Rae Brucchieri
Advisor: Bill Lamp
Masters Thesis:  CHARACTERISTICS OF FARM PONDS THAT PROMOTE DRAGONFLIES AS CONSERVATION BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS IN PASTURE SYSTEMS. For more on her work check out the blog covering her exit seminar.

Ben Burgunder
Advisor: Megan Fritz 
Masters Thesis:  WEST NILE VIRUS HUMAN CASE PREDICTION, CRYPTIC VECTOR COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, AND FINE-SCALE VIRAL PREVALENCE ACROSS SUBURBAN CHICAGO  
What’s next: Ben is moving to Pennsylvania to start working as an Environmental Health Specialist for a county health department.
Tips from Ben to current and incoming Grad Students: 
1. Having a thought-out and comprehensive labeling system is one of the most important and most underrated keys to success in grad school. No one wants to have to dig through poorly labeled freezer boxes, desperately searching for samples from two years ago. Make sure to keep detailed notes and stay organized!
2. Never delete anything you spent more than five minutes on. I keep all of my bad/irrelevant code, deleted chunks of writing, and outdated spreadsheets in specific, separate places. If I ever realize that I still need them (which happens all the time, sometimes months later), I know where to look and do not have to restart from scratch or worry about track changes/version history.
Ben's shout out to the Fritz Lab and Dept: I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work in the Fritz Lab and be a part of the wonderful UMD Department of Entomology. I deeply appreciate all of your friendship and support these past three years. I would particularly like to thank Amy and Andy for their tireless help and guidance. 

Dongxu Chen
Advisor: David Hawthorne 
Dissertation: GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE CANDIDATE GENES IN THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE, LEPTINOTARSA DECEMLINEATA.
Tips for students (preparing for defense/thesis writing):
1. Consult your academic committee — they can offer you many valuable ideas and perspectives for understanding and solving problems.
2. When writing a dissertation, use a real mouse instead of a touchpad to avoid tenosynovitis.

Robert Salerno 
Advisor: Bill Lamp
Masters Thesis:  ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION WITHIN FORAGE SYSTEMS BENEFITS SOIL ARTHROPODS AND SOIL BIOTA-MEDIATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. For more on his work check out the blog covering his exit seminar. 

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