Welcome Lecturers

photo: Chloe Garfinkel and Jessie Mutz

This semester we welcome aboard two new lecturers to the Department of Entomology, Drs. Chloe Garfinkel and Jessie Mutz. 
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Chloe Garfinkel joins us after wrapping up her appointment as Assistant Teaching Professor of Biology at Loyola University Maryland, where she taught Environmental Biology and Insect Biology. Between her instruction at Loyola and her teaching assistantship at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she earned her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Chloe brings 7+ years of instructional expertise and experience back to UMD. We say, “back to UMD” because, excitingly, Chloe is a Terp alum, earning a B.S. in Biological Sciences: Ecology and Evolution, 18’, with honors in Entomology under the advisement of Dr. Lamp.  This Spring Chloe will bring her professional career full circle, teaching some of the very same courses she took as an undergrad student.
Fun facts about Chloe: Chloe has a 9-year-old orange male cat named Chompy. She is an avid crafter (crochet, card making, painting, etc.) and proud owner of a Cricut (the craft cutting machine, not a pet insect) that you would be welcome to borrow.
Jessie Mutz earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Florida State University, focusing on the evolutionary ecology of herbivorous insects. While earning her degree she taught courses in Ecology, Evolution, and Experimental Design. Most recently, she completed a USDA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, using experiments and modeling to investigate how plant inducible defenses influence plant-herbivore population dynamics. We are excited to have Jessie bring her in-depth scientific knowledge and decade of instructional experience to the classrooms of UMD.  
Fun facts about Jessie: Jessie performed in a band during grad school and has written fan-favorite folk rock songs about turtles and spider ballooning. Her dog, Tito, is a total sweetie but probably the wrong combination of too big and too excitable to make regular on-campus appearances (bummer).

Please join us in giving Chloe and Jessie a warm welcome to Entomology! You can meet up with them in person at their offices (PLS 3142 & PLS3146). Alternatively, catch up with them via email at ([email protected] & [email protected]).

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