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Welcome
New Distance Masters Students:
Summer 2007: Douglas Brinkerhoff, Shickley, NE; Bradley Dutoit, Republic, MO
Fall 2007: Ruby Anderson, Crawford, NE; Corby Jensen, North Platte, NE; Melissa Smith, Wilmington, NC
Congratulations
Dr. Bob Wright received the 2007 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Award from the Nebraska
Sustainable Agriculture Society at their annual meeting in February in Norfolk, NE.
Terence Spencer has received IANR’s Outstanding Managerial and Professional Employee Award for May/June. A framed certificate, pin, and monetary award of $250 goes along with the recognition. Spence is a Research Technologist II, working with Dr. Blair Siegfried. A reception honoring Spence will be held in May.
Dr. E. A. “Short” Heinrichs has been awarded a year (2007-2008) Fulbright grant to lecture and conduct
research in Brazil. He will teach a course on integrated pest management (IPM), conduct a survey of rice insects in farmers’ fields, and advise graduate students conducting rice IPM studies for their theses. He will be located at the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) in São Leopolda, Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.
The research will be in collaboration with the state rice association, IRGA (Instituto Riograndense do Arroz), the federal university, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and the Fundaçao Zoobotanica, Porto Alegre. Short is currently an adjunct research professor in the Entomology Department, a consultant for the Sorghum, Millet and Other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) (INTSORMIL), a consultant for the IPM CRSP based at Virginia Tech, and Secretary General of the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences.
Bill McCormick and his wife, Natalie, are the proud parents of a son, Caleb Joseph, born February 11, 2007. Caleb
weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz., and was 20½ inches long. Congratulations to Bill and Natalie!
Publications
Brust, M.L. 2006. New tiger beetle observations and county records for Nebraska and a new state record for Cicindela tenuisignata. Cincindela 38(1-4): 9-15.
Campbell, Laura A. and Lance J. Meinke. 2006. Seasonality and Adult Habitat Use by Four Diabrotica Species at Prairie-Corn Interfaces. Environ. Entomol. 35(4): 922-936.
Huntington, Timothy E., Leon G. Higley, and Frederick P. Baxendale. 2007. Maggot Development During Morgue Storage and its Effect on Estimating the Post-Mortem Interval. J. Forensic Sci. 52(2): 453-457.
Magalhaes, L.C., B.W. French, T.E. Hunt, and B.D. Siegfried. 2007. Baseline susceptibility of western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to clothianidin. J. Appl. Entomol. 131(4): 251-255.
Neita, J.C., J. Orozco, and B.C. Ratcliffe. 2006. Escarabajos (Scarabaeidae: Pleurosticti) de la selva baja del bosque pluvial tropical “BP-T”, Chocó, Colombia. Acta Zoologica Mexicana 22: 1-32.
Utz, R.M., B.C. Ratcliffe, B.T. Moore, and K.J. Hartman. 2007. Disproportionate relative importance of a terrestrial beetle family (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae) as a prey source for central Appalachian brook trout. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136: 177-184.
Vilarinho, Elis Cristine, Odair Aparecido Fernandes, Celso Omoto, and Thomas E. Hunt. 2006. Oil-Soluble Dyes for Marking Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 99(6): 2110-2115.
Faculty News
Dr. Marion Ellis has received his promotion to Professor. There is a celebration schedule for April 26, 2007, but
Marion will have to celebrate from France as he is on sabbatical leave from April 1 - September 30, 2007. He will be working at the Laboratoire Biologie et Protection de l'Abeille in Avignon, France. During his stay he will work on the influence of queen mandibular pheromone on drone cell construction and mechanisms of resistance to Varroa
mites in Apis mellifera mellifera. During his absence he can be reached at:
Marion Ellis
UMR 406 INRA/UAPV Ecologie des Invertébrés
Laboratoire Biologie et Protection de l'abeille
Site Agroparc, Domaine Saint-Paul
84914 AVIGNON Cedex 9, France
Tel : (33) (0)4 32 72 26 27 Fax : (33) (0)4 32 72 26 02
Email: mellis3@unl.edu
Website: http://www.avignon.inra.fr/ |
Dr. Steve Skoda, who is with the USDA/ARS, SRU in Panama, has been promoted to Professor with adjunct status. Steve will join in the celebration on April 26th, in the Great Hall in Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.
Dr. David Carter became the newest faculty member of the Entomology Department on April 1, 2007. Dave was formerly a Lecturer in the department and has a background in soil ecology as it relates to decomposing terrestrial animals. Because of the large student interest and potential career opportunities in forensic science, the Entomology
Department was able to hire Dr. Carter as an Assistant Professor of Entomology to lead the development of a new CASNR major in forensic science. In addition, Dave will teach several forensic science classes and develop a forensic science research program. The Entomology Department will be the academic home for the forensic science major which will complement our existing consulting, teaching, and extension activities in forensic entomology.
Meeting News
The North Central Branch (NCB) of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) held their annual meeting jointly with the Entomological Society of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on March 25-28, 2007. Dr. Gary Hein has served as branch president for 2006-2007. Dr. Marion Ellis chaired the program planning committee for the meeting, and Nick Aliano served as a member of the planning committee. Dr. Blair Siegfried chaired the NCB Award of Merit Committee, Dr. Ron Seymour served as chair of the National ESA Awards Committee, and Dr. Shripat Kamble was a member of the Executive Committee Members-at-Large. Dr. Bob Wright was on the
Auditing Committee, and Dr. Lance Meinke served on the C.V. Riley Award Committee. (If you happened to notice that Gary and Marion had very similar taste in suits, it was because it was the same, the one, and the only suit. Gary’s luggage did not arrive with him, so the fact that he and Marion are approximately the same height and build ended up coming in very handy.)
- Dr. Z B Mayo, past president of ESA and past department head of the Entomology Department at UNL, received the 2006 NCB C.V. Riley Award.
- Nicholas Aliano, Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Marion Ellis, was presented the 2006 NCB Graduate Student Scholarship Award.
- Andre Crespo, advised by Dr. Blair Siegfried, was awarded First Place for his Ph.D. paper presentation.
- Leonardo Magalhaes, advised by Dr. Blair Siegfried, received Second Place for his M.S. Paper presentation.
- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Linnaean Team was runner-up in the games competition, losing a fiercely contested battle with North Dakota State University. Both NDSU and UNL will compete at the National ESA Meeting in San Diego, CA in December, where our UNL team will defend their National Championship. Members and coaches are (top row, left-right) Mike Fisher, André Crespo, Dr. Ken Pruess (coach), Matt Brust,(bottom row, left-right) Dr. Bob Wright (coach), Nick Aliano and Tim Husen.
- Tierney Brosius, Ph.D. student, advised by Dr. Leon Higley, created the meeting logo shown below, and James Kalisch provided the color version using Photoshop.
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NCB-Winnipeg 2007 Linnaean Games Reflections
by Mike Fisher
The 2007 North Central Branch meeting was an interesting one, to say the least. I was among the first to arrive in “sunny” Winnipeg, Manitoba on Saturday evening. Shortly after registering, Nick Aliano and I happened to run into Dr. Wyatt Hoback. Lo and behold, the buzzers for the Linnaean Games had been left in Kearney! Wyatt, a former Linnaean team member, and the Linnaean Games Master for the
North Central Branch for some time, realized the severity of the situation (and his forgetfulness.) So there we were, on a Sunday afternoon, trying to figure out how to get those darn buzzers from Nebraska to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. UPS and FedEx Next-Day Air were both $175, and would not be shipped out until Monday. However, UPS has an urgent shipping option called Sonic Air, which offers same-day
shipping anywhere in the world. How much would it cost to ship a 5 lb., 12 in. X 12 in. X 10 in. plastic box from Nebraska to Canada?
$200? $300?...Not even close. UPS Sonic Air Solutions quoted me $720 over the phone. I quietly asked Wyatt if he would like to bill this
to his account, but he declined.
The desperate solution? How about 24” pipe cleaners with fuzzy insects at the top; four of one insect and four of another. Unfortunately, Matt Brust was unable to identify the genus and species, family or tribe. The rules were simple…slap your hand on the table and raise your “flag.” Two UNK students judged one team, while the official Linnaean Games judges judged the other. The first rounds Sunday night were quite amusing. The Missouri Tom, er, Team was unable to advance to the finals. However, the Manitoba team, (the first team ever for Manitoba) consisting of 2 graduate members and 2 undergraduate members, made it to the semi-finals. Thankfully, a faculty member from North Dakota arrived Monday afternoon, bringing their practice buzzers for the semi and final rounds. The 2006 National Linnaean Games Champions (that would be us) faced off against NDSU once again in the finals. NDSU triumphed this time, but as runners-up, we will get another chance to compete in San Diego at the ESA National Meeting in December. Toss up: Where will the 2008 North Central Branch meeting be?
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Drs. David Carter and Leon Higley and Tim Huntington, Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Higley, attended the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology (FAST) Annual Conference in Panama City, Panama, February 28 - March 4, 2007. Leon presented the paper, “Forensic Science and the UN Millennium Development Goals.” Dave was co-author on the paper, and he also moderated the forensic science section at the Panama meeting. Tim gave an invited presentation entitled, “The Use of Insects as Evidence of Abuse and Neglect.”
Drs. David Carter and Leon Higley and Tim Huntington attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Science, February 19-23, 2007 in San Antonio, TX. Tim presented the poster: Huntington, T.E. and L.G. Higley, 2007. “Have I Eaten Here Before? Considering Multigenerational Colonization of Remains by Blow
Flies.”
Dr. Ken Pruess attended the annual meeting of North American Black Fly Association in Athens, GA, February 6-8, 2007.
Grants
Stephen M. Spomer and Mathew L. Brust
• South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Wildlife Diversity Small Grants Program
A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of Nebraska and South Dakota. . . . . . . . . . $4,600
Meet a Distance Student
Distance M.S. Student - Frances June (Casey) Burks
My husband, Jim, and I have four grown children and four grandchildren. We live in the town of Gilbert, IA which is a stone’s throw north of Ames. After graduating in 1985 with my B.S. degree in entomology from Iowa State University, I joined the field entomology group at Pioneer Hi-Bred International in Johnston, IA. I mainly work on field corn experiments, applying insects to test for host plant resistance. It’s about an hour commute from Gilbert to Johnston, but after 22 years it’s just a way of life, and I enjoy having thinking time. My husband works from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., so he does most of
the shopping and cooking. He is definitely the wind beneath my wings.
I had wanted to go on for my M.S. degree several years ago, but it didn’t work very well for me to attend class during the day, and an evening class would mean I’d see my husband even less. Then I attended an ESA meeting and visited with some people who were working on their M.S. entomology degrees through the distance courses at UNL. They all told me it was an incredibly good curriculum and hard work, but well worth the effort. I told my husband I wanted to “go for it” but a) I was afraid my brain was rusty, b) I was afraid I’d be so tired I’d mess up both my job and my schoolwork, and c) I was afraid I wouldn’t have any time for he and I to spend time with the grandkids, go fishing together etc. He told me if this was something that was important to me, we’d figure out how to make it work, and if I decided it was too much at some point, I could always stop for awhile and try it later.
And so in 2003, I applied to the UNL masters degree in entomology via distance and was accepted! At work it became part of my yearly “goals” for professional development. I had some difficulties figuring out what I was supposed to do in the beginning, and I was very shy about joining in on the discussion board with other students
I couldn’t actually see. Since my husband went to bed about 8:00 p.m., that was when I started studying, working on papers, or take home tests. Sometimes it would take me two weeks to write answers to a test. During the winter, sometimes I’d finish up a paper or test at 11:00 p.m. after work and then get a room in Des Moines rather than drive home. Except for one course, I only took classes during the fall and spring, since I’m on the road with my crew during June and July.
All my classes were so interesting and stimulating, I found I actually had more energy than before. And it was so much fun to share what I was learning. My husband even watched some of my forensic entomology videos with me. The professors, their assistants, and other contacts at UNL have helped me work through each challenge, such as the time I had just started a course and then needed emergency surgery. This journey has also helped with my work rather than detracted from it; my boss was very glad when I was finally learning insecticide mode of action and how insects detoxify.
I plan on graduating this May, and I’ll certainly treasure that piece of paper and the knowledge it represents. Thank you for your excellent distance program.
Graduate Student News
Tim Huntington gave an invited presentation at the BryanLGH Forensic Nursing Workshop on March 30, 2007. His presentation was entitled, “The Maggot Road Show: Forensic Entomology.”
Tierney Brosius has received a National Science Foundation/Project Fulcrum assistantship for the academic year 2007-2008. The fellowship consists of a salary of $27,500 over twelve months starting August 20, 2007. Project Fulcrum pays full tuition remission and a contribution to the health insurance coverage. As part of her fellowship responsibilities, Tierney will be working with students and teachers in K-12 schools, along with attendance at a one-week summer institute and other weekly/monthly group meetings.
Julia Colby was awarded a Swenk Fund Travel Support Award for $250 to travel to Europe to study European beetle collections.
Nick Aliano and Analiza Alves were each awarded a Swenk Fund Travel Support Award in the amount of $350 to attend the NCB of the ESA Meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. André Crespo and Sek Yee Tan each received a $250 Swenk Fund Travel Support Award to attend the NCB meeting.
Tim Huntington was admitted to the American Board of Forensic Science as a member in February. Membership requires meeting educational requirements, submitting example case work, and passing a 12-hour certification exam. Tim’s admission to this board is not only a significant professional accomplishment, but also makes him the youngest member in the board’s history.
Travel
Dr. Matt Paulsen traveled to the University of California-Riverside for two weeks in March to conduct molecular systematics work in the lab of John Heraty and David Hawks.
Dr. David Stanley was a visiting professor at the National Taiwan University March 15-30, 2007. He taught two mini-courses, one on Special Topics in Insect Physiology and one on Professional Science and Grant Writing.
From the Office
New Name for Midwest Livestock Insects Research Unit
The Midwest Livestock Insects Research Unit (MLIRU) was combined with the Soil and Water Conservation Research Unit (SWCRU) this past February. They are now the Agroecosystem Management Research Unit (AMRU). Dr. Jim Schepers continues to be the Research Leader. The telephone numbers remain the same at present. The MLIRU’s web page has been removed. There is a web page for AMRU, however, it only contains SWCRU info at this time.
Web-based Harassment Course for All Supervisory Staff
Soon the Office of Equity, Access, and Diversity Programs will be sending out an email notice to all supervisory staff with a link for the staff member to participate in a web based harassment course. The last time this type of course was held was in 2004. The email coming from EAP should indicate that if an individual completed the initial course from 2004, then they only need to participate in a refresher course. If they did not complete the first course, they will be asked to complete both courses, the main course and the refresher. Please note that this
course is required for all supervisory staff.
New Research F&A Rate for Proposals
The Office of Sponsored Programs has announced new F&A rates for CASNR (Teaching), ARD (Research), and CED (Extension) proposals. The new rates are: CASNR -50%, ARD-44.9%, CED-39.5%. Non-ARD research proposals should use the recently announced 47.5% rate. The off-campus rate for all projects remains at 26%. Please contact Allen Specht if you have questions.
This & That
John Acorn, University of Alberta, (host of "The Nature Nut" series on the Discovery Channel) visited the Team Scarab lab for three days in March.
| Calendar of Events
April 16, 2007
- Entomology Seminar - Luciana Toda, Graduate Student, Department of Entomology
4:00 p.m., East Campus Union
April 18, 2007
- Entomology Faculty Meeting, 214 PI, 9:00 a.m.
April 23, 2007
- Entomology Seminar - Dr. Robert O’Neil, Department of Entomology, Purdue University, 4:00 p.m., East Campus Union
April 28, 2007
- Last day of Spring Semester Classes
April 30, 2007
- Portfolio Show, Scientific Illustration Class, 204 PI, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
April 30, 2007
- Entomology Seminar - Dr. Ty Vaughn, Research Scientist, Monsanto, 4:00 p.m., East Campus Union
April 30 - May 4, 2007
- Spring Semester Final Exams
May 5, 2007
- Spring Semester Commencement, 9:30 a.m., Bob Devaney Sports Center
June 11, 2007
- First Five-Week Sessions Begins
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Send items of interest for the next issue of the Hexapod Herald to JCUNNINGHAM1@UNL.EDU
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