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Welcome
New Distance Masters Students:
Summer 2005: Toni Taylor, Statesboro, GA; Fall 2005: Geoffrey Day, Salina, KS; Trenton Lindenman, Bartlett, TN; Ryan Rieder, Hammonton, NJ; Zoe Toll, Gunbower, Victoria, Australia.
Dr. Phyllis Higley is the new interim distance education coordinator. Dr. Higley received her B.S. from Cornell University in plant protection, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology from Iowa State University. This past semester she assisted in teaching the Entomology and Pest Management course and was a guest lecturer in the forensic entomology course. Phyllis is married to Dr. Leon Higley, and they have two sons, Addison and Cameron. Welcome Phyllis!
Congratulations
The following students graduated in May 2005:
Scott Ahlgren, M.S. (Advisor: Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss)
William J. Allgeier, M.S. (Advisor: Dr. Leon Higley)
Cory Green, M.S. (Advisor: Dr. John Foster)
Katherine M. Gilson, M.S. (Advisor: Dr. John Foster)
Neil A. Spomer, M.S. (Advisor: Dr. Shripat Kamble)
Dr. Stephen Danielson has received a Teaching Award of Merit from the North American College and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA).
Dr. Marion Ellis is the recipient of the Roger A. Morse Outstanding Teaching and Extension Award from the Eastern Apicultural Society for 2005.
Nick Aliano has received a Hazel V. Emley Fellowship in the amount of $4,000 from the Office of Graduate Studies for the 2005-2006 academic year.
Laura Campbell has been awarded a Frank & Marie Wheeler Fellowship in the amount of $1,000 from the Office of Graduate Studies for the 2005-2006 academic year.
Sean Putnam has received a Hazel V. Emley Fellowship in the amount of $4,000 from the Office of Graduate Studies for the 2005-2006 academic year.
Andrea Gutsche and Sandra Schaeffer were recognized by the Graduate Women in Science organization as outstanding undergraduate women majoring in scientific fields. Andrea is a Biological Sciences major with a minor in Insect Science. Sandra is majoring in Diversified Ag with an Insect Science minor.
UCARE awards for 2005-2006 have been given to the students listed below, along with their advisor and the amount of the award.
| Staci Bohling | Dr. Dennis Berkebile | $1,500 |
| Ashley Effken | Dr. Blair Siegfried | $2,000 |
| Andrea Gutsche | Dr. Leon Higley | $2,400 |
| Sarah Mack | Dr. Marion Ellis | $2,000 |
| Lanae Pierson | Dr. John Foster | $2,000 |
| Sandra Schaeffer | Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss | $2,400 |
| Thu Vu | Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss | $2,400 |
Newly elected Insect Science Club Officers are: President - Sandra Schaeffer, Vice President - Staci Bohling, Secretary - Nicolette Brenton (fall semester) / Michelle Dipple (spring semester), Treasurer - Dori Porter. Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss is serving as advisor for the club.
Publications
Aliano, Nicholas P. and Marion D. Ellis. 2005. Only large amounts of powdered sugar applied directly to brood cells harms immature honey bees. Journal of Apicultural Research 44(1): 33-35.
Mondaca, J. and M. J. Paulsen. 2004. Ceratognathus argentinensis Martínez, nuevo registro de Aesalinae (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) para Chile. Revista Chilena de Entomología. 30(2):21-26.
Ocampo, F. C. and T. K. Philips. 2005. Food relocation and nesting behavior of the Argentinian dung beetle genus Eucranium and comparison with the southwest African Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 64: 53-59.
Paucar, A. 2005. A catalog and distributional analysis of the Rutelinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Ecuador. Zootaxa No. 948: 1-92.
Ratcliffe, B. C. and M. A. Moron. 2005. Larval descriptions of eight species of Megasoma Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) with a key for identification and notes on biology. Coleopterists Bulletin 59: 91–126.
Ratcliffe, B. C., D. Smith, and D. Erwin. 2005. Oryctoantiquus borealis, new genus and species from the Eocene of Oregon, U.S.A., the world's oldest fossil dynastine and largest fossil scarabaeid (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 59:127–135.
Ratcliffe, B. C. 2005. A Review of the South American genus Hoplopygothrix Schürhoff (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini). Coleopterists Bulletin 59:136–142.
Ratcliffe, B. C. and M. Hardy. 2005. Collagenus dasysternus, a new genus and species of Dynastinae from eastern Venezuela with a key to the New World genera of Pentodontini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 59:143–150.
Siegfried, B.D., N. Waterfield, and R.H. ffrench-Constant. 2005. Expressed sequence tags from Diabrotica virgifera virgifera midgut identify a coleopteran cadherin and a diversity of cathepsins. Insect Molecular Biology 14(2): 137-143.
Faculty News
 Dr. David Keith will retire from the University of Nebraska this month after 38 years of service as a teaching and extension entomologist. A reception and dinner (roast) were held at the Nebraska East Union on June 10, 2005. Immediate future plans include a family trip to Minnesota, extended fishing time, and perhaps CLEANING OUT HIS OFFICE. Dave will continue to teach a distance entomology course or two and perhaps some research and writing on mites. Best wishes to Dave (and Brenda) on his retirement!
Dr. Z B Mayo has been appointed Interim Associate Dean of the Agricultural Research Division. Dr. Mayo may transition to the position of Interim Dean and Director of ARD if that position is not filled permanently by July 1. If Dr. Mayo does serve as Interim Dean, he will again serve as Interim Associate Dean while a national search is conducted for that position. Z B is not a candidate for either position.
Dr. Fred Baxendale began serving as Interim Entomology Department Head on April 25. Dr. Baxendale will not be a candidate for the permanent position.
| In an effort to identify a strong pool of potential candidates for the Entomology Department Head position, the Search Committee is soliciting names of individuals who would be highly qualified to serve in this capacity. The position announcement can be found on the department website (entomology.unl.edu). Names should be sent to Dr. John Witkowski at 402-370-4001 or jwitkowski1@unl.edu. Review of applications will begin July 1, 2005, and continue until the position is filled, or the search is closed.
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Travel
Dr. Mary Liz Jameson served as keynote speaker for the monthly meeting of the Entomological Society of Washington (D.C.) in June.
Dr. Shripat Kamble participated in the Summer Entomological Society of America (ESA) Governing Board Meeting May 10-13, in Beltsville, MD.
Dr. Bob Wright, Terry DeVries, and Chelsey Wasem presented information about insect biology and diversity on April 5 to 450 fourth grade students from Grand Island at the 5th Annual Ag Day sponsored by the Hall County Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Shripat Kamble attended the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Workshop in Fort Worth, TX, April 28-29.
Dr. Bob Wright participated in the annual meeting of NCR 201, the USDA-CSREES regional committee on Integrated Pest Management, in St. Louis, MO, April 12-13, 2005, as Nebraska's Extension representative to the committee.
Grants
| Shripat Kamble | BASF Corp. | $19,533 | Ant and Termite Research |
| Marion Ellis | Bayer | $5,000 | Varroa Mite Control |
Dr. Marion Ellis received a grant for $1000 from the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association.
Graduate Student News
 Twenty Scientific Illustration students demonstrated their attention to scientific accuracy and detail at a May 4 Portfolio Show and Open House. The students, 15 of whom took the class on campus and five by distance, showed their semester's work. Specimens for the drawings ranged from parasites to mammals, each artistically illustrated in techniques such as pencil, pen and ink, and colored pencil. Final projects included posters, drawings for journal publications, life cycle illustrations, colored pencil drawings, and an acrylic painting of select mammals of Africa. The students were on hand to discuss their work with more than 100 visitors. Snacks and music were also provided by the students. The class is taught by Lana Johnson, Instructor and CIT Project Manager.
The drawing below is “Ink on Scratchboard, Metator Pardalinus (Sasussure)” done by Brian Olson, a distance M.S. student from Hazlet, Saskatchewan, Canada. Brian started in the distance program Summer 2001 and will be graduating this summer. In June 2004, Brian retired after spending 30 years as a biology teacher, principal, and Director of Education.
Tim Huntington’s thesis defense will be held on Friday, June 24, 2005, at 9:00 a.m. His title is “Temperature-Dependent Development of Blow Flies of Forensic Importance and the Effects on the Estimation of the Postmortem Interval.” Tim’s advisors are Drs. Fred Baxendale and Leon Higley.
Condolences
Dr. Brett Ratcliffe’s father, William Ratcliffe, of Santa Barbara, CA, died May 23, 2005. Our sincere sympathy to Brett and his family.
This 'n That
Jixin Tang (Ph.D., 1996) has accepted a position as Senior Chemist with NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, which is involved with product certification and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods. Dr. Tang will be responsible for developing and validating analytical methods to measure ingredients and contaminants in dietary supplements and foods and for certifying their labels.
Jessa Huebing-Reitinger and her husband James, presented a painting of the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle to the Entomology Department during a reception held at the Nebraska East Union on April 25, 2005. Jessa and James are the creators of Project InSECT (International Spectrum of Enormous Crawling Things), a traveling art exhibit to educate others on the benefits of insects, that was on display during the month of April at the Nebraska East Union. During this time Jessa started and completed the tiger beetle painting that she presented to the department.
The Bruner Club has donated “Host Plant Resistance to Insects" by N. Panda and G.S. Khush, and "Insect Physiology and Biochemistry" by James Nation to the Roscoe E. Hill Library.
Dr. Matthias Herrmann (Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany) is conducting research in the Team Scarab laboratory. Dr. Herrmann conducts research on the biodiversity, evolution, and development of nematodes that are associated with scarab beetles. His research has basic and applied aspects. He will be conducting research at UN-L until June 20, during which time he will be culturing nematodes from scarabs. Scarabs contributed for his research would be greatly appreciated. Maybe you'll help to find a new species of nematode! He gave a seminar in the Museum titled: "Hitchhiking Nematodes on Scarabs: Some Insights into Necromanic Diplogastrids."
Dr. Federico Ocampo traveled to Ottawa, Canada to conduct research at the Canadian National Collection of Insects and Canadian Museum of Nature May 29-June 4.
Matt Paulsen and Aaron Smith traveled to Texas June 3-9, where they discovered a new species of stag beetle! This is the first species of Lucanidae to be discovered in the United States in over 60 years!
| Calendar of Events
June 21-22, 2005
• Queen Rearing Workshop - UN-L ARDC, Mead, NE
June 23-25, 2005
• Master Beekeeping Workshop - UN-L ARDC, Mead, NE
July 4, 2005
• Holiday - No Classes and Office Closed
July 8, 2005
• Eight-Week and First Five-Week Sessions End
July 11, 2005
• Second Five-Week Session Begins
July 13, 2005
• Entomology Faculty Meeting - 9:30 a.m., Room 214 Plant Industry Building
August 11, 2005
• Second Five-Week Session Ends
August 13, 2005
• Commencement - 9:30 a.m., Bob Devaney Sports Center
August 10, 2005
• Entomology Faculty Meeting - 9:30 a.m., Room 214 Plant Industry Building
August 22, 2005
• First Day of Fall Semester
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