- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The seminar is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Nematologist Steve Nadler, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will introduce the speaker.
"Hookworms are important parasites of humans and animals, infecting over 750 million people worldwide," says Hawdon. "In heavy infections they cause anemia and impair physical and cognitive development, and are particularly problematic in children, the elderly and pregnant women. A better understanding of the molecular biology of hookworm infection is required for the development of rational controls strategies and new drugs."
"The infective third stage larva (L3) is developmentally arrested until it enters a permissive host, when it receives a host-specific signal that initiates developmental pathways and progression to the adult stage. The obligate requirement for a vertebrate host makes studying the infective process of hookworms difficult. Fortunately, the L3 is analogous to the dauer stage of free-living nematodes such as C. elegans, and recovery from dauer has been used as a model for the resumption of development that occurs during infection. Using an in vitro assay, our lab has described and characterized an “activated” larval state in response to host like conditions. We have demonstrated the presence of conserved signaling pathways controlling activation, as well as conserved molecular components, between hookworms and C. elegans. I will discuss these advances and the role of activation in the life history of hookworms and similar parasitic nematodes.'
Hawdon has served as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, since 2005, and an associate professor, Microbiology and Tropical Medicine, at the George Washington University Medical Center, since 2000.
Hawdon received his bachelor's degree in animal bioscience in 1981 from Penn State University and his doctorate in parasitology from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the MacArthur Center for Molecular Parasitology, Yale University School of Medicine, from 1991 to 1994. He then served as an associate research scientist, Medical Helminthology Laboratory, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Hawdon is a past president of the Helminthological Society of Washington and a member of the American Society of Parasitology. He serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Parasitology.
Plans call for the seminar to be video-recorded for later viewing on UCTV.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The seminar is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Assistant professor Brian Johnson will host and introduce her.
"The evolution of highly cooperative, eusocial behavior from solitary ancestry represents one of the major transitions in the evolution of life," says Toth, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Department of Entomology. "Thus, understanding the evolution of insect eusociality can provide important insights into the evolution of complexity. Recently, with the advent of the genomic era, there has been great interest in understanding the molecular underpinnings of social behavior and its evolution. Several hypotheses about how eusociality have been proposed; these ideas can be roughly divided into two camps—one proposes that eusociality involved new (novel, or rapidly evolving) genes, and the other, that old (deeply conserved) genes took on new functions via shifts in gene regulation."
In her seminar, Toth will provide an overview of recent research in her laboratory aiming to address the genomic basis of social evolution in insects, with a focus on gene expression. "Utilizing a comparative approach involving multiple species and lineages of bees and wasps, as well as de novo sequencing of genomes, transcriptomes, and epigenomes, our work aims to trace the types of genomic changes related to the evolutionary transition from solitary to eusocial behavior," she said.
Toth will present results from several lines of research mainly focused on primitively social Polistes paper wasps, that have led to the following insights:
- Relatively minor shifts in gene expression patterns may accompany earlier stages of social evolution
- Convergent evolution of social behavior in different lineages involves similar gene expression patterns in a small set of key pathways, and
- Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are variable across species and evolutionarily labile.
"Although more data on additional solitary and social species, and on novel genes, are needed, the emerging picture is that earlier transitions from solitary to simple eusociality involved relatively small changes in gene expression and regulation," she said.
Toth said she is especially interested in the mechanisms and evolution of insect sociality, using paper wasps and honey bees as model systems.
Toth received her bachelor's degree in biology in 2006 from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York and her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology in 2006 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she was advised by major professor Gene Robinson. She did postdoctoral work with Christina Grozinger at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa. where she was a USDA postdoctoral fellow. She focused on uncovering conserved molecular pathways for social insect reproduction and social behavior. Earlier she was a postdoctoral research associate with the Department of Entomology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, where she studied with advisor Gene Robinson. Her work centered on genomic analyses of insect social behavior.
Plans call for recording her seminar for later posting on UCTV.
Upcoming noon-hour speakers in 122 Briggs Hall are
May 20
John Hawdon
Topic: "Molecular Mechanisms of Hookworm Infection"
Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
Nominator/host: Steve Nadler
May 27
John "Jack" Longino
Title of Seminar: "Project ADMAC: Ant Diversity of the Mesoamerican Corridor"
Professor of Biology
Adjunct Curator of Entomology, Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Nominator/host: Phil Ward, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
June 3
Mike Singer
Title of Seminar: "One Butterfly, Six Host Shifts"
Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences
Specialty: Butterfly ecology and behavior
(Formerly with University of Texas, Austin, Texas)
Nominator/host: Meredith Cenzer, graduate student, Louie Yang lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
DAVIS--The African country of Namibia, one of the least densely populated countries in the world, should be on everyone's bucket list, says Distinguished Professor James R. Carey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, who will give a special presentation on “African Odyssey: A Natural History and Cultural Journey Through Uganda, Namibia and Kenya” on Wednesday, May 6 on the UC Davis campus.
Carey's highly produced, digitally-sophisticated production will include photographs, video and audio of wildlife, people and places that he and his wife, Patty, experienced while traveling in three African countries.
The presentation, open to all interested persons, will be from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Sponsored by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, it will be video-recorded and posted on the Internet for later viewing.
Carey, who received the 2015 Distinguished Teaching Award from the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (PBESA) for his technological innovations, creativity and excellence in the UC system and beyond, has taught video instruction methods for the 9-university Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa, including Nairobi, Kampala and Uganda for several years.
"Africa is a cultural and natural history treasure trove that far exceeded our expectations on all of our road trips through several countries,” Carey said. “One of the continent's best kept secrets is the country of Namibia in the southwest with its stunning beauty, friendly people, impressive roads and national parks teaming with wildlife. It is on few people's bucket list of places to visit---but it should be at the top of the list for Africa."
The presentation will include includes material from their 2,000 mile road trip in Uganda (2014) to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the Batwa Pigmys in Mgahinga National Park, chimpanzees at the Budongo Field Station, and wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park (Nile headwaters).
Their 1,800 mile road trip around Namibia (2015) included safaris in Etosha National Park, an overland expedition to see the desert elephants in Twyfelfontein, a drive along the Skeleton Coast, a walk through the world's largest fur seal colony at Cape Cross, a kayak adventure among swimming seals in Walvis Bay, guided tours through Himba and Damara tribal villages, and a trek along the crest of the world's second highest sand dune (Sossusvlei's Big Daddy).
He also will engage his audience with the sights and sounds of the fog-harvesting Namib Desert beetle, the “click language” of bushmen, ancient petroglyphs, and the professional Safari Cats Dancers & Acrobats from Nairobi.
Professor Carey videographed the trip, while his wife Patty and sister-in-law Barbara Brown captured the still photographs.
Namibia, a former Germany colony, is named for the Naimb Desert, considered the oldest desert in the world. Namibia's population is 2.1 million.
Carey last year received the 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award from the UC Davis Academic Senate, an honor given to internationally recognized professors who excel at teaching.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee garden located on Bee Biology Road next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. A public ceremony will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department, will welcome the crowd at 10:30 a.m. Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology, was the interim chair of the department and directed and organized the installation of the garden. It was planted in 2009, thanks to a generous donation from Häagen-Dazs. More than 50 percent of their ice cream flavors depend on pollination.
Raj Brahmbhatt, associate brand manager of Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream at Nestle USA, Dreyer's Ice Cream company, will speak at 10:50 a.m. on “What the Haven Means to Us.”
Christine Casey, manager of the haven, will discuss “What Your Donations Mean to the Haven” at 11:15. A catered donor luncheon will follow at the UC Davis Conference Center, across from the Mondavi Center.
Public events at the haven through 2 p.m. wiill include discussions on how to observe and identify bees, what to plant to help bees, how to use native bee houses. There also will be beekeeping demonstrations and garden tours. The garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk every day. Admission is free. Tours (a nominal fee is charged) can be arranged with Casey at cacasey@ucdavis.edu. To book a tour, access the website and click on "Visit Us."
An article on the Laidlaw bee research published on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources website and written by communications specialist Kathy Keatley Garvey of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, drew the attention of Häagen-Dazs and led to the donation. The article featured the work of bee-breeder geneticist Susan Cobey. Kimsey suggested that the funds be used for a public bee garden and the funding of a Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow, which was awarded to insect virus researcher Michelle Flenniken, then a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at UC San Francisco.
A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the international design competition.
The judges were Professor Kimsey; founding garden manager Melissa "Missy" Borel (now Missy Borel Gable), then of the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH); David Fujino, executive director of CCUH: Aaron Majors, construction department manager, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors, based in Novato; Diane McIntyre, senior public relations manager, Häagen-Dazs ice cream; Heath Schenker, professor of environmental design, UC Davis; Jacob Voit, sustainability manager and construction project manager, Cagwin and Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a bee and garden enthusiast. Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, now retired, was also instrumental in the founding of the garden.
Others who had a key role in the founding and "look" of the garden included the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, founded and directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick. The art in the garden is the work of their students, ranging from those in Entomology 1 class to community residents. Seventeen-year-old Boy Scout Derek Tully of Troop 111 planned, organized and built a state-of-the-art fence around the garden as his Eagle Scout project. His father, Larry Tully, and troop members assisted. The project saved the department at least $30,000.
Melissa Borel Gable served as the founding manager of the garden. Under her direction and the work of 19 volunteers, the garden was named one of the top garden destinations in the Sacramento/Yolo area. (See http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10205) The founding gardeners, in addition to Gable were Davis residents Mary Patterson, Tyng Tyng Cheng, Kristen Kolb, Nancy Stone, Marion London, Judy Hills, Laura Westrup, Kathy Olson, Nyla Weibe, Gary Zamzow, Randy Beaton, Janet Thatcher, Kate McDonald and Kili Bong, and her son, Evan Marczak; and Woodland residents Laurie Hildebrandt and Joe Frankenfield. The 19 volunteers chalked up 5,229 hours of service between May 2010 and Feb. 15, 2013. At the $10 minimum wage, that would have amounted to $52,290. The volunteers completed their duties at the haven on Feb. 15.
Kimsey was singled out for her work in founding and directing the installation of the garden when the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America honored her and four others--"The Bee Team"--with the 2013 outstanding team award.
The history of the garden is on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website at http://bit.ly/1OAtD6W. The new haven website is at http://hhbhgarden.ucdavis.edu/welcome. It includes a list of plants in the haven, by common name and botanical name; a list of donors and how to donate.
A private opening of the garden occurred Oct. 16, 2009 and a grand opening celebration took place Sept. 11, 2010.
Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, monitors the garden for bees and has found more than 80 species. Both he and Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen had an integral part in the beginnings of the garden.
Among the newest major donors is the California State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which provided bee research funds (Brian Johnson lab), and funds for the haven. See donor list of those who have given $1000 or more.
The timeline:
Feb. 19, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Donation to UC Davis
Dec. 8, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Launches Bee Garden Design Contest
Aug. 6, 2008
Insect Virus Researcher Michelle Flenniken Named Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis
Feb. 26, 2009
Sausalito Team Wins Design Competition
Aug. 6, 2009
Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Site Preparation
Aug. 13, 2009
Bee Biology Website to Be Launched
Aug. 13, 2009
Thinking Outside the Box
Sept. 15, 2009
Campus Buzzway: Wildflowers
Dec. 15, 2009
Bee Biology Website Lauded
2010
June 6, 2010
Grand Opening Celebration of Honey Bee Garden
July 15, 2010
Art Is Where the Community Is; Blending Science with Art in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
July 30, 2010
More Than 50 Bee Species Found in Haven: Robbin Thorp (Now there's more than 80 and counting!)
Aug. 25, 2010
Donna Billick: Miss Bee Haven
Aug. 11, 2011
What the Signs Tell Us in the UC Davis Honey Bee Garden
Aug. 24, 2011
Royal Visit to Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
April 11, 2012
Brian Fishback: Spreading the Word about Honey Bees
Aug. 26, 2013
Eagle Scout Project: Fence Around the Bee Garden
Sept. 11 2012
A Fence to Behold
2013
April 25, 2013
UC Davis Bee Team Wins Major Award
Aug. 1, 2013
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Place to Be
With photo of founding volunteers
For more information on the garden or to donate, see the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven website.
Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, won a gold or first-place award in “Writing for Newspapers”; a silver or second-place award for “Writing for the Web” and two bronze or third-place awards for her photographs, one for a feature photo and the other for a service photo.
They will receive the awards at the ACE conference, set for June 8-11 in Charleston, S.C.
Nelson's winning article, “When Good Oil Goes Bad,” looks at the award-winning biosensor a team of UC Davis students built to help ensure olive oil quality for producers, retailers and consumers. Nelson won the 2010 ACE outstanding skill award for writing.
Garvey's winning article for best news writing was a light feature on forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey's plans for a field trip to Alcatraz, a day that happened to fall on Super Bowl Sunday. It was titled "Football Game? What Football Game?" The judges gave the story a perfect score, 100 out of 100.
The judges' comments:
- “VERY clever lead. The tie-in with the football game undoubtedly drew in more readers but was not forced--it was backed up by the faculty member's quote about getting back in time for the game. The creativity of the approach and the writing cast a wide net to all readers, showing that anyone can be excited about learning and discovery - no matter their age or education level or their interest in science or insects (or football, for that matter)."
- "Word choice expresses concrete imagery--"pigskin," "rat bait," "black lights." Metaphors work-- all the bird analogies, for instance. Information is spoonfed to the reader in the most enjoyable way. Sentences pack a lot of information, movement and progression. Every sentence offers something to celebrate, including the one that ends "just like scorpions," which gives a nod to the reader, assuming that he or she does, of course, know that scorpions glow under ultraviolet light! The work-play relationship of scientist to student comes through and adds interest to the piece. The writer makes the reader feel that they are being let in on a conspiracy of discovery rather than being talked at. A certain joy and passion spring from this piece, setting it apart from the others."
- Cool topic, and the writer makes its newsy
Garvey's silver award for web writing, “What's for Lunch?”, focused on a lady beetle eating aphids. It appeared on her Bug Squad blog on the UC Agricutural and Natural Resources website. She writes the blog every night, Monday through Friday, and has never missed a post since launching it on Aug. 6, 2008.
Wrote one judge:
“I admire anyone who can write a blog a day. Congratulations. I love that that the author replies to comments from readers and is active on multiple social networks. And again, kudos on the photography.”
Garvey received a bronze award for a feature photo on her Bug Squad blog. It depicts a praying mantis eating a western tiger swallowtail.
In addition, Garvey received a bronze award for a service photo, of two participants at the 2014 “Bugs and Beer” event sponsored by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. It showed a UC Davis student and his friend sharing a bug: one photographing it and one ready to eat it.
Since 2008, Garvey has won a total of 13 gold awards from ACE for her writing and photography. She was named the recipient of the Outstanding Professional Skill Award for Writing in 2011 and the Outstanding Professional Skill Award for Photography in both 2012 and 2013.