Bug Squad

The systemic insecticide imidacloprid, belonging to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids or "neonics," is commonly used to control insects that damage agricultural crops.

Cockroaches for dessert? Yes.

There's no doubt--no doubt at all--that Fatma Kaplan is a go-getter. And maybe a genius. Born on her family's 40-acre farm in Turkey, where they grew hazel nuts, Kaplan went from farmer to scientist to entrepreneur. Today Kaplan is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Pheronym, Inc.

Alison Coomer, a second-year doctoral student in the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, recently achieved worldwide recognition for her three-minute thesis (3MT) on root-knot nematodes.

"Hey, there, pumpkin, how big of a piece of pumpkin pie do you want?" If you've ever been asked that, you may have responded--quite politely--"Small, thank you!" You probably didn't thank the squash bees.