July 29, 2010
Tara Thiemann, a doctoral candidate studying with major professor William Reisen, received $2100 for her statewide research on bloodfeeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes. She studies both urban and rural populations of mosquitoes and their host meals.
Jenny Carlson, an incoming doctoral student who will be studying with major professor Anthony 'Anton' Cornel, received $2000 for her research on avian malaria parasites, which will involve studies in West Africa.
Thiemann's project involves analyzing the blood meals of Culex mosquitoes to identify specific host species--research important toward understanding both the maintenance and epidemic transmission of the West Nile virus.
Earlier she developed a new molecular method for bloodmeal identification based on the Luminex platform that can identify 18 of the most fed-upon host species in California. Thiemann used this method, in conjunction with DNA sequencing, to identify more than 3000 Culex blood meals.
For example, her research showed that in Los Angeles County, Culex pipiens complex feeds predominantly on house sparrows and house finches, but in Sutter County, it feeds on a larger variety of hosts, including American crows, American robins and yellow-billed magpies.
A member of the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Program since 2004, Thiemann received her bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo.
Her major professor, William Reisen, is a research entomologist with the Center for Vectorborne Diseases and a professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine. Closely linked with the UC Davis Department of Entomology, he is a faculty entomology affiliate and an entomology graduate student advisor.
Carlson’s research will take her to West Africa where she will collect mosquito vector and avian blood samples to study the mechanisms of malaria parasite transmission. She hypothesizes that the diversity of mosquito and avian parasites will be lower in deforested areas than forested areas.
The rationale behind her research? “Once we ascertain the co-phylogeographic structure of the host-vector-parasite system, we shall gain a better understanding of how specialization can affect disease transmission during a time where deforestation and climate change continue to alter the population structures of vectors and hosts.”
Her major professor, Anton Cornel, is a malaria researcher and an associate professor of entomology at UC Davis. His lab is based at the Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier.
Carlson received her bachelor of science degree in zoology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, and her master’s degree biology from San Francisco State University.
The annual Hazeltine awards single out student research that is of a practical nature and is designed to help solve problems in the area of mosquito and vector control. The intent is to encourage students to prepare for and become contributors in the field of applied public health entomology.
The award memorializes William “Bill” Hazeltine (1926-1994), who managed the Lake County Mosquito Abatement District from 1961-64 and the Butte County Mosquito Abatement District from 1966-1992. He was an ardent supporter of the judicious use of public health pesticides to protect public health. He continued work on related projects until his death in 1994.
Hazeltine studied entomology in the UC Berkeley graduate program from 1950-53, and received his doctorate in entomology from Purdue University in 1962.
He maintained close ties with UC Davis entomologists. UC Davis medical entomologist Bruce Eldridge eulogized him at the 2005 American Mosquito Control Association conference. His talk was later published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. (See PDF)
Hazeltine's three sons assist with the memorial fellowship awards. They are Craig of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Lee of Woodland, Calif.; and Jeff of Los Angeles.
Prior Recipients of Hazeltine Awards::
2009: Kelly Liebman and Wei Xu (See story)
2008: Ashley Horton and Tara Thiemann (See story)
2007: Lisa Reimer and Jacklyn Wong (See story)
2006: Christopher Barker and Tania Morgan (See story)
2005: Nicole Mans
2004: Sharon Minnick
2003: Hannah Burrack
2002: Holly Ganz and Andradi Villalobos
2001: Laura Goddard and Linda Styer