He's a giant in his field--a veritable Sequoia in the flatlands.

But he's an entomologist with an incredible reach that extends in practically all corners of the insect science world. He's like the equivalent of a griffinfly from the extinct genus Meganeuropsis, a huge insect with a wingspan of 27 inches. 

Indeed, the reach of UC Davis distinguished Frank Zalom UC Davis distinguished professor, is quite comparable. 

Zalom, a noted integrated pest management (IPM) specialist and a past president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), is a newly elected Honorary Member of the ESA, an honor bestowed for his “long-term dedication and extraordinary contributions” to the 7000-member global organization. Honorary Member is the highest honor that can be afforded an ESA member.   

Zalom, praised as “an entomological giant” and “the consummate ambassador to entomology,” joins five other entomologists as Honorary Members. They will be honored at the ESA's annual meeting, Entomology 2021, set Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Denver. 

“Honorary membership acknowledges those who have served ESA for at least 20 years through significant involvement in the affairs of the society that has reached an extraordinary level,” an ESA spokesperson said. “Candidates for this honor are selected by the ESA Governing Board and then voted on by the ESA membership.”

“Dr. Zalom is phenomenal for his sustained service of leadership, research, teaching and mentoring, and in my opinion, he is one of the world's most influential, accomplished and inspirational entomologists,” wrote nominator James R. Carey, a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology and an ESA Fellow. ESA Honorary Member and ESA Fellow Philip Mulder, emeritus professor and former department chair at Oklahoma State University, noted: “Frank is and was the consummate ambassador to entomology throughout his entire career and around the globe on multiple occasions.”

George Kennedy, the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University, commented that “Few, if any, ESA members can match the level of sustained service and leadership that Frank has provided to ESA and entomology more broadly.” Robert Weidenmann, emeritus professor and former department chair at the University of Arkansas, wrote that “As if his service to the Society was not enough, Frank has been recognized for his contributions to entomology, as demonstrated by his consistent leadership in the field of integrated pest management. Frank has been one of the major drivers of the true integration of the IPM strategies in all of agriculture.”  

A 47-year member of ESA, Zalom is an emeritus professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and currently a recall professor, continuing his work on IPM of tree, vine and fruiting vegetable crops through several major USDA and CDFA research grants he has received since retiring. Since his retirement, he has brought in more than $1 million in grants. Zalom is also working with Professor Rachael Goodhue, chair of the UC Davis Agricultural and Resource Economics Department on an ongoing pesticide policy research project involving "economic and pest management analyses of potential regulations in strawberry, tomato, and other fruiting crops" in collaboration with CDFA's Office of Pesticide Policy and Analysis.  

Zalom directed the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) for 16 years (1986-2002).  “Frank elevated it to 'the gold standard' of the world's IPM programs, emphasizing ecologically based pest management programs for agriculture, urban settings and natural resources,” Carey wrote.  

Zalom served as the 2014 ESA president; 2015 Entomological Foundation president, and the 2002 Pacific Branch president. He has been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Economic Entomology since 2018. He also was the first editorial board chair (2008-09) of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, serving on the board until 2012.   

The UC Davis entomologist has authored nearly 400 journal publications or book chapters, and more than 400 other publications. He holds two U.S. patents. 

Passionate about moving science policy forward, Zalom served as ESA's Science Policy Committee Chair in 2015. In 2018, he co-organized a two-day summit, Grand Challenges in Entomology in South America, hosted by the Entomological Society of Brazil. The summit focused on invasive species, public health, and sustainable agriculture, and included invited leadership from all entomology societies in Central and South America. Zalom also co-organized the North American and Pacific Rim Invasive Insect and Arthropod Species Challenge Summit, jointly hosted by the entomological societies of America, Canada and British Columbia in Vancouver, BC in 2019. 

Highly honored by his peers, Zalom is a Fellow of four scientific organizations: ESA; the American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Academy of Sciences, and Royal Entomological Society. His numerous awards include the BY Morrison Memorial Medal from USDA-ARS and American Society for Horticultural Science (2017), ESA's Recognition Award (2002), Outstanding Achievement Award in Extension Entomology (1992), Excellence in IPM Award (2010), IPM Team Award (2008), and the Pacific Branch Woodworth Award (2011). 

Among his UC Davis recognitions are the Consortium for Women in Research Outstanding Mentor Award (2013), James H. Meyer Award (2004), and Academic Senate Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award (2017).

A native of Chicago, Frank moved to Arizona with his family at age 4. He received his bachelor's degree and master's degrees in zoology and ecology from Arizona State University, 1973 and 1974, respectively, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1978. He joined the University of Minnesota faculty as assistant professor before returning to UC Davis in 1980.

“Throughout his career the depth of his knowledge in IPM was matched by the strength of his commitment to teaching students and postdocs, as well as by the power of his dedication to helping growers in all areas of agricultural entomology,” Carey wrote. “A former Fulbright Scholar, Frank is both a visionary and dedicated entomologist who has devoted his life's work to advancing entomology and ESA programs. His expertise is in great demand from colleagues, agriculturists, policy makers, students and more. He is the consummate entomologist, intricately skilled and highly accomplished.” 

Zalom is the fifth UC Davis scientist to be selected ESA Honorary Member. W. Harry Lange (1912-2004) received the award in 1990; Donald MacLean (1928-2014), the 1984 ESA president, won the award in 1993; Bruce Eldridge in 1996, and John Edman in 2001. 

The Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis, is in the news today, and what wonderful, exciting news!

Jason Bond, UC Davis professor of entomology and the Evert and Marion Schlinger endowed chair in insect systematics is a newly selected co-editor-in-chief of the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity (ISD), published by the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

He and Hojun Song, an associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M University, will serve a four-year term, starting Jan. 1. They succeed founding editors Sydney Cameron and James Whitfield, both professors of entomology at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

ISD, launched in 2017, publishes research on systematics, evolution, and biodiversity of insects and related arthropods, including comparative and developmental morphology, conservation, behavior, taxonomy,molecular phylogenetics, paleobiology, natural history, and phylogeography. The journal is heralded for its cutting-edge research, according to an ESA news release issued Oct. 12.

"Dr. Song and Dr. Bond are esteemed leaders in their areas of research, and their knowledge and experience with the evolving techniques in systematics, evolution, genomics, and beyond make them ideal for this role,"  ESA President Michelle Smith said in the press release. "My fellow ESA Governing Board members and I are pleased to welcome them aboard, and we look forward to seeing them build upon the excellent foundation that Dr. Cameron and Dr. Whitfield have established."

ESA vice president Jessica Ware, who chaired the search committee, praised Bond and Song for their "experience and enthusiasm" for advancing the journal. "They both impressed the committee with their editorial skill, scientific expertise, and commitment to ESA's mission and vision for its family of journals. ISD aims to publish high-impact, integrative research, and I'm confident the journal will be in good hands." (See news release.)

Jason Bond. Bond joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty in 2018 from Auburn University, Alabama,  where he directed the Auburn University Museum of Natural History (2011–2016), and served as professor and chair of the Auburn Department of Biological Sciences (2016–2018). He specializes in the evolutionary diversification of terrestrial arthropods, specifically spiders, millipedes, and tenebrionid beetles. (See Bond laboratory.)

Bond holds a bachelor's degree in biology (1993) from Western Carolina University, and two degrees from Virginia Tech:  a master's degree in biology (1995) and a doctorate in evolutionary systematics (1999). He began his career as a research associate at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1990. His credentials include associate editor of Systematic Biology (2019–present) and editor of New World Mygalomorphae for Zootaxa (2016–present).

Hojun Song. Song holds three degrees in entomology: a bachelor's degree (2000) from Cornell University and both his master's (2002) and doctorate (2006) from Ohio State University. He began his career as a research fellow in 2006 at Brigham Young University, and then served as an assistant professor and curator of the Stuart M. Fullerton Collection of Arthropods, University of Central Florida, before joining the Texas A&M faculty in 2015. He was named editor-in-chief of the journal Insect Systematics and Evolution in 2014. He specializes in arthropod systematics, biodiversity and evolution. (See Song laboratory.) 

"I am honored to be selected as a new co-editor-in-chief of Insect Systematics and Diversity, and I am excited about the possibility of moving the field of insect systematics in this new capacity," Song told ESA. "The inaugural co-editors-in-chief, Drs. Sydney Cameron and Jim Whitfield, have done a tremendous job launching the journal. Dr. Bond and I have some big shoes to fill, but we will do our best to make sure that ISD continues to become an outlet for publishing the best work in insect systematics, evolution, and biodiversity."

A tip of the insect net to the new co-editors-in-chief!

UC Davis Resources:

• Spotlight on Jason Bond (UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology)
• A Spider Is Always Watching You! (Bohart Museum of Entomology Open House)
• Name That Spider: Meet Cryptocteniza kawtak (UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology)

ESA

• Journal, Insect Systematics and Diversity 
• List of ESA journals and publications

Oh, how popular they are.

If you've ever seen youngsters jumping up and down in pure delight--and pure enthusiasm--you've probably been to an event spotlighting the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology insect specimens.

And now you can help. 

The Bohart Museum of Entomology has launched a CrowdFund project to raise $5000 by 11:59 p.m., Oct 31 to purchase traveling display boxes for their specimens, which include bees, butterflies and beetles. 

These are portable glass-topped display boxes that travel throughout Northern California to school classrooms, youth group meetings, festivals, events, museums, hospitals--and more--to help people learn about the exciting world of entomology (insect science).

“When COVID halted our in-person outreach programs, we were still able to safely loan these educational materials to teachers,” said Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator.  

Supporting the Talent. “Now that UC Davis is open again to students we have all these bright, students on campus with fresh and diverse perspectives,” she said. “We want to support their talent, so the funds we are raising will go to students for the creation of new traveling displays. This fleet of new educational drawers will expand and update what we can offer. Some of our current displays were created 15 years ago! One can only imagine all the places these drawers have been and all the people who have been inspired."

The minimum donation is $5, Yang said. "You can donate in honor or in memory of someone, a place, or an organism, too! There is a map (states and countries) that lights up donor locations.  Those of you with a fondness in your hearts for insects, college student experiences, science education, and/or museums, please donate to light up our map!" Access the donation page and map at https://bit.ly/3v4MoaJ

The Bohart Museum, a research collection and public museum dedicated to understanding, documenting and communicating terrestrial arthropod diversity, is now celebrating its 75th year. It maintains a robust outreach program that typically connects with more than 10,000 people annually, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the museum and a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology.

Portable educational boxes are considered a great way to share the museum experience with others. They are housed in the same specimen boxes that the Bohart scientists use for their research collections. UC Davis students, staff, teachers and scout leaders routinely borrow these materials to enrich their programs.

"Our current educational boxes were created 15 to 20 years ago by staff and students at UC Davis," the scientists related on the CrowdFund page. "After years of wear and tear and new developments in biology, we need to update and create a new suite of display boxes. These displays will not only be scientifically accurate, but they will be intriguing to view by all ages. With every $500 in donations, a student will be able to create a fresh new box, complete with an informational sheet and a short video. The goal of this fundraiser is to provide 10 students the opportunity to create 10 portable educational displays that will enhance the outreach mission of the Bohart Museum and the University of California."

Virtual Tour. The public is invited to access the Bohart's Facebook Live virtual tour for Aggie Spirit Week on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The "Bugology" link is https://fb.me/e/XKtXPrsB. Plans are to spotlight Professor Kimsey; senior museum scientist Steve Heydon; Lepidoptera collection curator Jeff Smith; and graduate student Socrates Letana (who researches bot flies), among others.

The Bohart Museum, temporarily closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It houses nearly eight million insect specimens, collected from around the world. It also houses a live "petting zoo" comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas, as well as an online gift shop stocked with insect-themed jewelry, clothing, books, posters and other items.

If you're near the University of California, Davis campus on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 13, and concerned about the future of the food system and agroecology--sustainable farming that works with nature--you won't want to miss this lecture. 

Internationally recognized scientist Hans Herren, president and CEO of the Millennium Institute, USA, and recipient of the 1995 World Food Prize, will deliver an in-person seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday, Oct. 13 on “Why Is Transforming the Food System Along the Agroecology Principles an Imperative?” 

Herren will speak at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall, Kleiber Hall Drive, announced seminar coordinator Shahid Siddique, who will host the speaker. Many of the fall seminars are virtual, but this will be an in-person lecture. Plans are to record it for later viewing.

"It's an honor to have Hans speak in our seminar series,"  said Siddique,  assistant professor of nematology. "Hans is well respected for conceiving and implementing a highly successful biological control program against mealybug and green mites that might have averted one of Africa‘s worst food crisises. He was awarded the World Food Prize for that achievement in 1995."

Herren, a native of Switzerland and an entomologist by training, describes himself as "active in international development, with an emphasis on policy design to meet the (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” 

Herren writes in his abstract: “The food system transformation has been of special interest given my active participation on the International Panel of Experts in Food System (IPES-Food), and its potential to contribute significantly to meet the set targets. Agroecology is the most promising and realistic approach to a fair and truly sustainable food system.”

The Millennium Institute, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and founded in 1983, is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization "passionate about improving the welfare of individuals on every continent by working with stakeholders to meet the challenges of sustainable development."

Herren lived and worked in agriculture, health and environmental research and capacity development in Africa for 27 years, according to the World Future Council, which also says on its website: "As director of the Africa Biological Control Center of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, he conceived and implemented the highly successful biological control program against the cassava mealybug (Phenacoccus manihoti) and the green mite that saved the cassava crop, the staple of 200 million Africans and averted Africa's worst-ever food crisis." 

"For this achievement, he was the first Swiss to receive the World Food Prize in 1995. Hans advocates for holistic and multi-stakeholder approaches to development planning that take cognizance of the three dimensions of sustainability, and result from a shared vision of sustainability by all the key actors. Hans holds numerous awards that recognize his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research and advocacy. These include the Right Livelihood Award, Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, Brandenberger Preis, and the Kilby Award. Hans earned his PhD at the Federal Institute of Technology,Zurich, and completed post-doctoral research at University of California, Berkeley. He is also the founder of Biovision Foundation, Switzerland. He is a member of the World Future Council since 2018." (See his complete bioography on Wikipedia.)

The Millennium Institute, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Washington, D.C.,  is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization described as "passionate about improving the welfare of individuals on every continent by working with stakeholders to meet the challenges of sustainable development."

"We help decision makers apply systems thinking to create a more sustainable, equitable, and peaceful global society," according to the organization's Linked In site. "Our unique approach maps integrated policy options across the sustainability framework for environmental, social and economic benefits to society. We have assisted more than 40 nations and regional groups through the process of identifying goals and strategies that offer all people access to food, water, health care, education, and equal opportunities for women and men. We have assisted more than 40 nations and regional groups through the process of identifying goals and strategies that offer all people access to food, water, health care, education, and equal opportunities for women and men."

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on the principle of “leaving no one behind,” the new agenda emphasizes a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:10 p.m. All in-person seminars are held in 122 Briggs Hall, while the virtual seminars are broadcast on Zoom. For more information, contact Siddique at ssiddique@ucdavis.edu.