- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The more pertinent question, scientists say, is "Do you UNDERSTAND climate change?"
Wikipedia defines climate change this way: "In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate. The current rise in global average temperatureis primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices add to greenhouse gases. These gases absorb some of the heat that the Earth radiates after it warms from sunlight, warming the lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas driving global warming, has grown by about 50% and is at levels unseen for millions of years."
Enter Michael Hoffmann, an emeritus professor at Cornell University and the newest recipient of the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award, sponsored by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Hoffmann, a noted entomologist and climate change spokesperson, will deliver the Leigh seminar on "Our Changing Menu: Using the Power of Food to Confront Climate Change" on Monday, Oct. 14. The event, to be held in the Putah Creek Lodge, beginning at 4 p.m., will include a social, lecture and dinner. Reservations are closed but the seminar will be on Zoom at
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672. It will then be archived on this page: https://entomology.ucdavis.edu/seminars
Hoffmann is the lead author of the book, Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and Need (Cornell Press 2021). He is known for his advocacy of climate change literacy, leadership activities and biological control projects.
Hoffmann says he is dedicating his life to "confronting the grand challenge of climate change by helping people understand and appreciate what is happening through the foods we all love and need." He has published climate-change articles in the popular press, including The Hill, Fortune, Medium, and USA Today. He also delivered a TEDX Talk, titled Climate Change: It's Time to Raise Our Voices," teaches an online eCornell course, Climate Change Leadership; and has presented more than 150 climate-change talks.
"I will tell the climate change story until I no longer can," Hoffmann says.
Hoffmann was selected the 2020 recipient of the Leigh Seminar Award, but the COVID pandemic intervened and other dates conflicted. He will be introduced by his longtime friend and colleague, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Frank Zalom of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Caring, Unselfish, Passionate. "Mike is one of the nicest people who I have ever known," said Zalom, who officially retired in 2018 but continues hisIPM research and outreach efforts as a recall professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. "He is caring, unselfish, and passionate in his support of issues that he believes in. He is devoted to his family, and has always been willing to commit his personal and professional time to making things better for others. He was committed to IPM as a graduate student at Davis and subsequently as a faculty member in entomology at Cornell. He not only conductedIPM research, but he put it into practice through personal interactions with diverse agricultural and urban communities in New York State."
Zalom, who directed the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) Program for 16 years, noted that Hoffmann "assumed leadership of the New York State IPM Program, one of the very best IPM programs in the country, then applied his enthusiasm for sustainability to Cornell's Agricultural Experiment Station as its director where it is generally acknowledged that he created a ‘culture of sustainability.' "
"Mike is a big-picture-kind of person," Zalom said, "and has dedicated much of the latter half of his career to preparing communities for the effects of climate change by illustrating its effects through food. He has given hundreds of engaging presentations on climate change including a highly regarded TEDx talk."
Hoffmann was "the executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Change Solutions when he retired from Cornell in 2020, but remains active in presenting the story of what is happening and what can be done about it nationally and internationally," Zalom said. "I am proud to say that Mike remains one of my very closest friends, and it will be my honor to introduce him for his upcoming seminar where is will receive the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award."
One-Cow Dairy Farm. A native of Wisconsin, Hoffmann grew up on "a one-cow dairy farm" and recalls milking a cow named "Mabel." After graduating from high school, he served in the U. S. Marines during the Vietnam War. He received his bachelor's degree in 1975 from the University of Wisconsin, master's degree in 1978 from the University of Arizona, and his doctorate in 1990 from UC Davis, where he studied with Professor Ted Wilson and later Zalom.
The Leigh seminar memorializes cotton entomologist Thomas Frances Leigh (1923-1993), an international authority on the biology, ecology and management of arthropod pests affecting cotton production. During his 37-year UC Davis career, Leigh was based at the Shafter Research and Extension Center, also known as the U.S. Cotton Research Station. When his wife, Nina, passed in 2002, the name of the alumni seminar changed to the Thomas and Nina Distinguished Alumni Award Seminar.
Nematologist Amanda Hodson, assistant professor, is coordinating the ENT seminars. The full list is here. For more information or for technical issues, contact Hodson at akhodson@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Associate professor Kyle Wickings of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, will speak on “Composition and Function of Soil Invertebrate Communities in Residential Greenspaces” at 4:10 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30 in 122 Briggs Hall.
This is the first in a series of fall seminars hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and coordinated by nematologist Amanda Hodson, assistant professor.
“Turfgrasses cover a significant portion of U.S. land area and are used for a variety of cultural and other ecosystem services," he says in his abstract. "However, this service provisioning capacity varies tremendously by geographic location and management context. In this seminar, I will present research from my program on the potential or turfgrasses to serve as reservoirs for belowground biodiversity and soil organic matter in residential laws and public parks o the northwestern United States. I will also discuss the consequences of turfgrass cultural and pest management practices or soil biological communities and processes.”
His seminar will be broadcast on Zoom and archived. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
On his website, Wickings relates: "My research strives to understand the interactions between arthropods, microbes, and soil organic matter, and how these interactions may be modified to improve plant protection in the rhizosphere. One of my research goals is to identify underlying characteristics of soil organic matter (quantity, quality, and composition) which influence root herbivore populations. This knowledge could improve our ability to predict pest outbreaks and may ultimately be used to develop soil amendments which suppress root-feeding pests. I am also interested in understanding the role that soil microbes play in the nutritional ecology of root-feeding arthropods. My previous research demonstrates that soil arthropods interact closely with microbes during feeding, and it is well known that soil arthropods form diverse external and internal associations with microbes. My research at Cornell will continue in this area to improve our understanding of the role of microbes in root herbivore nutrition and the potential for managing root-feeding pests by influencing the soil microbial community."
Wickings, who joined the Cornell University faculty in 2013, holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies, summa cum laude (2001), and a doctorate in 2007 in ecology from the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology. His dissertation: “Arthropod Biodiversity in a Georgia Cotton Agroecosysem: Cotton, Tillage, Cover Crops and Red Imported Fire Ants."
He did postdoctoral research from 2010-2013 for the Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, Durham, where he conducted research on the effects of management intensity on soil biota and their role in long-term decomposition; performed advanced chemical analysis of soil and plant residue for collaborative research projects; and advised graduate students studying symbiotic microbes of soil invertebrates and patterns of microarthropod distribution in soils.
He earlier served as a postdoctoral associate (2006-2010) for the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Wickings has authored or co-authored research published in PloS One, Ecology Letters, Peobiologia, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, and Annals of the Entomological Society of America, among others.
Wickings received Cornell's 2017 Early Achievement Award for his work researching the effects of soil arthropods and microbes on plant health and chemistry.
The full list of the department's fall seminars is here. For more information or for technical issues, contact Hodson at akhodson@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The seminars begin Monday afternoon, Sept. 30 and continue every Monday through Dec. 2.
Nematologist Amanda Hodson, assistant professor of soil ecology and pest management, is coordinating the seminars. All, except one, will be held in Briggs Hall. All, but one, will be on Zoom.
The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
Michael Hoffmann, professor emeritus, Cornell University, will deliver the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award Seminar in the Putah Creek Lodge at 4 p.m. on Oct. 14. (See below)
The list of seminars:
Monday, Sept. 30, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Kyle Wickings
Department of Entomology, Cornell University
Title: “Composition and Function of Soil Invertebrate Communities in Residential Greenspaces”
Monday, Oct. 7, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Juliana Rangel Posada
Professor of Apiculture, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University
Title: “Don't Compromise: Food Lipid Content Shapes Protein-Lipid Regulation in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Nurses”
Monday, Oct. 14, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award Seminar
Michael Hoffmann
Professor Emeritus, Cornell University
Title: “Our Changing Menu: Using the Power of Food to Confront Climate Change”
This will take place beginning at 4 p.m. in the Putah Creek Lodge and will include a social, lecture and dinner. Reservations closed. (See more)
Monday, Oct. 21, 4:10 to 5 p.m.,122 Briggs
Andrew Corbett
Research Affiliate, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (formerly with the lab of UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim, now emeritus)
Title: "In Silico Experiments with the Effect of Natural Habitats on Biological Control in Agricultural Landscapes."
Monday, Oct. 28, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Jolene Saldivar
UC Davis Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow, lab of Professor Louie Yang
Title: "Disturbance in Coastal Sage Scrub and the Implications for Migratory Butterflies”
Monday, Nov. 4, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Eliza Litsey (exit seminar)
Litsey, a former graduate student in the honey bee lab of Elina Niño, UC Davis Department of Entomology, received her master's degree in entomology in June 2024 and is now a laboratory technician at the lab of research entomologist Julia Fine, USDA/ARS, Davis. Litzey also holds a bachelor's degree from UC Davis.)
Monday, Nov. 18, 122 Briggs (in-person only; will not on Zoom)
Andre Custodio Franco
Assistant Professor, Indiana University Bloomington
Title: "Deciphering the Soil Macrobiome: Belowground Communities Driving Ecosystem Responses to Global Change”
Monday, Nov. 25, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Christine Sprunger
Associate Professor of Soil Health at Michigan State University
Title: "Nematodes as Bioindicators of Soil Health and Climate Resiliency”
Monday, Dec. 2, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 122 Briggs
Inga Zasada
Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS
Title: "How an Applied Nematolgist Uses Genomic Tools to Address Plant-Parasitic Nematode Research”
For more information, contact Hodson at akhodson@ucdavis.edu
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Do you know where your nematodes are? If you're a grower, you should.
"To make informed management decisions and ensure that environmentally damaging soil fumigants are applied only when and where needed, growers need to know precisely the density and distribution of pest nematodes," says nematologist Amanda Hodson, a professional researcher in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology who will present a departmental seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 31 in 122 Briggs Hall.
Hodson, who will deliver the hourlong seminar on "Molecular Detection and Integrated Management of Plant Parasitic Nematodes," studies the interrelationships between nematode pests, ecosystem functioning and management decisions.
"Molecular methods overcome some of the drawbacks of the labor and time intensive process of nematode detection," she says. "Our analysis has established the accuracy of real time PCR (qPCR) primers which accurately differentiate and quantify several pest nematodes from other nematodes in the soil including lesion nematode (Pratylenchus vulnus), ring nematode (Mesocriconema xenoplax) and two separate groups of root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). Integrated management of these soil pests requires better understanding of the interactions between nematode pest suppression, soil food webs, management tactics, crop productivity, and soil health. Our experiments link managing for nematode pest suppression with other desired ecological outcomes such as increased soil organic matter and nutrient cycling in cropping systems such as almonds, tomatoes and carrots."
Hodson's research integrates plant and root biology with the fields of entomology, nematology, acarology and biogeochemistry. She completed her doctorate in entomology at UC Davis in 2010 on the ecological effects of a biological control agent in pistachio orchards, finding that the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae, caused temporary changes in native soil food webs. Following up on these results in the laboratory, she found that the European earwig (Forficula auricularia) could serve as a novel host for the nematode. This susceptibility depended on host body size with significantly higher mortality rates seen in larger earwigs.
The departmental seminars (see schedule) are open to all interested persons. Seminar coordinators are assistant professor Rachel Vannette, Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and doctoral student Brendon Boudinot of the Phil Ward lab.