- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Elaine A. Backus, Ph.D.
(Donald McLean was her major professor)
Research Entomologist
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Parlier, CA
"I remember Don for many things, but two really stand out in my mind. When I first arrived at UC Davis in late 1978, one of the first things Don told me was that I was only his second female grad student, and that the first one did not do well. He didn't express much hope that I would do better. I, however, took it as a challenge. Five years later, he told me that he had been wrong in his early judgment, and that my lab mate, Diane Ullman, and I had proven that to him by the high quality of our work. By 1984, Don had become so convinced of the value of women to our field that he made improving minority representation in entomology as the major theme of his year as president of ESA. I was grateful for his open-mindedness, willingness to change his mind, and determination to help our society enact that change.
"The second thing I will always remember about Don is his (and Marv Kinsey's) inspired idea to invent a technology now called electropenetrography (EPG). The spark of genius that started in their lab has literally founded a whole new science. EPG has become (what is roundly considered by hemipterologists and vector researchers worldwide as) THE go-to method for the study of piercing-sucking feeding by hemipterans and other insects. Virtually all of what is presently known about mechanisms of aphid transmission of plant viruses is due (at least in part) to EPG. For 30+ years, EPG has been the centerpiece of my own research program. Yet, the only electronics class I ever took was Don's 'Electronics in Agriculture' course! I am humbly grateful for the many years of joy and fascination their invention has brought to myself and many friends and colleagues around the world. Don McLean's career had a real impact on our field, more so than even he realized."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
More than than 3,200 insect scientists have already registered, according to the ESA's communications program manager, Richard Levine. It is expected to be one of the largest entomology meetings in recent memory.
"The Northwest, with its natural beauty and location at the edge of the Pacific rim, is an ideal place to reflect on our Entomology 2014 theme: Grand Challenges Beyond Our Horizons," said Zalom, in an ESA news release "This year, ESA will be launching an effort to identify the most important challenges to which our discipline can make significant contributions.
More than 90 symposia are planned and will cover such topics as bed bugs, honey bees, monarch butterflies, ticks, native pollinators, pesticide regulations, biological control, integrated pest management, genetically-modified crops, invasive species, forestry, entomophagy, organic farming, insect-vectored diseases, and more. In addition, there will be 1,750 papers and posters, Levine reports.
Click here for the full meeting program.
Highlights include:
- Beyond Pesticides: The Conundrum of Bed Bugs
- Insects as Sustainable and Innovative Sources of Food and Feed Production
- Recovering Monarch Butterfly Populations in North America: A Looming Challenge for Science, the Public, Industry, and Legislators
- Classical Biological Control of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål)
- Nutrition and the Health and Behavior of Wild and Managed Bees
- Contributions of Mosquito Research to Science & Society
- Entomological Comics and Their Importance in Education and Culture
- RNAi: Emerging Technology to Overcome Grand Challenges in Entomology
- IPM: An International Organic Farming Strategy on Invasive Insect Species
- New Frontiers in Honey Bee Health Economics: Incorporating Entomological Research and Knowledge into Economic Assessments
Among the scientists to be honored at the ESA meeting are three from UC Davis: Professor Diane Ullman and doctorate recipients Kelly Hamby (2014) and James F. Campbell (1999)
Diane Ullman
Ullman earlier was named the recipient of the outstanding teaching award from the Pacific Branch of ESA. Ullman chaired the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2004-2005, and served as an associate dean for undergraduate academic programs, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. from 2005 to 2014. (See more information.)
Kelly Hamby
Hamby received her doctorate in entomology at UC Davis in March 2014, studying with major professor Frank Zalom. She has just accepted a position with the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Starting in November, she will be an assistant professor of sustainable agroecosystems and will be involved in integrated pest management research, extension, and teaching. (See more information)
James F. Campbell
Campbell is a research entomologist with the Center for Grain and Animal Health Research Service of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, Manhattan, Kansas. (See more information)
Three professors who received their doctorates in entomology in the 1980s from UC Davis are among this year's 10 elected Fellows.
They are:
- Nilsa A. Bosque-Pérez, professor, Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences at the University of Idaho. She received two degrees from UC Davis: her master's degree in 1981 and Ph.D. in 1985.
- Gary Felton, professor and head of the Department of Entomology at Penn State University. He received his doctorate from UC Davis in 1988. In 2010, he delivered the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Lecture at UC Davis
- Murray B. Isman, professor of entomology and toxicology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He received his doctorate from UC Davis in 1981. In 2012, he delivered the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Lecture at UC Davis
Graduate students in the UC Davis Department Entomology will participate in a debate on neonicotinoids. The team, coached by Michael Parrella, professsor and chair of the department, is comprised of Jenny Carlson, Anthony Cornel lab; Rei Margaret "Rei" Scampavia, Neal Williams/Edwin Lewis lab; Ralph Washington Jr., Nadler lab; Daniel Klittich, Parrella lab; and Mohammard-Amir Aghaee, Larry Godfrey lab.
ESA, founded in 1889, is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Its members are affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.
(Editor's Note: Richard Levine, the ESA's communications program manager, contributed to this report.)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
His seminar, open to all interested persons, is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. Host is Marshall McMunn, graduate student in the Louie Yang lab, Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"My research interests are at the interface of evolution, ecology and behavior," Cole says. "One of the major problems in evolutionary biology concerns the evolution of social groups. My research is in several areas involving the evolution of social behavior including the behavioral and genetic prerequisites for group living and the functional consequences of living in groups. The organisms that I use for studies of social behavior are the social insects, particularly the ants. Ants provide thousands of social species, many of which can be kept under controlled laboratory conditions, and manipulated to answer questions about social behavior."
An abstract of his talk:"Although many aspects of the biology of ants have received considerable study, one basic aspect of ant biology that we know very little about has to do with variation among individual colonies. These might be differences in behavior, differences in colony genetic structure, differences in demography. These differences among colonies are the source of fitness differences among colonies. In this seminar I shall examine the extent of fitness variation among colonies and begin to look at the sources of variation in fitness using data from our long-term study on the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis."
Cole received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and his doctorate from Princeton University. He did postdoctoral research at Harvard, University of Utah and UB Berkeley. Cole served on the faculty of the University of Virginia and the University of Arizona before joining the University of Houston 20 years ago. "I am interested in problems that combine ecology, evolution and behavior of ants," he said. "I strive to combine field and lab work with a bit of theory."
Cole and his colleague, Diane Wiernasz are studying the population biology of a desert harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. "We are combining a long-term ecological study of this population with detailed analysis of the ecology, genetics, and reproductive biology," he writes on his website. "Our long-term goal is to provide one of the most complete pictures of the population biology of an ant species."
"Our studies of harvester ants fall into several broad areas involved with measuring the components of fitness and quantifying selection in this natural population. For example the problem of reproductive allocation is influenced by the effects of body size on fitness, sex ratios and the relative values of growth and survival in colonies. In one current project we are studying how the genetic makeup of colonies generates a link between the timing of activity and foraging success, colony growth and ultimately colony fitness."
"We combine field experiments with longitudinal field studies, laboratory behavioral observations and genetic analyses to gain a complete picture of this species."
His seminar will be recorded for later viewing on UCTV.
The remaining seminars, all from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in !22 Briggs, include:
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Clifford Ohmart
Entomologist and vice president of professional services
SureHarvest, sustainable agriculture
Title: "Sustainable Agriculture: What Is Happening Out on the Farm?"
Host: Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Chuck Fox
Professor, University of Kentucky, specializing in ecology and evolution of life histories; insect-plant interactions; insect behavioral ecology
Title: "Inbreeding-Environment Interactions: Experimental Studies and a Meta Analysis"
Host: Jay Rosenheim, professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology
Wednesday, Nov. 12
Louie Yang
Assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, specializing in ecology
Title: "Pulses, Phenology and Ontogeny: Towards a More Temporally Explicit Framework for Understanding Species Interactions?"
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Ray Hong
Associate professor of biology, California State University, Northridge, specializing in nematology
Title: “A Fatal Attraction: Regulation of Development and Behavior in the Nematode Pristionchus pacificus by a Beetle Pheromone”
Host: Valerie Williamson, professor of nematology, Department of Entomology and Nematology
Wednesday, Nov. 26
Doris Bachtrog, lab
Associate professor of integrative biology, UC Berkeley, specializing in evolutionary and functional genomics
Title: "Numerous Transitions of Sex Chromosomes in Diptera"
Host: Michael Parrella, professor and chair, Department of Entomology and Nematology
Wednesday, Dec. 3
No seminar
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Sawyer Fuller
Postdoctoral researcher, Harvard University
Title: "RoboBee: Using the Engineering Toolbox to Understand the Flight Apparatus of Flying Insects"
Host: James Carey, distinguished professor of entomology
This seminar is being remote broadcast to UC Davis via internet
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Internationally recognized entomologist and well-known philanthropist Evert Irving Schlinger of Concord, professor emeritus, UC Berkeley Department of Entomological Sciences, passed Wednesday, Oct. 8 in Lafayette, Calif. He was 86.
Dr. Schlinger, who received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis and then his doctorate in entomology in 1957 from the University of California, Berkeley, was a world authority on a very rare, world-distributed group of spider-parasitoid flies of the family Acroceridae. His dissertation, available in the UC Davis Shields Library, was on "A Generic Revision and Catalogue of the Acroceridae (Diptera)."
He collected specimens on 37 insect-spider expeditions in 40 countries. His World Spider-Endoparasitoid Lab, located in Santa Ynez, Calif., was most recently associated with the UC Santa Barbara Department of Biology.
Dr. Schlinger chaired the departments of entomology at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley and initiated a new department at Berkeley called Conservation and Resources Studies."
The philanthropist funded professorships at universities across the U.S. with millions of dollars from his family foundation.
At UC Davis, he and his wife, Marion (now former wife), established the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics in 1996 through gifts from the Schlinger Foundation. It was their aim that the endowed chair would attract and sustain scholars and scientists working in the area of the systematics of insects, as well as arachnids.
Born April 17, 1928 in Los Angeles, Evert or "Ev" as he was known, chose UC Davis as his undergraduate school, where he quarterbacked the football team and ran track. He was a life and charter member of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
Dr. Schlinger received a UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction in 1999. A nominee wrote: "He has been an inspiring teacher, mentor and leader in entomology. Through his research foundation, he provides resources to enliven and enrich the prospects of systematics and biodiversity well into the future."
Michael E. Irwin, professional scientist emeritus from at the Illinois Natural History Survey. emailed members of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology:
"Evert I. Schlinger passed away during the lunar eclipse in the early morning of Wednesday, October 8, 2014. He was a giant of a man in both stature and accomplishment. He fought for advancing science and improving the environment all of his life. He had a laser-like ability to dissect problems and find solutions. He was gentle, caring, yet held strong convictions. His work in the systematics of the small-headed fly family Acroceridae was deep and provided the foundation for future workers; his work in biological control was less known but profoundly influenced the course and development of integrated pest management. Perhaps his greatest gift to science was a cadre of students that have made impacts in many areas of entomology and education. For me, he will always be remembered as my best friend and a great mentor."
Dr. Schlinger is survived by his four children, Pete Schlinger; Mathew (Joanne) Schlinger of Redding; Jane (Brad) Omick of Lafayette, Calif.; Brian (Danelle) Schlinger of Palo Cedro, Caiif; 11 grandchildren; and brother Warren (Katie) of Pasadena, Calif.
His daughter, Jane, said her father "started his career collecting black widows at schools at the age of 9." She recalled that in addition to his love of family and science, he "loved to sing and had a love for opera--he attended the San Francisco Opera performances a lot."
Related Links:
Flipagram, online memory album created by daughter, Jane Omick of Layfayette
Schlinger Aphid Collection at Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Helene Dillard, dean of CA&ES, announced the appointments today (Oct. 9).
Lewis, representing the agricultural programs, joins Professor Ron Tjeerdema, Department of Environmental Toxicology, representing the environmental programs; and Cooperative Extension Specialist Dave Campbell, Department of Human Ecology, representing the human/social sciences programs.
The new leadership team will further develop our inter- and cross-disciplinary engagement among college and campus programs to enhance the mission of the college, Dillard said.
The new associate deans will serve five-year, 80 percent appointments that became effective Oct. 1, 2014.
They will report to and work collaboratively with CA&ES Executive Associate Dean Mary Delany on the planning and administrative coordination of departments and programs in the college.
In addition to working with department chairs on research and outreach, the associate deans also will work with Dean Helene Dillard to represent CA&ES to other colleges, schools, stakeholders, and visitors, and work with development staff to advance college fundraising objectives.
Current Associate Dean Jan Hopmans has agreed to stay on for the 2014 fall quarter transition.
Lewis joined the UC Davis faculty as an associate professor of nematology and entomology in 2004. He was promoted to professor in 2008.
Lewis is editor-in-chief of the prestigious Biological Control journal (as of July 1). He is a member of the Entomological Society of America, Society of Invertebrate Pathology, and the Society of Nematologists. His professional service includes subject editor of the Journal of Nematology and North American editor of Biopesticides International. He is a former chair of USDA Regional Project 1024.
Lewis received his bachelor of science degree in natural resources from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; his master's degree in entomology from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.; and his doctorate in entomology from Auburn (Ala.) University.
After receiving his doctorate, Lewis served as a post-doctoral research associate and then assistant research professor at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. He worked as a research associate in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and as an assistant professor, Department of Entomology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, before joining the UC Davis faculty.
(CA&ES contributed to this report)