- 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)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Dr. Maurice J. Tauber, a visiting professor/scientist and associate with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, died Oct. 6 at the age of 82. Dr. Tauber was also an emeritus professor, and Graduate School professor, in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Tauber earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Manitoba, Canada. In 1966 he received his doctorate in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley. He was on the faculty of the Cornell University Department of Entomology, from 1966 to 2000, and chaired the department from 1981 to 1986. At Cornell, his research and teaching focused on biological control of insects and insect behavior, with emphasis on experimental studies of insect seasonal cycles. In 2000, he retired from Cornell and became associated with UC Davis, where his research emphasis shifted to the comparative biology of New World green lacewings.
For nearly 50 years, Dr. Tauber shared a prolific scientific career with his wife, Dr. Catherine (Kady) Tauber, whom he met at UC Berkeley. The scope of his research embraced ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral questions, and involved both beneficial and pest species from eight insect orders. The research yielded fundamental insights into insect photoperiodism, dormancy, development, and speciation. The findings have a broad impact on applied problems, for example in the management of diverse crop production systems and natural ecosystems. He published approximately 200 papers, many with Kady, in entomological journals, as well as in Nature, Science, and Annual Reviews. He had two paper in press, and was working on several manuscripts in the weeks before his passing.
He also wrote numerous book chapters, and a textbook Seasonal Adaptations of Insects (1986, co-authored with Kady and Dr. Sinzo Masaki of Japan). The book continues to serve as a stimulus and resource for research on insect seasonality: the underlying ecophysiological and genetic mechanisms; its role in the evolution of insect life histories and speciation; and its importance to insect pest management.
Dr. Tauber was major professor for a number of graduate students who have continued their careers in entomology, including Drs. Jim Nechols, John Obrycki, John Ruberson, Gilberto Albuquerque, Lindsey Milbrath, Yin-Fu Chang, and José I. Lopez-Arroyo. He was a dedicated mentor and enthusiastic supporter of his graduate students, as well as undergraduates who worked in the Blauvelt Lab at Cornell University. At UC Davis, he advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students in an informal capacity.
Dr. Tauber was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Entomological Society of Canada, and the California Academy of Sciences. He served on the Governing Board and several editorial boards of the Entomological Society of America. For more than 20 years he was active on the editorial board of the European Journal of Entomology. He was also a research associate of the B.P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, and a member of numerous scientific societies.
The International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) recognized his work with two awards that he shared with his wife: the IOBC/Nearctic Regional Section Distinguished Scientist Award (2002) and Honorary Membership – Global IOBC (2012).
Dr. Maurice Tauber is survived by his wife, and their sons and daughter (Paul, Michael, and Agatha).
No immediate services are planned, but a memorial may take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions be made to a University of California library, or the Cornell University Library.
Tributes:
"When I joined the faculty at Davis in 1973, Maurice was the first to welcome me to the biological-control community and he served as my mentor for several years while I developed my research program. Following his retirement from Cornell, I was absolutely delighted to host both Maurice and Kady in my laboratory at Davis. It's been a wonderful collaboration. Maurice was a outstanding scientist, colleague, and friend. His passing is a great loss for our profession."--Les Ehler, emeritus professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Related Links:
Noted Scientists Maurice and Catherine Tauber Honored by California Academy of Sciences
Nov. 13, 2009
Taubers Receive International Honor
Dec. 31, 2012
The Fascinating Behavior of Debris-Carrying by Green Lacewing Larvae
March 26, 2014
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Host is Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Dara, an Extension entomologist since January 2009, serves San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and is an affiliated UC IPM advisor, part of the UC Statewide IPM Program.
In his role as the strawberry and vegetable crops advisor, Dara primarily looks after pest management, but also works on disease, irrigation, weed, and nutrition management issues. As an IPM advisor, he contributes to the IPM solutions of various crops grown in California. "My research focuses on developing IPM solutions with the goal to balance the use of chemical and non-chemical alternatives for pest management," he said. He serves as a resource person for microbial control of various pests.
Dara is a member-at-large of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America; a trustee of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology, and the vice chair for S1052, the national working group on improving microbial control of arthropod pests. He also chairs the UC Cooperative Extension Strawberry Working Group. In addition, Dara has served on the faculty of the University of Phoenix, California, since 2008.
The Extension advisor has written 19 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, one book chapter, 34 articles in other journals, and 117 extension articles. He has delivered several presentations worldwide. He has trained strawberry growers in India, Kosovo, Moldova, and Transnistria, and also lends his expertise to strawberry industries in a number of countries.
As a principal investigator, co-principal investigator and a collaborator of various projects, Dara has received more than $2 million in grant funding.
Dara earned both his bachelor's degree and master's degree at the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, India, obtaining his bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences, and his master's degree in entomology. He went on to receive his doctorate in entomology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. in 1995.
After receiving his doctorate, Dara served as an entomopathologist from 1996-1999 for the Plant Health Management Division, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture under the United Nations Development Program, Cotonou, Republic of Benin in West Africa. He was a post-doctoral research associate from 2003-2004 with the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, and an independent software consultant, 2001-2003.
His other work experience includes assistant project scientist, 2005-2006, with the UC Davis Department of Nematology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology), and quality control manager-ISO (International Organization for Standardization) from 2006 to 2009 for Certis, USA, Wasco.
Dara's seminar will be recorded for later viewing on UCTV.
Upcoming seminars are listed here.
