Internationally recognized scientist Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, is the recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Award for Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

Kimsey will receive the award at the 98th annual PBESA meeting, set for April 6-9 at the Marriott University Park, Tucson, Ariz.  PBESA covers 11 western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming), parts of Canada and Mexico and seven U.S. territories.

In nominating her for the award, her colleagues noted that Kimsey excels at research, teaching, and public service. “There are not many entomologists who can match her expertise, general knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm about insects, discovered and undiscovered, or her specific knowledge about the aculeate wasp families, Chrysididae and Tiphiidae,” they pointed out in the nomination package. Chrysidids affect predator and pollinator populations, and tiphiids directly affect immature populations of Japanese beetles and 10-lined June beetles.

Quentin Wheeler, president of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, praised her as a "widely recognized as a taxonomist of high international stature" who has "achieved notable excellence in systematics, evolution and biodiversity."

Known fondly by her colleagues as “The Wasp Woman,” Kimsey is one of only a few scientists in the world who can identify chrysidid or tiphiid wasps to species. Species discovery is a larger part of her research because only an estimated 60 percent of these species are known. To date, Kimsey has named 250 new species and 17 new genera.

Kimsey focuses her research on four areas of systematics: monography and species discovery, phylogeny and biogeography. Most of her research projects are long-term, requiring the examination of large numbers of museum specimens, development and analysis of data sets, field collecting, and location and analysis of older literature.

Kimsey's primary research focuses on resolving global patterns of evolution in the wasp family Tiphiidae, which includes eight subfamilies. A second project is to understand the insect diversity of California and how it fits into local and global patterns of biodiversity. In 2001 Kimsey brought the California Insect Survey (CIS) to UC Davis, and is now editor of the Bulletin of the California Insect Survey. Her more than 100 peer-reviewed publications include books on chrysidid cuckoo wasps of North America and the world. She published one book through this series on “California Cuckoo Wasps in the Family Chrysididae (Hymenoptera)” and is editing a second book on the forensically important flies of California (with Michael Niemela).

Kimsey is heavily involved in ongoing studies with the endemic insect species of the Algodones Dunes in southern California and with the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups in Indonesia. Her work on the insect fauna of the Algodones Dunes, a 5 to 8-mile wide band that stretches 45 miles, has found 62 endemic insect species, 42 of which are new to science, and an overall fauna of more than 1500 species

Kimsey built the Bohart Museum of Entomology into a world-class museum; today it houses a global collection of nearly eight million insect specimens in its quarters in 1124 Academic Surge on Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It is the seventh largest insect museum in North America and the home of the California Insect Survey. The museum also is the home to a live “petting zoo” (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, praying mantids, tarantulas) and a gift shop.

Said ESA Fellow Robert Washino, UC Davis emeritus professor of entomology, former department chair and former associate dean who has known Kimsey for 40 years: “When the existing museum facility became inadequate early in her career, to sustain a dynamic teaching, research and public service program for her as well as her colleagues, she took it upon herself to obtain a major extramural grant from the National Science Foundation that required matching funds from the campus administration--rare indeed!--for relocation and modernization of the museum facilities. This involved the purchase and installation of new ‘state of the art' movable shelves to accommodate and store insect collections that made possible the necessary expansion to the UC Davis insect repository one of the major facilities in the U.S."

Kimsey spearheaded the purchase and installation of new “state of the art” movable shelves to accommodate and store insect collections. The museum is open to the public from Monday through Friday and on many weekends or special open houses. She provides scores of educational activities for the public. The museum draws more than 15,000 children per year to the museum. Another new project is the campuswide UC Davis Biodiversity Day, which involves six biological museum (including the Bohart Museum) opening their doors to the general public on an afternoon in February.

Dr. Kimsey also runs an information service on delusional parasitosis to serve the public and medical community. This information is used as the gold standard by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kimsey received her doctorate in entomology in 1979 from UC Davis and joined the entomology faculty in 1989, after serving as a visiting professor/lecturer at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University.

Known for her broad interest in the systematics of insects, not just in one order, family, genus or species,  Kimsey is eager to collect new specimens for the museum, her colleagues said. “When she collects, she wants them all,” said Bohart Museum senior scientist and colleague Steve Heydon. “When Lynn goes collecting, she puts up Malaise traps, pan traps, light traps, the whole works, and so the Bohart collection grows in diversity of all the orders instead of just a few.”

Kimsey answers thousands of insect questions a year and is “go-to” person when members of the news media want to know about insects. Among the hundreds of news media interviews: she has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC and National Public Radio, provided information to the TV show, Fear Factor. She s continually featured in metropolitan newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic and Sacramento Bee. Kimsey drew international attention in a homicide trial when she identified insects from the grill of a car to specific geographical locations.

Kimsey sparks, inspires and motivates her students in her Entomology 100 and 1001 classes. As one student wrote, “She is a great professor and made the topic very fun. She is very understanding and compassionate.” Another said: “She doesn't make you feel bad for asking dumb questions, she's funny, and even will chat with students for fun. Field trips are really fun, too. Besides, you know you wanna take a class when you get to swing giant bug nets around.”

Kimsey's teaching ranges from undergraduate and graduate level courses to public educational programs for K-12 aged children via the Bohart Museum and specialized training workshops. She teaches a public speaking class for  graduate students.  She is one of the three founding instructors of the One Minute Entomology course, which involves undergraduates researching and creating a one-minute video on an insect or arthropod.

Kimsey, former vice chair and interim chair of the Department of Entomology, serves as the executive director of the Bohart Museum Society, a community support group for the museum; founder and director of the Center for Biosystematics at UC Davis; and head of informal campus groups, the Association of Biological Collections and Biodiversity Consortium.

Former Kimsey graduate student Michael Niemela,  now a senior public health biologist for the Vector –Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, said “Dr. Kimsey's ability to mentor and motivate students has advanced the careers and enriched the professional lives of not only her past and present graduate students, but countless undergraduate students who have interacted with her through lecture or visits to the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Dr. Kimsey has been a prodigious author throughout her career, with 103 refereed publications, 14 limited publications and 44 Bohart Museum Society newsletters. Since 1984, she has been the recipient of 25 grants, most recently for insect surveys in Indonesia and for databasing North American bee collections within a global informatics network. Notable among her accomplishments are her many contributions to the field of insect systematics and evolution. Dr. Kimsey has published an extensive number of papers focusing on insect behavior and biology. However, she is known more for her systematic work. Beginning with her 1974 review of Mellinus wasps, Dr. Kimsey has published at least 70 papers focused on the description of new species, generic reviews or familial phylogenetic revisions.”

Diane E. Ullman of the University of California, Davis  is the recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Award in Teaching from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

Ullman, a UC Davis professor of entomology is the associate dean for undergraduate academic programs, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program.

She will receive the award at the 98th annual PBESA meeting, set for April 6-9 at the Marriott University Park, Tucson, Ariz. PBESA is comprised of 11 western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming), parts of Canada  and Mexico, and seven U.S. territories.

Pacific Branch will now advance her as its candidate for the ESA's international Distinguished Teaching Award. ESA will select the recipient from one of six branches—Pacific, Eastern, North Central, Southeastern, Southwestern and International—and present the award at its Nov. 16-19 meeting in Portland, Ore.

“Dr. Ullman is a world-renowned and highly respected teacher, but she is an outstanding mentor, researcher and administrator who combines innovation, energy, talent and dedication to help students learn, retain that knowledge, and succeed in class, college and life. They cannot praise her enough, and neither can we,” the team of nominators wrote. 

Ullman excels at developing new courses, programs and teaching methods, using traditional and non-traditional means. She employs a unique multidisciplinary approach to teaching. A key example is her Art/Science Fusion Program (which has drawn national and international attention, including a TEDx talk, ESA and AAAS presentations, and scores of speaking invitations all over the world. One of her 2013 presentations was to Lleida University, Spain, where she guided them in setting up an art/science fusion program.

The Art/Science Fusion Program, developed initially in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, is an innovative teaching program that crosses college boundaries and uses experiental learning to enhance scientific literary for students from all disciplines. Her program promotes environmental literacy with three undergraduate courses, a robust community outreach program, and sponsorship of the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASERs).  

For example, her Entomology 001 students researched honey bees, learned and crafted mosaic ceramics, and then installed the project in the department's honey bee garden. Her ENT 001 and her freshman seminar on Plants in Art and Science led to 12 permanently installed public art projects and one exhibition at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. These projects illustrating student learning at UC Davis, have attracted national attention, including a 16-page article in the November 2013 edition of Works and Conversations.

The Art/Science Fusion Program drew praise for its robust collaboration with the UC Davis Arboretum and its work with the GATEways (Gardens, Art and the Environment) Project, a campuswide project aimed at increased accessibility to UC Davis and its academic enterprise. One of her most visible and “wow!” projects is the 2,500 pound mosaic art, Nature's Gallery, showcasing the interaction of insects and plants. A product of her ENT 001 class and community outreach, it was displayed at the U.S. Botanical Garden in Washington D.C. and at the California State Fair and is now permanently installed in the UC Davis Arboretum.

Ullman's nominators singled her out for special praise:

1. Her teaching methods and influence are not just in the classroom. As the associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (student population 6000), Ullman leads curriculum and program development, student recruitment and outreach; administrates all undergraduate academic policies ranging from orientation of incoming students; advises and assists students in academic difficulty; and develops campuswide policies with a wide range of academic committees, taskforces and councils at college and campus levels, including the Council of Associate Deans, Undergraduate Dean's Council, and Undergraduate Advising Council.

2. Career Discovery Group. Ullman co-founded the Career Discovery Group Program (180-380 freshmen/year since 2006). This program, essential in training mentors, and obtaining college and private funding for program support and expansion, helps students explore career possibilities, select majors and tailor their academic program to enhance their success. Recently, her leadership resulted in garnering college and private funding for expansion of the program to Educational Opportunity Program students (first in their family to attend college, under-represented minorities) and she contributes throughout the academic year to training and managing the mentors for this program. Undergraduates participating in the program have a faster time to degree, higher GPAs and are less likely to be in academic difficulty.

3. National Online Class. In 2013, Ullman co-directed development and teaching of a national online class on scientific mentoring (Thrips-Tospovirus Educational Network or TTEN) to students and postdoctoral scholars at seven institutions. This effort involved developing an Adobe Connect virtual classroom, a Google Plus site for sharing materials, videos and resources and preparation of curriculum. In addition to this formal teaching, she also trains undergraduates and graduate students to do research in her laboratory. As a researcher, she is best known for translating advances in understanding insect vector-plant virus relationships into novel strategies for preventing vector population growth and epidemics of insect transmitted pathogens. Her success let to a $3.75 million grant; she is the principal investigator.

4. New Techniques and Strategies. Ullman invests a great deal of energy in delivering content and exploring innovative strategies for teaching. In 2012, she revised her strategy for teaching ENT 001, using more online resources, collaborative learning techniques and in-class testing strategies that allowed her to “flip” the classroom and increase discussion, questions and interactive activities in a highly successful project. She continues to innovate and integrate art and science in her teaching, stressing visual literacy and creative confidence.

Unsolicited and anonymous comments from students include:

• “Professor Ullman is wonderful! She is extremely enthusiastic about what she is teaching.”
• “Great professor. She is passionate about what she does and very enthusiastic about insects.”

Professor Jean VanderGheynst, associate dean for Research and Graduate Study, UC Davis College of Engineering and a professor of biological and agricultural engineering, describes Ullman as “the most passionate professor and undergraduate advocate I have encountered. She has worked tirelessly on issues facing undergraduate students. Her teaching acumen and excellence extends far beyond entomology students and have literally reached every student on the Davis campus.”

Highly honored for her work, Ullman was named a fellow of ESA in 2011. She received the UC Davis Chancellor's Achievement Award for Diversity and Community in 2008; the USDA Higher Education Western Regional Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in 1993; and the Hawaiian Entomology Society Entomologist of the Year Award in 1992, among her many awards.

Ullman joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology (now Entomology and Nematology) in 1995. She served as the department's vice chair from 2001 to 2004, and as the 2004-05 chair. Ullman obtained her bachelor's degree in horticulture from the University of Arizona, Tucson, in 1997 and her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1985.

Professor James R. Carey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is the 2014 recipient of the prestigious C. W. Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (PBESA) for his outstanding accomplishments in entomology spanning four decades.  

Carey, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty since 1980, focuses his work on  research, publications, teaching, public service, editorial service, committee work and video innovations.

He will receive the award and present a lecture during the plenary session of the 98th annual PBESA meeting, set for April 6-9 at the Marriott University Park, Tucson, Ariz. PBESA is comprised of 11 western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming), parts of Canada  and Mexico, and seven U.S. territories.

Carey is the ninth UC Davis recipient of the award since 1978. The last recipient was Frank Zalom in 2011.

Brian Holden of Monte Sereno, Calif., great-grandson of Woodworth and a 1981 graduate of UC Davis in electrical engineering, is scheduled to make the presentation, which includes a plaque and a monetary gift.

Carey is considered the world's preeminent authority on arthropod demography. He has published more than 200 scientific papers and three books on this or closely related topics, including the monograph Longevity (Princeton, 2003) and the “go-to” book on insect demography, Demography for Biologists with Special Emphasis on Insects (Oxford, 1993). His landmark paper on “slowing of mortality at older ages,” published in Science in 1992 and cited more than 350 times, keys in on his seminal discovery that mortality slows at advanced ages. The UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Science cited this as one of “100 Ways in Which Our College Has Shaped the World.”

Carey is also considered one of the world's authorities on the demography and invasion biology of tephritid fruit flies, particularly the Mediterranean fruit fly. He published one of the first papers on the formal demography of any insect species (medfly) and discovered what has been termed by demographers as “Carey's Equality”—a unique property of the life table that connects it to a stationary population. His research on the invasion status of the medfly in California has generated much-needed discussion within the entomological community about definitions of eradication, the concept of subdetectable levels of invasive pests, and the need for a paradigm shift in invasion biology of economically and medically important arthropod pests.

Described as “an exceptionally valued member of our department, he is one of the key reasons why our department is considered the foremost department entomology in the country, if not the world,” wrote nominator Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department.

Carey is a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Gerontological Society of America, and the California Academy of Sciences. He chaired the systemwide UC Committee on Research Policy, served on the system-wide UC Academic Council, and is a former vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. In addition, he serves as the associate editor of three journals: Genus, Aging Cell, and Demographic Research. Carey is the pioneering and driving force behind the UCTV Research Seminars. He began video-recording seminars in the Department of Entomology several years ago and then encouraged video-recording on all the other nine campuses. He also taught a course on “How to Make an Insect Collection,” winning recognition from the Entomological Society of America.  He is now engaged in scores of other video projects as well, including “One Minute Entomology,” which involves students presenting, in one minute, information on an insect or arthropod. 

In the nomination package, colleagues praised him for carving "impressive milestones in biodemography, research, teaching and outreach during his 40-year professional career, not only raising the profile of entomology nationally and internationally, but serving as an entomology ambassador to scientists in a wide range of disciplines, particularly demography and gerontology."

The title his peers have granted him as “the world's foremost authority on arthropod demography” is recognized not only by his entomology peers, but by ecologists, evolutionary biologists, gerontologists, demographers and actuaries worldwide. His book on insect demography is well-thumbed by all entomologists concerned with demographic analysis of insect survival, mortality, reproduction, development, life course, mass rearing, age structure, and population growth (Demography of Biologists with Special Emphasis on Insects, Oxford, 1993). This book's popularity stems from its clarity and organization as well as from its unique blend of technical details and conceptual substance. Along with another book published in 2003 on the biology and demography of aging titled Longevity (Princeton), the landmark paper on "slowing of mortality at older ages"' published in Science in 1992 and now with more than 350 citations and, more generally, his entomological research, innovations, writing, and leadership in arthropod demography sparked and helped to launch the formation of biodemography—a new and rapidly expanding field in aging research promoted and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health. Today Dr. Carey continues to be the driving force behind this fast-moving field, his colleagues said.

Carey has published nearly 60 of his 200 publications in mainstream entomology journals; is renowned as one of the world's authorities on the biology and demography of Tephritid fruit flies (he published some 150 papers on this topic); and he took the lead on the 2009 paper “Rethinking Entomology Departments,” published in American Entomologist. It outlined a roadmap for entomology.

Carey was also singled out for his work in four other areas:

1.  He directs the multidisciplinary, 11-institution, 20-scientist program “Biodemographic Determinants of Lifespan,” which has received more than $10 million in funding from the NIH/NIA since 2003. These large programs funded by NIH are extremely prestigious and it a great credit to entomology that one of their own leads one of them with world-class demographers and gerontologists.

2. As an outcome of his chairmanship of the UC-wide University Committee on Research Policy, the University of California TV channel developed is launching a new platform UCTV Seminars based on the roadmap he and his committee outlined for UC as well as nationally and internationally.

3. In 2003  Carey created a course in Science and Society (SAS) titled "Terrorism and War"with an average enrollment of nearly 300 students—the largest of any SAS course on campus. This course was recently chosen to become part of the UC online pilot project with a $75,000 grant from systemwide administration to offer it to all UC campuses starting in 2012.

4. Carey has been deeply involved with invasive pest research and policy having published early in his career the groundbreaking paper documenting medfly establishment in California (1991 Science 253: 1369) and his more recent involvement with the apple moth eradication in northern California having testified to the California Legislature, California Assembly Agriculture Committee, California Senate Environmental Quality Committee, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, California Roundtable for Agriculture and the Environment, Senator Migden hearings, Nancy Pelosi staff meetings, and California Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture. His expertise on topics involving invasion biology and eradication are highly sought by a wide variety of news outlets.

In addition to being the author of more than 200 publications and three books, Carey serves as the associate editor of three journals: Genus, Aging Cell; Demographic Research; and Evolution. He has presented more than 250 seminars in venues all over the world, from Standard, Harvard, Moscow, Beijing to Athens, London, Adelaide and Okinawa.

Carey received his bachelor's degree in animal ecology from Iowa State University; his master's degree in entomology from Iowa State University; and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley.

The list of UC Davis scientists who have received the C. W. Woodworth Award: 

2014: James R. Carey
2011: Frank Zalom
2010: Walter Leal
2009: Charles Summers
1999: Harry Kaya
1991: Thomas Leigh
1987: Robert Washino
1981: Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.
1978: William Harry Lange

Charles W. Woodworth (1865-1940) founded the entomology department at UC Berkeley and also participated in the development of the Agricultural Experiment Station at UC Davis, and as such, he is also considered the founder of the UC Davis entomology department. Woodworth made valuable contributions to entomology during his career.  Among his publications, he is especially known for A List of the Insects of California (1903), The Wing Veins of Insects (1906), Guide to California Insects (1913),and "School of Fumigation" (1915). He was the first editor and first contributor to the University of California's publications in entomology.

Advocating the responsible use of pesticides, Woodworth proposed and drafted the first California Insecticide Law in 1906.  He was an authority on the eradication of the codling moth, peach twig-borer, citrus insects, grasshoppers and citrus white fly. Woodworth received both his bachelor's degree (1885) and a master's degree (1886) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At UC Berkeley, he advanced to professor in 1913, and was named emeritus professor in 1930. 

Kelly Hamby is the recipient of the coveted John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award, a national recognition from the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the highest honor given to a graduate student in the Pacific Branch (PBESA).

Hamby, who received her doctorate in entomology at UC Davis at the end of the winter quarter,  is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of her major professor, Frank Zalom, an integrated pest management specialist and professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

PBESA is comprised of 11 western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming), parts of Canada  and Mexico, and seven U.S. territories.

Zalom praised her "established record of excellence in research, mentorship, and leadership." She has a unique ability to apply cutting-edge science to IPM problem-solving, and an innate ability to connect well with growers and Cooperative Extension advisors off campus."

Assistant professor Joanna Chiu, in her letter of support, lauded Hamby's "skills, knowledge and technical prowess in her research areas, passion for education and community outreach, as well as ability to obtain research funding from federal and local agencies."

"When I first met Kelly," Chiu wrote, "she was already a competent researcher in integrated pest management, but for the last few years, she has the foresight and tenacity to complement her existing skills with a wide range of molecular biology, genomic, and bioinformatic techniques and has really brought her research program to a new level. She has been involved in the sequencing and annotating the genome of the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) and is the first author for two very well received and innovative manuscripts detailing the insecticide chronotoxicity and microbiotic interaction of SWD respectively. I believe all these manuscripts will be widely cited, making Kelly a central figure in SWD research for years to come."

Hamby will receive the award on Monday, April 7 during the 98th annual PBESA meeting, set for April 6-9 at Marriott University Park, Tucson, Ariz. She will deliver a 20-minute address titled "Applications of Drosophila-Yeast Interactions to IPM"  at the opening session of the meeting, immediately following the presentation by UC Davis Professor James Carey, the 2014 recipient of the CW Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch.

Hamby will then be honored at the ESA's annual meeting, Nov. 16-19 in Portland, Ore., along with each of the John Henry Comstock Award recipients from the other five ESA branches: Eastern, International Branch, North Central, Southeastern and Southwestern.

Hamby received all three of her academic degrees from UC Davis, compiling a near perfect grade point average. While studying for her bachelor's degree in environmental toxicology, specializing in ecotoxicology, she completed the integrated studies honors program and graduated with highest honors, making the dean's honors list.

Hamby's doctoral dissertation:  “Biology and Pesticide Resistance Management of Drosophila suzukii in Coastal California Berries.” She has presented her work at meetings of the ESA, PBESA and overseas. The recipient of numerous awards,  she was selected for a 2011-14 $130,000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; the 2005-2009 UC Regents' Scholarship, a merit-based academic scholarship; the 2011 Lillian and Alex Feir Graduate Student Travel Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology, Pacific Branch of ESA (PBESA); and the 2009 UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Mary Regan Meyer Prize, Academic and Service Award for a Graduating Senior.

As a graduate student, Hamby guest-lectured in three entomology courses, helped organize freshman seminars “Insects in the Media” and “For Love of Insects,” and was the teaching assistant for ENT 110 “Arthropod Pest Management,” a 5-unit course that is one of the core classes for entomology majors. She was recently appointed by the Entomology and Nematology Department to teach 1/3 of the ENT 110 lectures and half of the labs in the winter quarter of 2014 because of conflicting responsibilities of her major professor, Frank Zalom, as the 2014 president of 7000-member ESA. ENT 110 is comprised of lectures on pest management theory and a laboratory that teaches identification of beneficial and pest arthropods. She has mentored nine undergraduate researchers, three of whom performed and published their own independent research; one who went on to graduate school in entomology at the University of Minnesota; and one who is now a staff researcher at the University of Georgia.

Hamby has published as a lead author in well-regarded peer-reviewed journals including Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Experimental and Applied Acarology, Journal of Economic Entomology, and PLoS ONE. She co-authored recently published articles in G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics (the open-access journal of the Genetics Society of America), Environmental Entomology, and Acta Horticulturae, and articles submitted to the Journal of Applied Entomology and PLOS Biology.

A member of ESA since 2009, with membership in both the Plant-Insect Ecosystems section and the Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicolgy sections, Hamby has attended and presented at four ESA annual meetings, and two PBESA meetings. She was invited to present papers in symposia at both the 2012 and 2013 National ESA meetings, and in a symposium at the 2012 PBESA meeting.  Hamby has also presented papers at two international conferences including an invited symposium paper at the XXIX International Congress of Entomology in Daegu, Republic of Korea.

This is the second consecutive year that a UC Davis graduate student has received the Comstock award. Last year Matan Shelomi, a doctoral candidate who studies with Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis, received the award. The list of UC Davis recipients:

2014: Kelly Hamby
2013: Matan Shelomi
2008: Christopher Barker
1983: Elaine Backus

The award memorializes John Henry Comstock (1849-1931), an American entomologist, researcher and educator known for his studies of scale insects and butterflies and moths, which provided the basis for systematic classification. Comstock was a member of the faculty of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., for most of his career,  except for his service as a chief entomologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1879-81).