- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Brazilian-born scientist Mônica Antunes Ulysséa, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Corrie Moreau, Cornell University, will speak on "Morphology for Assessing Species Diversity and Previously Unknown Biological Traits of the Ant Genus Hylomyrma" at a virtual seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7.
The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672. Host is doctoral candidate Jill Oberski of the Phil Ward laboratory.
"Hylomyrma is a Neotropical ant genus of small to midsized ants, cryptic inhabitants of the leaf-litter of wet and dry environments, with a remarkable body sculpture," she says in her abstract. "They occur from sea level to 3,600m, from Mexico to northern Argentina and southern Brazil; its higher diversity is in the Amazon. Out of the 30 recognized species, 11 have females whose external morphology combines morphological traits of workers and queens, and at least three of them present female specimens with queen-like traits. These mosaic specimens sent me back to fieldwork to investigate more about the genus biology. I went to Serra do Cipó, Brazil, to find nests of the endemic Hylomyrma primavesi. Hence, for the first time, the H. primavesi nest architecture and the colony size were documented, the ergatoid queen, male and immatures were collected, and the behavior of the forage workers and their feeding preferences based on field and lab observations were recorded."
Ulyssea specializes in myrmecology, taxonomy, phylogeny, systematics, curatorial practices, and science dissemination. She received a 2018-2023 postdoctoral fellowship at Zoology Museum of University of Sao Paulo (2018-2023) to study in the Moreau lab. Professor Moreau, who teaches arthropod biosystematics and biodiversity, directs and curates the Cornell University Insect Collection.
Ulyssea's resume includes:
- Doctorate from the Zoology Museum of University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Graduate Program in Systematics, Animal Taxonomy, and Biodiversity (2013-2017)
- Internship at Sorbonne University, Pierre and Marie Curie Campus, Paris/France (2015-2016).
- Master's degree in zoology, Graduate Program in Zoology at the State University of Feira de Santana, BA/Brazil (2010-2012).
- Bachelor and licentiate in biological sciences at Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC/Brazil (2002-2008)
Urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor, coordinates the department's seminars. This is the last of the fall seminars. For further information on the seminars or technical difficulties with Zoom, contact Meineke at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"The Eric Mussen Memorial Luncheon was a wonderful celebration of someone that was so key to the beekeeping industry," said CSBA associate director Brooke Palmer. "I was never fortunate enough to meet Eric, but witnessing how much love and appreciation there was for him at that lunch, anyone would be able to understand the impact he made on the people in this industry. We were so glad to be able to honor Eric and will continue to honor him with our Eric Mussen Distinguished Service Award that is given out every year at convention."
An estimated 150 attended the luncheon, which Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and emcee Gene Brandi of Los Banos helped coordinate with Palmer. An image of Mussen centerpieced each table. Brandi, who served with Mussen for 37 of his 39 years on the CSBA Board of Directors, shared his presentation that he delivered on the Life and Legacy of Eric Mussen, held Aug. 28 in the Putah Creek Lodge. (See YouTube). Brandi, current chair of the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc., is a past president of American Beekeeping Federation and former chair of the California Apiary Board and National Honey Board.
John Miller of Miller Honey Farms, addressed the crowd, offering memories of Eric and his expertise, and read a note from Mussen's widow, Helen. The family, including Helen and sons Chris and Tim, participated via Zoom.
Under the care of hospice, Mussen, 78, died June 3 at his Davis home of newly diagnosed liver cancer. Born May 12, 1944 in Schenectady, N.Y., Eric received his bachelor's degree in entomology from the University of Massachusetts and then obtained his master's degree and doctorate in entomology from the University of Minnesota in 1969 and 1975, respectively.
Mussen joined the UC Davis entomology department in 1976. Although he retired in 2014, he continued his many activities until a few weeks prior to his death. For nearly four decades, he drew praise as “the honey bee guru,” “the pulse of the bee industry" and as "the go-to person" when consumers, scientists, researchers, students, and the news media sought answers about honey bees. Colleagues described him as the “premier authority on bees and pollination in California, and one of the top beekeeping authorities nationwide,” “a treasure to the beekeeping industry," and "a walking encyclopedia when it comes to honey bees.”
"Thank you for coming together to honor Eric with this memorial luncheon at Convention 2022," Helen wrote in her address read by Miller. She related that she met Eric in 1966 at the University of Massachusetts. Initially, he wanted to become an insect ecologist, but "decided to learn about bees instead. It was a great choice for Eric who soon got over his dislike of being stung and learned about bee diseases and Minnesota beekeeping."
"Moving to California in 1976 for his first job in the beekeeping world was again a major adjustment," Helen recalled. "He listened and learned and cared, so soon he was taken into the 'fold' to educate each other. It was a perfect match for Eric as he wanted to help the bees and the beekeepers any way he could. He was a natural teacher and scientist and he found his niche with so many diverse folks eager to learn and work together with him to solve the many bee problems."
"Over the nearly 40 years of working together his CSBA clients became his friends and like family," Helen noted. "We all will miss him in so many ways but I hope you will keep the stories alive and remember and talk about him for many years to come. Thank you for all you've done to be a friend and care for Eric while also caring for the bees together. "
In tribute to his work, CSBA launched its annual Eric Mussen Distinguished Service Award when he retired in 2014.
The recipients to date:
2015: Gordon Wardell, Ph.D
2016: Ila Hohmann
2017: Patti Johnson
2018: Troy Bunch
2019: Bob Brandi
2021: Jackie Park-Burris
2022: Ann Quinn
In a June 2022 tribute to Mussen, Jackie Park-Burris of Jackie Park-Burris Queens, Inc., Palo Cedro, a leader in the queen bee breeding and beekeeping industries, said she met Eric more than 40 years ago “and from day one he was mentoring me. He was the bee guy for the entire country! Eric was the bee industry's connection to the scientific world. Eric understood both camps and he connected them. Eric had incredible integrity that I have never seen matched. Because of that integrity, beekeepers felt confident in sharing their problems with him, knowing their secrets were safe. Eric always voiced the opinion he felt was right, even if it wasn't the most popular.”
“Eric told me that he looked at the bee industry as his family,” said Park-Burris, a past president of CSBA, the first woman president of the California Bee Breeders Association, and the first woman chair of the California State Apiary Board. “When my son attended UC Davis, he and Helen made sure Ryan knew he could contact them if he needed anything. Eric even came to a function on campus that my son was in charge of to show support. Eric supported the California State Beekeepers Association and the California Bee Breeders wholeheartedly! He did an incredible job as our Extension guy from UC Davis. We loved him. What a sad loss for us all.”
After receiving the 2021 Eric Mussen Distinguished Service Award, Park-Burris said that "Eric sent me an email, congratulating me and told me he could not think of a more qualified person to receive it. It bought a tear to my eye back then, now I will treasure that email even more.” A photo of an early-career Mussen appears on her website.
Palmer said nominations for the Eric Mussen Distinguished Service Award "may be presented to any person who has given time and professional talent to help further the goals of the beekeeping industry and the CSBA. This person need not be a CSBA member. We take award nominations all year and if anyone has an award nomination they can send it to me at brooke@agamsi.com)."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The tiles, the work of UC Davis students taught by UC Davis faculty members Diane Ullman and Gale Okumura, include everything from beetles to birds, from corn to cacti, and from “The Dream Catcher of Love” to “The Hope of the Horned Toad.”
Encompassing 78 tiles and more than 110 handmade trim pieces, the project “enriches the lives of our 300-plus residents,” said URC residents and artists Maxine Solomon and Vicki Panagotacos, co-chairs of URC art procurement.
The students learned to fuse science with art in two classes, “Entomology 001: Art, Science and the World of Insects Honors Section,” and “Freshman Seminar 002: Exploring Visual Language and Symbolism with Ceramics and a Community-Engaged Learning Project,” taught by UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman, professor of entomology and co-founder of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, and professional graphic designer Gale Okumura of Okumura Design, a retired continuing lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Design. Artist Amanda Larson of Half Moon Bay, formerly of Davis, led the installation.
In ENT 001, the students learned about the natural history of insects and how insects are woven into human culture through art, religion, literature, and film. In the freshman seminar class, the students explored how people use symbolic representation in design and visual narrative to enhance expression and understanding of ideas and concepts.
On the Web. Both classes focused on life in the Sonoran Desert and the symbols of the indigenous communities. A newly created Sonora Dreams site on the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website leads visitors through the art-creating experiences.
Love for Family. “I would do anything to protect my family, and I love them very much,” Yee wrote. “Spiders also represent creative powers, and I feel like that is a good representation of me. The spiral in the big circle represents continuation. No matter what happens, I will always be with my family and my love will be for eternity. Each bear claw is also connected to a feather which are marks of honor. My whole family honors each other and respects one another. In the end, we're all connected and will love each other until the end.”
“I've never considered myself an artist nor have I ever thought that a day would come where a piece of art I've made would be on display,” wrote Alondra Bravo-Garcia, then a first-year student in aerospace engineering who titled her work, “Revolutionizing Insects.”
“As an engineering student at Davis, I've always focused on math and science,” she related. “However, I had the opportunity to study a marvelous scarab beetle named Dynastes grantii.” Commonly known as the Western Hercules beetle or Grant's rhinoceros beetle, it is a scarab beetle that “improves nutrient recycling and soil conditions.”
Unique Beauty. Bravo-Garcia wrote that “to give these underappreciated insects some recognition for their hard work, I decided that I wanted to reflect their unique beauty and give an idea of their environment within my tile. I had never worked with clay before, but I was fortunate enough to receive assistance from peers and Professor Ullman. With their help, I was able to make my vision come to life and create a tile that I'm proud to exhibit. Within this tile, you'll be able to see a Grant's rhinoceros beetle with its unique elytra that contains irregular spots on an ash tree stump even if you're currently in California and not Arizona. This was an unforgettable experience and I've become extremely grateful for being given the privilege to learn the many benefits insects have and how insects can help us develop sustainable designs. As an engineering student at Davis, I look forward to designing solutions based on nature.”
Sun Ray on Cornerstones. A sun ray brightens each cornerstone on the top row of the Sonoran Dreams project. They are the work of Professor Ullman. “I don't always get to do my own artwork as I lead large scale projects like Sonoran Dreams,” she wrote. “I am delighted to present a sun symbol as the cornerstones of the elevator surround, one at each side of the top row. The sun symbolizes life-giving abundance with its warmth, giving light and life to planet, thus a fitting symbol overseeing this portal.”
Noted Solomon: “We are very thankful to Diane and Gale and to UC Davis for their interest in doing projects that connect the university, the students and the community. Vicki and I really enjoyed working with the students, attending a few classes that Diane and Gale taught and heard the students' presentations as they developed them. It was wonderful to see their original concepts develop into a completed tile that incorporated what they learned about their chosen insect, its habitat and a complete visual project that now enhances a building in the Davis area.”
“Another thing that was gratifying to me as an artist,” said Solomon, “was to see many of the students who had no prior art involvement, find excitement in completing a visual art project that incorporated all they were learning in their entomology lab with Diane, and design principles with Gale.”
Stimulating Visual. Panagotacos said that the tiles “bring life to an area of the building that was mundane, at best. We are grateful for Diane, Gale and the students as they provided a stimulating visual for the residents to ponder, while waiting for the elevator to arrive!”
“It was a privilege to be included in the classroom--to listen to the students present their design rationale and show their sincere interest in creating the final tiles,” Panagotacos said. “While Maxine and I weren't there for Diane and Gale's initial tutoring, they clearly were the main drivers in presenting the project as a cross-discipline--both an intellectual and a creative experience. Having taught public school art myself, this experience caused me to reflect on why the arts aren't coupled with ‘core' curriculum more often. Possibly Diane and Gale's years of success in combining the two, can influence other UC Davis instruction.
Professor Ullman, a celebrated teacher and artist, received the Entomological Society of America (ESA) National Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014 and the UC Davis Academic Senate's 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award for undergraduate teaching. Known for her superb teaching, her students praise her for bringing art-science fusion alive in innovative ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, one student commented: "My experience in her course last spring was one that lifted my spirits, enriched my education, and strengthened my love for art and science during a time when it was difficult to feel positive about anything.”
Art/Science Fusion Program Director. Ullman, who holds a doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, joined the UC Davis entomology faculty in 1994. A former department chair who served as associate dean in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, she continues to direct the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program that she co-founded in September 2006.
Okumara, who taught visual communication in the UC Davis Department of Design, provides creative design solutions. Her designs include agricultural products and graphics for non-profit organizations, including California Cancer Research Program, Napa Valley Symphony and Friends for Kids.
Larson, who directed the installation, says her art practice “resides within two spheres; one being community built public art and the other a studio-based practice.” She is passionate about “facilitating projects that have the potential to foster human connection, activate and engage the public and space, and build a sense of ownership and place.”
The University Retirement Community is one of those places.
(Editor's Note: The photos are courtesy of Diane Ullman and Gale Okumura)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) has shared images taken at its joint meeting with the Entomological Society of Canada and the Entomological Society of British Columbia, held Nov. 13-16 in Vancouver, B.C. The theme: "Entomology as Inspiration: Insects through Art, Science, and Culture."
UC Davis did well. Highlights included:
- The UC Davis Entomology Games Team edged out Alabama's Auburn University 75 to 70 to win the national championship at the Entomology Games. The team was comprised of four doctoral candidates from the Department of Entomology and Nematology: Zachary Griebenow of the Phil Ward lab, captain; Jill Oberski of the Ward laboratory; Erin “Taylor” Kelly of the Geoffrey Attardo lab; and Madison “Madi” Hendrick of the Ian Grettenberger lab.
This is the fourth national championship for UC Davis since 2015. The event is a lively question-and-answer, college bowl-style competition on entomological facts played between university-sponsored student teams. The question categories are biological control, behavior and ecology, economic and applied entomology, medical, urban and veterinary entomology, morphology and physiology, biochemistry and toxicology, systematics and evolution integrated pest management and insect/plant interactions - Doctoral candidates Danielle Rutkowski and Zachary Griebenow of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology won the President's Prize or first-place honors for their individual research presentations. Doctoral candidate Lindsey Mack and doctoral student Adelaine “Addie” Abrams scored second-place for their research presentations in the highly competitive program.
Rutkowski, who studies with community ecologists Rachel Vannette, associate professor, and distinguished professor Richard “Rick” Karban, spoke on “The Mechanism Behind Beneficial Effects of Bee-Associated Fungi on Bumble Bee Health,” at her presentation in the category, Graduate School Plant-Insect Ecosytems: Pollinators. This was her second consecutive President's Prize.Griebenow, who studies with major professor and ant specialist Phil Ward, (Griebenow also captained the UC Davis Entomology Games Team in its national championship win at the Entomology Games or Bug Bowl) explained “Systematic Revision of the Obscure Ant Subfamily Leptanillinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Reciprocally Informed by Phylogenomic Inference and Morphological Data.” His category: Graduate School Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity: Evolution 1
Mack, who studies with medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, assistant professor, covered “Three Dimensional Analysis of Vitellogenesis in Aedes aegypi Using Synchrotron X-Ray MicroCT” in the category, Graduate School Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology: Physiology.
Abrams, who studies with Extension agricultural entomologist and assistant professor Ian Grettenberger (she is a member of the Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate Group), titled her research, “Hitting the Mark: Precision Pesticide Applications for the Control of Aphids in California Lettuce" in the category, Graduate School Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology: Integrated Pest Management
UC Davis medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo spoke on "Effects of Wildfire Ash on Oviposition-Site Selection and Larval Development in the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti."
In addition, in the annual international Insect Salon photography competition, ESA member and communications specialist Kathy Keatley Garvey of the Department of Entomology and Nematology won the ESA medal for her image of a golden dung fly.
The 2023 ESA meeting will take place Nov. 5-8, 2023 in National Harbor, MD. The theme is "Insects and Influence: Advancing Entomology's Impact on People and Policy."
The 7000-member ESA, founded in 1889, is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. Its members, affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government, are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, pest management professionals, and hobbyists.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
That's the philosophy of Bita Rostami, who received her bachelor's degree in animal biology (ABI) from the University of California, Davis, in June 2022, and then in a unique accomplishment, saw her practicum thesis published as a review article in a prestigious research journal.
“A key element in the ABI major, hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is the practicum project--an opportunity for students to engage with research labs,” said her mentor, agricultural entomologist Christian Nansen, professor in the department.
The journal, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, published her practicum report, “Application of Active Acoustic Transducers in Monitoring and Assessment of Terrestrial Ecosystem Health—A Review” in its Oct. 14th edition. “She pitched the basic and highly innovative idea of using active acoustic transducers in monitoring and assessments of terrestrial ecosystem health,” Nansen said.
“ABI practicum projects represent a unique opportunity for us instructors and lab team leaders to open our doors to students and allow them to challenge themselves and be inspired,” Nansen said. “And in some cases, it us that receive more from the student than what we offer--Bita is an example of such a student with an enormous academic potential.”
“Setting aside Bita's terrific academic background and qualifications, I have found her to be the ideal collaborator, very cooperative, consistently cheerful, perfectly dependable, stable and delightful to work with," Kimsey said. "Competition may or may not select for exceptional humans, but often selects for difficult characters. Bita almost uniquely combines high productivity and intense curiosity with a delightful personality, an ideal combination to have in a research program.”
In the journal article, Rostami reviewed and discussed possible applications—and also constraints—of active acoustic transducers in monitoring and assessment of terrestrial ecosystem health.
“Specifically, this article includes a brief introduction to the basic principles of sound and types of active acoustic transducers,” Rostami and Nansen wrote in their abstract. “Moreover, we provide reviews of common uses of active acoustic transducers in assessing plant structures and plant functional traits.”
How did Bita Rostami conceive the idea of using acoustic transducers in monitoring and assessing terrestrial ecosystem health?
“I learned in one of my classes that playing recordings of healthy oceans could aid in restoring marine communities,” Rostami said. “From there, I wanted to find out if sound could be used similarly to help restore terrestrial ecosystems. Through my initial research, I found that although sound and sound recordings have been used to monitor and rehabilitate wildlife in terrestrial ecosystems, more research needs to be done on applying sound in assessing terrestrial plant health. I was familiar with multiple types of acoustic transducers commonly used in precision agriculture and urban forestry, so I wanted to see if we could apply pre-existing technology to perform monitoring and assessments on a broader scale in rough terrestrial terrains.”
Rostami, who received her associate of arts degree in natural sciences and mathematics from Irvine Valley College in June 2020, credits a research retreat in Palm Springs with sparking her interest in environmental sciences. As a community college student participating in the retreat, the flora and fauna of the desert fascinated her.
“That convinced me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said. She then gained experience as an undergraduate research assistant with the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences. Her work, with principal investigator Peter Bryant from January to May of 2020, involved researching and analyzing the diversity and life cycle of Pacific Ocean zooplanktons.
Next project: for several months in early 2021, she served as a researcher, advised by paleoecologist Renske Kirchholtes of UC Santa Cruz, in the California Ecology and Conservation (CEC), part of the University of California's Natural Reserve System (CNRS). “CEC is an undergrad field program that takes students from different UCs across multiple UC nature reserves to learn about Californian ecology and do research,” she explained.
Experience as a research assistant in the UC Davis laboratory of conservation ecologist Susan Harrison in the Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Natural Reserve, a 7,050-acre CNRS reserve in Napa and Lake counties followed. Working with primary investigator Rebecca Nelson from March 2021 to February 2022, she conducted daily visual encounter surveys of field sites or pollinator species, maintained daily data entry (time/date, weather, GPS coordinates, pollinator species, number of visitations and lower species visited), and collected soil samples from study sites to measure chemical makeup. She also collected seeds from specific flower species to analyze genetic diversity and test for seed viability.
Rostami, now 23 and a resident of Newport Beach, is taking an academic break before applying for graduate school. She is working full-time teaching math and biology as a private academic tutor in grades K-12. “I plan to eventually apply for an environmental science master's program and get certified through the Society of American Foresters.”
Rostami, who speaks Farsi (Persian), English and Spanish, already has accomplished two “firsts” in her family: She is the first to attend college in the United States “since we immigrated here from Iran around ten years ago. Most of my family are engineers, so I'm also the first one going into environmental studies.”
“If you are struggling to figure out your passion, learn to enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone. You might be surprised by how much you can learn about yourself when trying out something new.”