Assistant professor Katie Thompson-Peer of the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, UC Irvine, will speak on "Cellular Mechanisms of Dendrite Regeneration after Neuron Injury” at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar on Wednesday, May 24.

She will present her seminar at 4:10 p.m. in Room 122, Briggs Hall. Her seminar also will be virtual. The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672 

Her abstract: “Neurons have two types of cellular projections, that are essential for how they function in circuits: they have a single axon and a highly branched network of dendrites. These dendrites are the cellular structures that allow neurons to receive input from the environment or from other neurons. While much is known about how axons respond to injury, almost nothing is known about how neurons respond to dendrite injury. We have found that after dendrite injury, peripheral nervous system neurons are able to mount a reliable, reproducible process of dendrite regeneration. In this talk, I present our recent work to determine how neurons detect injury to their dendrites, using the larvae and adult fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study dendrite regeneration.”

A pre-seminar coffee takes place from 3:30 to 4:10 in Briggs 158. 

Thompson-Peer, who joined UC Irvine in April 2019, received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and then followed with a two-year stint at the Johns Hopkins University with Alex Kolodkin. She earned her doctorate from Harvard University, working with Josh Kaplan, and was a postdoctoral fellow with Yuh-Nung and Lily Jan at UC San Francisco and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her postdoctoral work drew financial support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke F32 and K99/R00 fellowships, as well as a UC Office of the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

The Thompson-Peer lab explores how neurons recover from injury in vivo, and how this process is similar to and different from normal development. (See her work on YouTube)

"At the most fundamental level, a neuron receives information along dendrites, and sends information down an axon to synaptic contacts," she writes on her website. "Dendrites can be injured by traumatic brain injury, stroke, and many forms of neurodegeneration, yet while the factors that control axon regeneration after injury have been extensively studied, we know almost nothing about dendrite regeneration. Our long-term research goal is to understand the cellular mechanisms of dendrite regeneration after injury."

"Our previous work found that the sensory neurons in the fruit fly Drosophila peripheral nervous system exhibit robust regeneration of dendrites after injury and used this system to explore central features of dendrite regeneration in developing animals, young adults, and aging adults. We have observed that after injury, neurons regrow dendrites that recreate some features of uninjured dendrites, but are unable to reconstruct an entire arbor that perfectly mimics an uninjured neuron. Moreover, there are mechanistic differences between the outgrowth of uninjured neurons versus the regeneration of dendrites after injury: dendrite regeneration is uniquely dependent on neuronal activity, ignores cues that constrain and pattern normal dendrite outgrowth, and confronts a mature tissue environment that is different from what a developing neuron would encounter. These challenges are significantly exacerbated when neurons in aging animals attempt to recover from injury."

Department seminar coordinator is urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke,  assistant professor.   For technical issues regarding Zoom connections, she may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu. (See complete list of spring seminars.)

Three graduate students in the laboratory of nematologist Shahid Siddique, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, have won travel awards to attend the 62nd annual conference of the Society of Nematologists (SON), set July 9-14 in Columbus, Ohio.

Alison Coomer, Pallavi Shakya and Ching-Jung Lin are among the record 18 students given travel awards by SON, thanks to industry sponsors.  All travel award recipients will deliver a presentation or provide a poster at the international meeting. 

Bayer Crop Science will sponsor 10 travel awards, and Microbes, Inc., Certis Biologicals and Corteva, will each sponsor two awards. In addition, the United Soybean Board will provide two travel awards to students presenting nematode research in soybean production.

Alison Coomer
Alison, a third-year graduate student in the Department of Plant Pathology, is focusing her research on plant parasitic nematodes, specifically root-knot nematodes, and their molecular mechanisms to defend against plant immune systems. "I am also working to gain more understanding in the defense mechanism in plants towards plant parasitic nematodes."

Alison, originally from the St. Louis, Mo., region,  received two undergraduate degrees from Concordia University, Neb.: a bachelor's degree in biology and a bachelor's degree in chemistry.  

"I am very thankful to Cobb Foundation and Mai-Ferries-Bird for receiving one of the most prestigious student awards: Cobb Foundation/Mai-Ferris-Bird Student Travel Award," she said.

In her leisure time, Alison enjoys "the outdoors, animals of all varieties, and serving my community."

Pallavi Shakya 
Pallavi is a second-year doctoral student in Siddique lab. "I come from Nepal, the land of Himalayas and I am interested in exploring plant parasitic nematodes from a combination of plant pathology and bioinformatics viewpointism," she related. Pallavi received her master's degree in plant biotechnology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands where she was introduced to transcriptomics of potato cyst nematodes.

"Working with these nematodes showed me the importance of understanding plants along with the parasites they have co-evolved with," she said.  "In the Siddique lab, I plan to learn about the genomics and transcriptomics aspects of plant-nematode interaction." 

"I am very thankful to Bayer Crop Science for my student travel award, and I am looking forward to meeting all the amazing nematologists in the meeting."  

Ching-Jung Lin
Ching-Jung is a doctoral student in the Department of Plant Pathology with a designated emphasis in biotechnology. "I am fascinated by plant-microbe interaction," she said. "Currently I am interested in the development of functional genetic tools in plant-parasitic nematodes and the characterization of nematode-induced plant immunity. Originally from Taiwan, she holds a bachelor of science degree in agronomy from National Chung-Hsing University, and a master's degree in plant biology from National Taiwan University. 

"I am very thankful to Bayer Crop Science for funding my student award and I look forward to delivering my presentation at the SON conference," she said. Outside of the lab, Ching-Jung enjoys "reading, jogging, playing badminton, and going to the gym." And, she added, "I am a coffee and dog person."

Research in Shahid Siddique Lab
Research in the Siddique lab focuses on basic as well as applied aspects of interaction between parasitic nematodes and their host plants. "The long-term object of our research," he says, "is not only to enhance our understanding of molecular aspects of plant–nematode interaction but also to use this knowledge to provide new resources for reducing the impact of nematodes on crop plants in California."

SON is an international organization formed to advance the science of nematology in both its fundamental and economic aspects. 

"Nematodes are the most abundant multicellular animals on the face of the earth," SON relates on its website. "They occur literally everywhere--in soil and decaying matter from the poles to the tropics, in all forms of plant life, in the bodies of almost all animals, including humans, and in insects. Living in such diverse environments as the sand and mud of the ocean bottom, stony mountain soils, and arid polar deserts are thousands to millions of nematodes per square meter."

SON defintes nematodes as "nonsegmented roundworms with complete sensory, digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems. Most, but not all, are microscopic. The variety of nematode forms and habitats is almost unbelievable: they range from the minute inhabitant of your favorite mushroom to the 27-foot-long parasite in the placenta of a sperm whale."

"Nematodes are essential elements of ecosystems, but most have no direct effect on humans," the SON website points out. "Those that do, however, can be devastating. In many places, people still suffer from diseases such as elephantiasis, river blindness, and hookworm, caused by nematodes. In most places, the effect on humans is indirect. For example, in the United States, plant-parasitic nematodes cause more than $3 billion worth of crop losses each year, and cause similar losses in cattle, sheep, and swine." (See more information about nematodes on its website.)

Two UC Davis entomologists/artists are spearheading a project to create an insect-themed, large-scale, ceramic-mosaic mural at the Matthiasson Winery in Napa.

Distinguished professor Diane Ullman, former chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and co-founder of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, and urban landscape entomologist/assistant professor Emily Meineke are co-teaching Entomology 1 (ENT1)--and their class project is to create a mural at the Napa winery. "We did a community build there for their friends and employees," Ullman said today.

The mural will showcase some 80 different insects that inhabit the vineyard.

An article in napavalleyfocus.substack.com, titled "Unveiling the Hidden World: Napa's Matthiasson Winery and UC Davis Collaborate to Illuminate the Power Insects," quotes the UC Davis entomologists:

Meineke: “This visual representation aims to raise awareness of a world that often goes unnoticed but is essential for maintaining the overall health of these vibrant ecosystems." 

Ullman: “The mural will serve not only as an artistic display of insects and their environments but also as an opportunity for students and viewers to recognize the positive contributions these creatures make,” Ullman said. “As the process for our students involves understanding the intricate details of body form and function along with an organism's role in its natural environment, a deep understanding is crucial.”

In addition to insects, the mural will depict quail, squirrels, spiders, worms, flowers, valley oak leaves, plants, and yeast. Community members are also participating in the project. 

"The entire process aligns with the Matthiassons' mission of promoting the benefits of organic viticulture," reporter Tim Carl wrote in the Napa article. "Steve and Jill Matthiasson, who have been actively involved at UC Davis for decades, have been pioneers in advocating for organic farming. Their approach extends beyond grape cultivation and winemaking, encompassing initiatives that enhance wine quality, combat climate change, and foster healthy environments and communities."

The family-owned Matthiasson Wines is located at 3175 Dry Creek Road, Napa. The winery is a James Beard Award six-time nominee and was named "Winemaker of the Year" by the San Francisco Chronicle and Food & Wine Magazine.

See more at napavalleyfocus.substack.com

Despite multiple bursts of rain and hail, the California Honey Festival, held May 6 in downtown Woodland, drew some 20,000 to 25,000 attendees, festival organizers estimated today.

"I think, all in all, the festival was a success despite the weather which is out of our control, especially when the forecasts were off by so much," said vendor coordinator/events specialist Jordan Waldron. "I heard no complaints from attendees; I even saw some just enjoying the rain."

Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and a co-founder of the festival agreed with the crowd estimate. "They braved the rain, thunder, lightning and hail!"

The California Honey Festival, launched in 2017 to celebrate the importance of bees and to promote honey and honey bees and their products, last year drew a crowd of 40,000. 

"Overall, great job by all this year," Waldron reiterated, in thanking Harris and GATEways Horticulturist Rachel Davis of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden in coordinating the UC Davis Speakers' Stage.  Harris also staffed a educational booth offering honey tasting. The Arboretum also provided one of the scores of booths that lined the streets.

The UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP),  founded in 2016 by Extension apiculturist Elina Niño of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, participated en force, staffing an information booth and an arts and crafts table. CAMPB, focused on learning, teaching, research, and public service, offers comprehensive, science-based information about honey bees and honey bee health.

CAMBP master beekeeper Sung Lee of Castro Valley, known worldwide on social media as "Sung Lee The Bee Charmer," provided an observation hive. The queen laid eggs throughout the festival. His fans include 2400 on Facebook, 3100 on Instagram, and more than 4100 on TikTok (with 6.1 million likes).

A special guest was National Honey Bee Queen Selena Rampolla of Tampa, Fla., who is also a beekeeper. Crowned the honey bee queen at the American Beekeeping Federation Conference and Tradeshow earlier this year, she received a bachelor's degree in psychology,  summa cum laude, from the University of South Florida in 2022. Rampolla, who developed her interest in honey bees in high school--and a subsequent beekeeping course convinced her to pursue the hobby--marvels at the "amazing symbiotic relationship between the honeybee, a flower, and society."

Another highlight of the festival: The UC Davis Speakers' Stage. Speakers addressed the crowds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• Pollination ecologist and professor Neal Williams, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, discussing "Pollination, the Importance of Native Bees and How to Promote Them"

• Kitty Bolte, GATEways horticulturist, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, "Planting Your Garden to be a Welcoming Space for Pollinators" 

• Amina Harris,  director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, and co-owner of Z Food Specialty and The HIVE, Woodland, "Let's Learn to Taste Honey."

•  Wendy Mather, co-program manager of the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMPB), "So, You Want to Be a Beekeeper?" 

•  Jean-Philippe Marelli, senior director of Integrated Pest Management for Mars Wrigley Confectionery (also a journey level master beekeeper and Melipona beekeeper in Brazil), "Stingless Bees: The Amazing World of Melipona Bees"

•  Cooperative Extension apiculturist/associate professor Elina Lastro Niño of Entomology and Nematology, and director of the California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMPB), "What Our Bee Research Is Teaching Us."

• Sanmu "Samtso" Caoji, a 2022-23 Hubert Humphrey fellow, and founder of the Shangri-la Gyalthang Academy, and CEO of the Cultural Information Consulting Company, "Empowering Women to Become Beekeepers and Bread Winners for Their Families While Keeping Bees in the Wild"

• Rachel Davis, coordinator of Bee City USA Woodland and chair of Bee Campus USA UC Davis (GATEways Horticulturist for the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden), "Woodland Is a Bee City; UC Davis Is a Bee City--What This Means to Our Communities"

The 2024 California Honey Festival is set for May 4.