- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
That's how colleagues and students describe the life and legacy of Professor Emerita Sharon Lawler, an aquatic entomologist who retired in January 2023 after a 28-year career with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
If you attended the annual UC Davis Picnic Day celebrations, you knew her as “the aquatic insect expert.” In her “Little Swimmers” display, she showcased aquatic biodiversity and encouraged questions on everything from tadpoles to giant water bugs mosquito larvae.
Now in her new role as professor emerita, Lawler continues to focus on preserving aquatic biodiversity. "I'm mentoring and doing research," she says.
“Sharon always put the needs of students first,” said longtime colleague, UC Distinguished Professor Richard “Rick” Karban, a community ecologist in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. “She was focused on what they needed from her rather than the other way around. In the department, she did more than her fair share of student-centric tasks. She was committed to accommodating and including the diverse circumstances of students before that was on many people's radars. Co-teaching community ecology with Sharon for 28 years, I learned a lot about science and even more about how to treat other people with compassion.”
Richard Kim, a doctoral candidate whom she co-advises (with Professor Marissa Baskett, Department of Environmental Science and Policy), describes Lawler as “an amazing researcher and an outstanding role-model as a supervisor; joining her lab was one of the best decisions I've made in life.”
Kim, who holds a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolution from UC Santa Barbara (2010) and a master's degree in biology from San Francisco State University (2017), commented: “Sharon has been advising my projects related to predator-prey relationships between the imperiled giant garter snakes and non-native bullfrogs: (1) experimental feeding trials and (2) mark-recapture surveying in the field. We are currently working to prepare manuscripts that will inform conservation strategies for the snakes by alternative controlling strategies for bullfrogs. Throughout my graduate school experience, Sharon provided not only academic guidance but also sincere advice and support during my personal and health difficulties. She truly is one of the role models I have in life, as a scientist and as a P.I. (principal investigator).
Sharon Lawler grew up in Maplewood, N.J., “where Ultimate Frisbee was invented. “For other Maplewood trivia,” she offered, “see https://sueadler.com/ten-amazing-facts-about-maplewood-new-jersey/.”
And yes, she played Frisbee.
After graduating in 1982 from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn., with a bachelor's degree in biology, Sharon headed to Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., for her master of science degree in ecology (1988) and her doctorate in ecology and evolution (1992).
She completed a two-year term as a postdoctoral researcher at the Imperial College, Silwood Park, Ascot, UK, and a year as a postdoc researcher in biological sciences at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, before joining the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 1995.
Her first UC Davis publication, co-authored with colleagues, dealt with tree frogs: “Thermal Physiology, Phenology, and Distribution of Tree Frogs," published in The American Naturalist in 1988. Her first publication as lead author: “Behavioural Responses to Predators and Predation Risk in Four Species of Larval Anurans." (1989, Animal Behaviour)
An avid researcher, Lawler is the co-principal investigator (with John Eadie and Daniel Karp of Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology) of a substantial grant, the Integrated Wetland Management Project, to develop reduced-pesticide mosquito control via beneficial predators. The grant, awarded in 2022, has no expiration date.
Over the last five years, her other grants, ranging from $88,000 to $659,000, dealt with
- “Impacts of Storm-Driven Contaminants on Larval Delta Smelt and the Community Scale Adaptive Capacity of Prey Items to Handle Those Stressors.” (Richard Connon, principal investigator)
- “Post Fire Ecology and Habitat Suitability Evaluation for the Proposed Federally Listed Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog on the Lassen and Plumas National Forests.” USDA: Forest Service (with Sarah Yarnell and Cathy Brown)
- “High-Throughput Biomonitoring of Aquatic Invertebrates.” (Richard Connon, co-principal investigator), California Department of Pesticide Regulation
- “Area-wide Management of Aquatic Weeds in the Sacramento/ San Joaquin River Delta for Sustainable Control in Farming Areas, Critical Wildlife Habitats, Recreational Zones and Water Conveyance Systems Important for California Agriculture and Human Health.” (Patrick Moran, principal investigator)
Lawler's academic activities included chairing the Entomology and Nematology Curriculum Committee from 2017 to 2022; serving as the lead faculty advisor for the department from 2003 to 2022; and chairing a number of academic search committees. She served on the editorial board for the international peer-reviewed Journal of Ecology and Journal of
Ecological Monographs from 2002-2021 and held membership in the Faculty of 1000, Freshwater and Marine Ecology, from 2008 to 2021. Lawler also completed two terms as chair of the Graduate Group in Ecology, and as chair of the Designated Emphasis in the Biology of Vector-Borne Diseases.
Trivia: Sharon Lawler won the "Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest" at the department's 2019 winter holiday party with her recipe, "Dirty Drunk Snowball," which included only three ingredients: 1 box Trader Joe's Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars, 1/4 cup dark rum, and 1/4 confectioner's sugar. (See Bug Squad blog)
What are your plans for retirement after 28 years at UC Davis? Travel plans? Research? Teaching? Public service?
“I'm not off the hook for UC Davis yet! I have a couple of great, co-advised graduate students who are completing their dissertations (Rich Kim and Kyle Phillips). I'm also on a research project aimed at improving wetland management to restrict mosquito production and enhance wildlife resources. I'm fortunate to collaborate on this with Professors John Eadie and Danny Karp of the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology; graduate student John Veon leads our field research. The project is supported by long-time UC Davis supporters Paul and Sandi Bonderson of the lovely Bird Haven Ranch, where the research takes place."
"However, I'm enjoying a lighter schedule that includes morning walks and gardening. I plan to visit with my family more often. I'll also spend more time nagging my representatives and other voters to stay woke. It's better than sleepwalking while The Man stacks the deck against We The People.”
“I have always enjoyed observing insects, but I was a late-comer to formal entomology. My degrees are in biology (B.A.) and ecology and evolution (Ph.D). My Ph.D. advisor, Peter Morin, emphasized learning about aquatic insects as an important part of aquatic food webs. We did a project on how aquatic insects affect amphibian larvae. My familiarity with aquatic insects came in very handy when I was hired as a mosquito biologist at UC Davis, but there was still a steep learning curve. Bob Washino (now professor emeritus and former department chair) and Debbie Dritz (now a vector ecologist with the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control) were very helpful in advising me about California's mosquito research issues, and Al Grigarick (now professor emeritus) gave me some excellent resources for teaching aquatic entomology. Thanks to them, and to a lot of late nights, I was doing mosquito research and teaching an entomology class within a few months of arriving at Davis. My fascination with insects has increased through time, thanks to our seminar series and the amazing research performed by our students and faculty.”
What will you miss the most?
“I'll miss the great people of our Department and the Phoenix Cluster the most. I felt very lucky to be among so many pleasant, professional, and fun folks. I will also miss daily interactions with students and colleagues in a variety of graduate groups and departments. UC Davis is full of kind, intelligent do-gooders in all sorts of jobs!”
What will you miss the least?
“I won't miss evaluating students, peers, and manuscripts. I prefer to judge silently--or sometimes confidentially, with friends over a beer. I still review the occasional manuscript because I am still publishing, but I'm more selective now.”
What do you consider your greatest accomplishments in the field of entomology? In teaching? Research? Public service?
“Oh, dear, this question is like a 'merit review'... one of the things I surely won't miss!
"In general, my research has been aimed at preserving aquatic biodiversity. In entomology, my lab's research has helped Mosquito and Vector Abatement Districts choose control methods that protect public health in ecologically sound ways. I also collaborated with the Larry Godfrey and Richard Connon labs on projects that revealed non-target effects of various agricultural chemicals on aquatic insects and other taxa." (Note: The late Larry Godfrey, 1956-2017 was a UC Cooperative Extension entomology specialist and Richard Connon, recently retired, served on the School of Veterinary Medicine faculty and is with the UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute.)
"Not all of my projects were in entomology. In other work we evaluated whether various invasive species harm native frogs or snakes; invasives included a fungus, bullfrogs, and various fishes. These projects have helped wildlife managers conserve native species. I've also done research on how food web structure affects population dynamics, using protists as a model system.”
Any other comments?
“As an instructor, I enjoyed teaching aquatic entomology all 28 years, especially getting students out to our Natural Reserves to see insects in their habitats. I also loved teaching Community Ecology to graduate students from several graduate groups; we have top-notch students and discussion sessions were rewarding.”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Headlines on colony collapse disorder dominated the news media, as scientists declared "honey bees are in trouble."
Under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, a crew installed the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven (named for it major donor) on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.
Fast forward to the fall of 2019.
A 10th anniversary celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28 in the bee garden. It will include sales of plants and native bee condos, honey tasting (honey from Sola Bee Honey, Woodland), catch-and-release bee observation and identification, and beekeeping and research displays. Several mini lectures are planned.
Visitors will see analemmatic sundial--the only one of its kind in the Sacramento area--and they can discuss the sundial with dial master and beekeeper Rick Williams, M.D. to learn how the dial was created and the links between human and bee perception of the sun. Visitors also will learn about "our research on bee use of ornamental landscape plants," said manager Chris Casey. In addition, visitors can "donate a book on insects, gardening, or nature for our Little Free Library," she announced.
The schedule:
- 10:30 a.m.: Donor and volunteer recognition
- 11 a.m.: Hive opening by beekeeper from the California Master Beekeepers' Association
- 11:30: Mini lecture, "Getting Started with Beekeeping"
- 12: Mini lecture, "Plants for Bees"
- 12:30: Mini lecture, "Using Solitary Bee Houses
- 1 p.m.: Hive opening by beekeeper from the California Master Beekeepers' Association
History of the Bee Garden
Häagen-Dazs wanted the funds to benefit sustainable pollination research, target colony collapse disorder, and support a postdoctoral researcher. It was decided to install an educational garden, conduct a design contest, and award a research postdoctoral fellowship to Michelle Flenniken (now with the Montana State University).
A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the design competition. The garden was installed in the fall of 2009 under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology.
An eight-member panel selected the winner of the design competition: Professor Kimsey; founding garden manager Missy Borel (now Missy Borel Gable), then of the California Center for Urban Horticulture; David Fujino, executive director, California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis; Aaron Majors, construction department manager, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors, based in Novato; Diane McIntyre, senior public relations manager, Häagen-Dazs ice cream; Heath Schenker, professor of environmental design, UC Davis; Jacob Voit, sustainability manager and construction project manager, Cagwin and Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology.
Others who had a key role in the founding and "look" of the garden included the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, founded and directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick. The art in the garden is the work of their students, ranging from those in Entomology 1 class to community residents. Eagle Scout Derek Tully planned, organized and built a state-of-the-art fence around the garden.
"The Honey Bee Haven will be a pollinator paradise," Kimsey related in December 2008. "It will provide a much needed, year-round food source for our bees at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. We anticipate it also will be a gathering place to inform and educate the public about bees. We are grateful to Haagen-Dazs for its continued efforts to ensure bee health."
The garden, Kimsey said, would include a seasonal variety of blooming plants that will provide a year-round food source for honey bees. It would be a living laboratory supporting research into the nutritional needs and natural feeding behaviors of honey bees and other insect pollinators.
Visitors to the garden, she said, would able to glean ideas on how to establish their own bee-friendly gardens and help to improve the nutrition of bees in their own backyards.
Feb. 19, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Donation to UC Davis
Dec. 8, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Launches Bee Garden Design Contest
Aug. 6, 2008
Insect Virus Researcher Michelle Flenniken Named Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis
Feb. 26, 2009
Sausalito Team Wins Design Competition
Aug. 6, 2009
Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Site Preparation
Aug. 13, 2009
Bee Biology Website to Be Launched
Aug. 13, 2009
Thinking Outside the Box
Sept. 15, 2009
Campus Buzzway: Wildflowers
Dec. 15, 2009
Bee Biology Website Lauded
2010
June 6, 2010
Grand Opening Celebration of Honey Bee Garden
July 15, 2010
Art Is Where the Community Is; Blending Science with Art in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
July 30, 2010
More Than 50 Bee Species Found in Haven: Robbin Thorp (Now there's more than 80 and counting!)
Aug. 25, 2010
Donna Billick: Miss Bee Haven
Aug. 11, 2011
What the Signs Tell Us in the UC Davis Honey Bee Garden
Aug. 24, 2011
Royal Visit to Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
April 11, 2012
Brian Fishback: Spreading the Word about Honey Bees
Aug. 26, 2013
Eagle Scout Project: Fence Around the Bee Garden
Sept. 11 2012
A Fence to Behold
2013
April 25, 2013
UC Davis Bee Team Wins Major Award
Aug. 1, 2013
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Place to Be
With photo of founding volunteers
Donors
List of Donors Who Helped Launch the Garden (2009 through July 2014)
Missy Borel, then manager of the California Center for Urban Horticulture (and now Missy Borel Gable, director of the California Master Gardener Program) served as the founding manager, a part-time position. Nineteen volunteers assisted her.
Today Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, serves as the faculty director of the bee garden. Christine Casey is the academic program manager.
For more information on the garden, access the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven website or contact beegarden@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Hack won an award in the highly competitive Individual Service Award category, announced Lauren Thomas and Darolyn Striley, co-chairs of the Staff Assembly's Citations of Excellence Committee.
Lisa Papagni, assistant director of Student Housing and Dining Services, won the Individual Service Award in the campuswide competition. Hack, a student academic advisor II, received an honorable mention along with Jaqueline Dyson, administrative assistant III in the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
The annual Citation for Excellence Program singles out outstanding staff for their exemplary work in one of four areas: innovation, research, supervision and service. They all receive monetary prizes and certificates.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph Hexter will present the awards to seven individuals and four teams. All are nominated confidentially. Also celebrated at the invitation-only event will be winners of staff scholarships and staff dependent scholarships.
Three affiliates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology nominated Hack for the award: forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey, master advisor for the animal biology major; chief administrative officer Nora Orozco, her supervisor; and communications specialist Kathy Keatley Garvey.
They wrote that Hack, a 17-year academic advisor at UC Davis, goes above and beyond to advocate for and mentor students. Hack empathizes with the needs of others, an empathy honed by her own life experiences and the desire to “pay it forward.” As a youth--the daughter of farmworkers--she toiled in agricultural fields in Dixon, picking bell peppers and sorting tomatoes. And as a single parent/high school dropout, she cleaned houses for a living. Her life took a sharp career turn when two of her clients, a UC Davis professor and his wife, encouraged her to finish high school and attend business college. They loaned her money for an electric typewriter. Ever since then, Hack, the beneficiary of a good deed never forgotten, has vowed to “pay it forward”--to help others as others have helped her.
Kimsey, the master faculty advisor of the animal biology program, says “Elvira is likely the best academic advisor ever. Not only is she completely conversant with all the rules and regulations of the major, but understands the latitude of flexibility built into their application in a very human way. She is connected with all the administrative functionaries necessary to efficiently accomplish any task in a timely manner. For the confused or troubled student, she is the first and last resort for the solution of problems not only of an academic or administrative kind but those of a deeply personal nature as well. She keeps them on track, outlining their options, helping them decide on their future professions, and the direction their life should take. She has been invaluable to me as the master advisor. She really does care about a student's fate. Moreover we have had great fun doing these tasks together.”
Orozco related that Hack creates a welcoming environment, meeting individually with students to help them through the many hurdles at UC Davis. She is warm, caring and compassionate, she wrote. When a student comes in with serious issues, Hack calms them, encouraging them to be the best you can. She tells them: “If you are doing the best you can, you're doing great.”
Hack “provides resources to help them,” her nominators wrote. If they're feeling depressed, she will encourage them with “Look at everything you've accomplished!”
Her students describe her as kind, generous, trustworthy and helpful. They seek assistance on issues ranging from homesickness, roommate discord, financial strife and food insecurities, to sexual assault, domestic abuse and suicidal thoughts.
“During my first quarter as a transfer student, I went through some extreme life changes and emotional rollercoasters,” wrote one student. “I would end up in her office crying my eyes out and in distraught, but she always calmed me down and helped me reach out for other help to get me through my rough patch.”
Another student described Hack “as by far the most helpful, kind and encouraging adviser I have met at UC Davis. Being a first generation college student, I require extra help in understanding and executing graduation requirements and other criteria for my future career goals.”
Elvira Galvan Hack was hired in October 2007 as the new undergraduate staff advisor for the animal biology major, then located in the Department of Nematology. "In 2007 we were the Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology," Hack recalled, "and Professor Ed Lewis (now with the University of Idaho) was the master advisor. Plant Pathology and Nematology had never had an undergraduate major--only graduate programs."
"In 2007 when I was hired, I was given the opportunity to start our undergraduate advising office from scratch," she said. "I worked on putting procedures together for our new advising practices. I contacted students and we put a new list serve together. I contacted each of our students and introduced myself, letting them know where their new advising office was located." She engaged in "one-on-one advising with each of our students in order to get to know them and to get information on how we as a department, and I as their advisor, could serve them better."
Hack held an open house in the winter and spring quarters. She designed an information seminar about the major requirements; explained academic planning changes; and redesigned the order in which they should take classes to enable them to complete their degree in the standard time.
The awards ceremony also will honor four other individual winners of Citation for Excellence awards:
Innovation: Laura Young, student affairs officer, Graduate Studies
Honorable Mention: Shawn DeArmond, web architect, Information and Educational Technology (IET) Enterprise Applications and Infrastructure Services
Research: Jennie Konsella-Norene, assistant director of Global Professional Programs, Global Affairs
Supervision: Bradley Harding, interim director of Enterprise Student Applications, IET Enterprise Student Applications
Winners of the four team awards—all equal winners—are Veteran Self-Identification Campaign Working Group; Dairy Teaching and Research Staff Team; Financial Aid and Scholarships Information Technology (IT) Team; and UC Davis Library Human Library Committee Services (See list of team members)