COLLEGE STATION, Texas–Congratulations to three of the Department’s students that received top awards while showcasing student research campuswide during both Student Research Week and the Ecological Integration Symposium held the last week in March.
Entomology major Shelby Kilpatrick received first place during the Ecological Integration for her talk titled “An updated checklist of the bees of the Commonwealth of Dominica (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)”
Alexandria Payne received first place in the Plant Sciences, Animal Sciences, Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Entomology, Agriculture, Ecological Restoration category for her talk titled “The Effects of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Queen Insemination Volume on Colony Growth”.
Ph.D. student Derek Woller received second place in the Plant Sciences, Animal Sciences, Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Entomology, Agriculture, Ecological Restoration subject area for his presentation titled “Exploring the sexy frontiers of functional morphology…in 3D”
Woller was very excited to receive the award and he loved the diversity of research topics and the fact the university hosts the annual event.
“I was ecstatic when I heard the news because it was a tough competition with a lot of interesting research presentations and I’m very proud to represent the Department of Entomology,” Woller said. “I think all of us here are investigating myriad topics of great fascination that cross multiple disciplines, so any chance we get to promote what we work on and the department, in general, should be taken.”
Payne’s mentor Dr. Juliana Rangel was very proud of Payne’s hard work and dedication in her research. “I am very proud of Alex’s accomplishment at Student Research Week,” Juliana Rangel said. “This confirms that she is a really good presenter and did a great job. I am looking forward to working together this summer.”
Kilpatrick enjoyed presenting at the symposium and was proud to receive first place for her talk.
“Presenting at the Ecological Integration Symposium was a great opportunity and I really appreciate everyone who made the event possible,” she said. “It was a privilege to participate in EIS and an honor to receive an award for speaking about something I am passionate about.”
Payne was excited about winning her award and that the event helped her to increase the awareness about honey bee research in Dr. Rangel’s lab.
“I am very grateful they gave me the award and it gave me a chance to display my research,” Payne said.