Texas A&M Entomology Research Network

Awards

Former Ph.D. Student Named Comstock Award Winner

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Xiaotian Tang
Xiaotian Tang

The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate former Ph.D. student Dr. Xiaotian Tang as he was named the John Comstock Award winner for the Southwestern Branch.

Tang received his Ph.D. in entomology recently in May under the direction of Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy. His research focused on the vector biology and vector-pathogen interactions between the bacterial pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso), and its vector, the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli).

Tang’s main research areas are to identify key genes involved in the interactions between the vector and the pathogen during acquisition; to characterize the immune response of the vectors to the pathogen; and to manipulate the immune response of the vectors to disrupt the transmission of the pathogen.

Tang has published 27 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals and has four more manuscripts that are currently under review. He has mentored four undergraduate students in research, all of whom are authors of published or under-review papers. He has participated in 14 scientific meetings and presented 11 oral talks and posters at regional, national, and international conferences.

Tang also has been awarded seven highly prestigious scholarships, including three times the National Scholarship, the highest academic honor for students in China. He has also received the Herbert Dean Endowed Scholarship from the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M and twice won the ESA President’s Prize—for a student 10-minute talk in Vancouver in 2018 and for the poster competitions at St. Louis in 2019.

Currently, Tang is a postdoctoral associate at Yale University School of Medicine, where he focuses on arthropod-borne infectious diseases.

“Xiaotian was an excellent Ph.D. student,” Tamborindeguy said. “He is very hard working and prolific. He was also an excellent speaker, winning several first place awards at ESA competitions.”

Tamborindeguy also noted that Tang is the second Ph.D. student in her lab that has received the Comstock award. The other student was Freddy Ibanez, which received the Comstock in 2018.

“We are very proud of him,” Tamborindeguy said.

Tang will be recognized during the ESA’s virtual annual meeting that will be taking place from November 11-25.

Grad Students Receive Awards at Virtual Graduate Student Forum

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Congratulations to five of the Department of Entomology’s grad students that received recognition during the 23rd annual meeting of the Graduate Student Forum that was held virtually on Tuesday, August 18.

This year’s forum featured 17 students giving presentations on diverse topics. The first place award was given to Morgan Thompson for her presentation titled “Undercover operation: root herbivory modifies aboveground plant-herbivore interactions.”

Jonathan Hernandez received second for his presentation titled “Co-occurrence of kdr mutations V1016I and F1534C in the voltage-gated sodium channel and their impact on the survivorship of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) from Harris County, Texas, after ULV Permanone ® (permethrin) field-cage test” while Bert Foquet received third for his talk titled “The effect of the neuropeptide [His7]-Corazonin on phase-related characteristics in the Central-American locust Schistocerca piceifrons.”

Erfan Vafaie
Erfan Vafaie
Jordan Ellis
Jordan Ellis

This year’s forum also included two honorable mentions including Erfan Vafaie and Jordan Ellis. Erfan’s presentation was titled “Robustness of biological control using multiple natural enemies against whitefly influx or delayed natural enemy releases” while Ellis’s presentation was titled “Honey bees (Apis mellifera) experience accelerated age polyethism and premature death due to developmental stressors”

The forum allows current graduate students a chance to present their latest research projects and to practice public speaking skills and to get ready for upcoming 10-minute paper presentation competitions at the upcoming national meeting of the Entomological Society of America that will be held virtually on November 11-25.

To see the list of speakers and their presentation titles, visit https://entomology.tamu.edu/gradstudentforum/2020-forum/

Grad Students Receive CIRTL Certificates for Teaching

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Collage of students that received CIRTL awards.
2020 CIRTL certificate recipients. Top row (from left to right): Caixing Xiong, Dayvion Adams, Leah Buchman, and Ashley Tessnow.
Bottom row: Jeffrey Yung, Casey Flint, and Zachary Popkin-Hall

Congratulations to seven of the Department’s Ph.D. students as they received certificates from the Texas A&M Center of Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning this summer.

Jeffrey Yung and Dayvion Adams received CIRTL’s Academy of Future Faculty certificate. Some of the activities they did included engaging in a semester-long learning community either in the fall or spring, participating in weekly professional development workshops about college teaching, observe faculty teaching classes, as well as adding to their teaching portfolios.

Leah Buchman, Zachary Popkin-Hall and Ashley Tessnow were also named Graduate Teaching Consultants. Under supervision of the Center of Teaching Excellence, these students will serve as peer mentors to teaching assistants across campus and are available to conduct classroom observations upon request.

Casey Flint, Zachary Popkin-Hall, and Caixing Xiong received Massive Open Online Course and Local Learning Community certificates. Participants in the learning community learned several key learning principles such as the role of mental models in learning and the importance of feedback and practice, the fundamental course design elements, and teaching strategies for fostering active learning and inclusive classroom environments.

Ph.D. Candidate Receives Top Award for Academic Advising

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The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate Ph.D. candidate Jennie Rhinesmith-Carranza for her hard work in advising students in the Department of Animal Science this year.

Rhinesmith-Carranza was awarded the Texas A&M University President’s Award for Academic Advising, which is the highest academic advising award offered universitywide.

Rhinesmith-Carranza has been pursuing a PhD in Dr. Tomberlin’s lab since 2017 and became a Ph.D. candidate in December 2019. Her dissertation research explores the inter- and intraspecific effects on carrion volatiles and attraction of two primary carrion colonizers, Nicrophorus vespilloides and Lucilia sericata.

In addition to her research, Rhinesmith-Carranza has worked as a full-time Academic Advisor since 2013 when she started advising for the College of Nursing at the Texas A&M Health Science Center.  In 2015, Rhinesmith-Carranza started working as an undergraduate academic advisor with the Department of Animal Science.

As an advisor, Rhinesmith-Carranza advises more than 1,200 undergraduate students in Animal Sciences, as well as serves as the program coordinator for the Honors in Animal Science program. She also has served as a teaching assistant for ENTO 423, FIVS 431, and FIVS 432, and as an assistant lecturer for ENTO 482 and FIVS 482.

“I absolutely love working with undergraduate students, whether it is via academic advising or by teaching in the classroom,” she said.

Rhinesmith-Carranza was very honored to receive the award.

“It was such an honor to be selected for the President’s Award – I consider myself immensely lucky to come to a job I love, with people I love, to do something I love every day!” she said. “I find working with students in all capacities very meaningful and fulfilling, and it is a sweet sentiment just to have been nominated by my students and peers.”

Students Receive Senior Merit Awards

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTvF1aO8I00

Congratulations to three of our students on receiving this year’s College of Agriculture’s Senior Merit Awards during a special virtual ceremony during the second week in May.

Seniors Marina Conner, Jordan Cornell, and Harlee Schneider received the awards for their leadership, scholarship and service at the department, college and university level.  The Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senior Merit Award is the highest award given to undergraduates by the College.

Jordan Cornell

Cornell is an Entomology major with a minor in Public Health from San Antonio.  He was a member of the Corps of Cadets and served as Scholastic Officer.  He was a member of Army ROTC, the AMC Honor Guard and O.R. Simpson organization within the Corps of Cadets.  Jordan was a volunteer with Connecting Point Church where he was a lead classroom teacher for Pre-school Sunday School and with Robyn’s N.E.S.T. program for young children.

Cornell held a full-time summer internship with Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary in the Summer of 2018 where he assisted veterinarians with care for rescued animals and participated in Army Cadet Training in the Summer of 2019.  He has also served as USA Hockey Official and Trainer from 2013-18. He received the Gold Star Award for Academic Excellence and the American Legion Academic Medal.  He was the recipient of the Len P. Quattrochi Memorial Scholarship, Texas Armed Services Scholarship, 3-Year Advanced National Army Scholarship and the General Rudder Scholarship.

Cornell plans to commission into the Army and pursue a career as an officer in the Army working with in public health entomology to provide a healthy environment for communities across the country and around the world.

Marina Conner

Conner is an Entomology major from Rowlett, Texas Marina was a member of the Corps of Cadets where she served as Public Relations Corporal in 2017-18, Scholastics Sergeant and Squad Leader in 2018-19 and Scholastics Officer and Squad Leader in 2019-20. She was also a member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band for four years and was chosen for ceremonial bands for both President George H. W. Bush’s funeral and Governor Greg Abbott’s Inauguration. She served as a host for Texas A&M Korean Guest Exchange Program for January/February 2019 and 2020 and served as primary contact to Korean cadets for their month long stay at Texas A&M.

Conner also was a member of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council for two years serving as Entomology Departmental Representative and member of the Service Committee. She was a Wildlife Center Aide in 2019 for the Winnie Carter Wildlife Center, teaching facility of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences aimed to familiarize students with managing and caring for exotic and wildlife animals. Conner participated in the Texas A&M University Concert Band as a Symphonic Band French horn player for four years and Concert Band First chair French horn player for two years.

Conner has been Co-Leader of a Cadet girls Bible Study with Campus Crusade for Christ and was a 2017-19 Distinguished Member of the Pre-Vet Society assisting with annual Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Open House and service events. Additional service activities for Marina included Cornerstone Church Soup Kitchen for the homeless, Aggieland Humane Society 2018 Wiener Fest, Special Olympics Texas Fall Classic in Bryan/College Station in 2018 and 2019 and Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Bologna, Italy in 2017. Professional development activities include shadowing veterinarians on both large and small animals at East Lake Veterinary Hospital, VCA Park Cities Animal Hospital and Crossroads Veterinary Clinic.

Conner participated in a Texas A&M Caribbean Tropical and Field Biology Study Abroad Program in 2018 where she conducted a field research study on Streak Gecko, Gonatodes vittatus and currently working with Texas A&M professor and Trinidadian professor to prepare paper for submission to the Living World Journal of Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. Marina was a Buck Weirus Spirit Award Recipient in 2019 and was recognized as Phi Kappa Phi Gathright Outstanding Junior for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2019.  Due to her excellence in campus involvement, she was selected as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Gates-Muller University Award Nominee in 2020.

Harlee Schneider

Harlee Schneider is a Forensic & Investigative Sciences major from Bastrop, TX.  She was a member the of Entomology Scholars Society and the Aggie Forensic and Investigative Sciences Organization (AFIS).  As a member of AFIS, she volunteered with the Chemistry Open House in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  She was also a member of Texas A&M Cupcakes, a non-profit organization that hosts bake sales to benefit the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Schneider also volunteered for the Youth Adventure Program hosted by the Entomology Department to teach high school students about a variety of forensics topics. She served as a Peer Notetaker for Disability Resources.

Schneider also was an intern with the College Station Police Department Criminal Investigations Division in Fall 2019 and volunteered with the Division in Spring 2020.  She also held internships with Clinical Pathology Laboratories in Summer 2016 and with a local physician’s office, Dr. Robert Dougherty, in 2015-16.  She was involved with undergraduate research with an abstract, “Disruptions of Solenopsis invicta Pheromone Trails” published in Instars: A Journal of Student Research in 2019.  She was inducted into the honorary societies of Sigma Alpha Pi and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.  She also was the recipient of several scholarships including Dr. Adrienne Brundage, Joe and Billy Manion, Bastrop County Aggie Mom’s Club, Freedom Alliance Scholarship and the Allan A. Marburger ’60 Endowed Opportunity Award. Schneider plans to attend medical school and become a forensic pathologist.