Texas A&M Entomology Research Network

Departmental Awards

Research Assistant Receives Staff Meritorious Service Award

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Azyucena Mendoza-Herrera receiving the Staff Meritorious Service Award from Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams
Azucena Mendoza-Herrera, left, receiving the Staff Meritorious Service Award from Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams

Congratulations to research assistant Dr. Maria Azucena Mendoza-Herrera as she received the Department of Entomology’s Meritorious Service Award during a special awards presentation on Thursday, December 13.

Mendoza-Herrera has been working as a research assistant in Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy’s lab since 2014 where she has helped Tamborindeguy achieve her research goals in her lab. During her career, Mendoza-Herrera has authored five papers, including first author recognition on two. This year she published two papers describing the plant symptoms associated with two bacterial haplotypes.

Mendoza-Herrera is currently working on the interaction between plant hosts, psyllids and the bacterial pathogen they transmit. Tamborindeguy praised her for her dedication to helping keep the lab running and mentoring students in the lab.

“Azucena is very dependable and hard working,” Tamborindeguy said. “She performs all her tasks on time, often anticipating the needs of other lab members and allowing experiments to be performed in a timely manner.”

Before working with the Department, she has worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University with the Horticulture Science Department Institute for Plant Genomic and Biotechnology from 2006-2011, the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology in 2001-2004, and with the Ecosystem Science and Management from 1999-2001.

During her career, she has mentored and supervised four undergraduate students, seven graduate students, and two visiting scientists during different stages of their thesis and dissertation research in the labs.

“Azucena takes very seriously her place in the laboratory,” Tamborindeguy said. “She is an asset for the success of my students. She helps them as much as she can and she works side by side with them to encourage them. She helps them to be top presenters, contributing to the success of my students in student competitions at the regional and national level.”

Department Names Frank Zalom as 2017 Adkisson Distinguished Seminar Speaker

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Dr. Frank Zalom, right, with Dr. David Ragsdale, Professor and Department Head
Dr. Frank Zalom, right, with Dr. David Ragsdale, Professor and Department Head

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—The Department of Entomology recently announced Dr. Frank Zalom as the recipient of the 2017 Dr. Perry Adkisson Distinguished Seminar Speaker Award during a special seminar that was held on Thursday, March 30.

Zalom is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California – Davis and has appointment as an Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Specialist for the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He teaches arthropod pest management and conducts research on integrated pest management (IPM) on vine, tree, and small fruits and vegetable crops.

Zalom provides leadership national and has served as Co-Chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ National IPM Committee from 1999-2015. He also has served as an IPM representative to the ESCOP Science and Technology Committee since 2003, USDA Western Region IPM Competitive Grants Program Manager for 10 years, and served on the USAID Board of Directors for the IPM CRSP from 2001-2005.

Before coming to UC-Davis, Zalom worked briefly as a postdoctoral research associate at UC-Berkeley in the late 1970s, and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, where he taught Economic Entomology and Insects in Relation to Plant Disease, as well as conducted research on insect vectors of plant diseases. In 1980, he returned to University of California as an Extension IPM Coordinator and served as UCIPM’s Associate Director for Research and then Director for 16 years before returning to UC-Davis’ Department of Entomology in 2002. Zalom was also Vice Chair of the Department from 2005-2008.

Zalom is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, the Entomological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Royal Entomological Society. Some of the most recent awards Zalom received included the Entomological Foundation IPM Team Award, the Entomological Foundation Excellence in IPM Award, and the Outstanding Mentor Award from the UC Davis Consortium for Women and Research.

Zalom served numerous leadership roles in the Entomological Society of America national organization, including President in 2014, Vice President-Elect and vice president in 2012. He also served as the President of the Entomological Foundation, and continues to serve as a member of the Entomological Foundation’s Board of Directors and the ESA’s Science Policy Committee.

He has authored over 335 peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and books, and has served as Major Professor for 12 Ph.D. students and seven Master’s students.

The award is named for Dr. Perry Adkisson, former head of the Department and of the Texas A&M University Chancellor. During his career, Adkisson was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the first ever recipient of all three of the world’s major prizes in agriculture, the Alexander von Humboldt Award, the Wolf Prize, and the World Food Prize. Along with Dr. Ray Smith, he developed what is now known as IPM or Integrated Pest Management.

Carl Hjelmen and Richelle Marquess Named Outstanding Graduate Students

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Carl Hjelmen, right, with Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams.
Carl Hjelmen, right, with Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas–The Department of Entomology recently named Ph.D. student Carl Hjelmen and MS  student Richelle Marquess as the newest Oustanding Graduate Students at a special recognition seminar on Thursday.

Hjelmen is advised by Dr. Spencer Johnston and is researching the evolution of genome size in Drosophila species. During the past year, Hjelmen has prepared and submitted a manuscript titled “The mode and tempo of genome size evolution in the subgenus Sopophora” and was a contributing author of another paper titled “The effects of natural selection and repetitive elements on genome-size evolution in North American Fireflies.”

Hjelmen has served on two leadership roles during his grad school career, including President and Vice President of the Entomological Graduate Student Organization. He served as the social activities chair and was chair of the Southwestern Branch Entomological Society of America’s Photo Salon for 2 years. Hjelmen currently is a team member of the graduate Linnaean Team which took first place during the Linnaean Games at the Southwestern Branch meeting in 2016 in Tyler.

He also has volunteered at various outreach programs at various local elementary schools and at the university, as well as at Boonville Days at the Brazos Valley Natural History Museum. Hjelmen also represented the Department at the Entomological Society of America meetings, as well as the Ecological Integration Symposium and Texas A&M’s annual Student Research Week.

Richelle Marquess, right, with Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams.
Richelle Marquess, right, with Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams.

Marquess recently graduated in December 2016 with her Master of Science in Entomology and is currently working with Dr. Spence Behmer’s laboratory part-time as a research technician on projects related to her thesis titled “The role of food protein-carbohydrate content on nutrient regulation strategies and wing morph determination in the wing polymorphic cricket Gryllus firmus.”

During her time at A&M, Marquess has been involved in various outreach activities including insect presentations at Rock Prairie Elementary’s STEM Night, Greens Prairie Elemantary’s Open House, and at a local children’s camp in Millican. She also has served as a teaching assistant for the General Entomology course (ENTO 201) in 2015 and 2016.

“Richelle’s passion for entomology is contagious, and it shows when she is doing outreach activities. It is when she is truly in her element. I can also honestly say that Richelle has taught me much about how to handle live insects/arthropods,” Behmer said.  “I predict her passion and enthusiasm for all things insects will be greatly missed in the department when she eventually moves on to her next position.”

Grad Students Receive Top Awards at Nineteenth Annual Forum

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Award winners from Graduate Student Forum
Winners of the Nineteenth Annual Graduate Student Forum. From left to right are: Pierre Lau and Derek Woller (tie) Third Place, Jocelyn Holt – Second Place, and Tyler Raszick – First Place. Photo by Rob Williams

Four students received top awards during the Department of Entomology’s Nineteenth Annual Graduate Student Forum on August 25.

Tyler Raszick received first place for his talk titled ”Boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) population genomics as a tool for monitoring and management” and Jocelyn Holt received second place for her talk “The sugarcane aphid in the continental US”

This year’s competition ended up with a tie, with both winners receiving awards. The winners were Derek Woller for his presentation titled “Exploring the functional frontiers of genitalia morphology via synergistic imaging technologies (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplus rotundipennis)” and Pierre Lau for his talk titled “Palynological analysis of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in developed areas in four regions of the United States”.

The forum allows the Department’s graduate students to present their latest research and to give them an opportunity to practice speaking in public and helps students to improve their skills in preparation for the Entomological Society of America/International Congress of Entomology meeting in September.

“I really appreciate all the hard work from all of our students,” Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale said. “I am proud of all of you and the tremendous amount of hard work you have done in all of your presentations.

Forum chair Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy was impressed with the amount of talent in this year’s speakers.

“I am extremely proud of all of this year’s presentations,” she said. “They all have been excellent. Congratulations to all of you!”

Students Recognized During Banquet, Parents’ Weekend Convocation

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Adrienne Brundage at the podium.
Dr. Adrienne Brundage speaking. Photo by Rob Williams

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—The stormy weather did not stop families and friends from celebrating the achievements of our Entomology and Forensic and Investigative Sciences students at the 19th annual Undergraduate Student Recognition Banquet on Thursday, April 16.

Students were treated to a buffet style dinner and desserts as members of the Aggie Forensic and Investigative Sciences (AFISO) and the Undergraduate Entomology Student Organization (UESO) led the event. Dr. Adrienne Brundage provided a motivational talk about discovery of one’s career path based upon her life experiences and decisions, and provided sage advice to students. Drs. Kevin Heinz and Pete Teel announced the recipients of the Department’s suite of scholarships. The recipients for this year are:

Ryan Selking and Dr. Pete Teel
Ryan Selking receiving the certificate for the Burrus McDaniel Systematics Scholarship. Photo by Rob Williams
  • Ryan Selking – Burrus McDaniel Scholarship
  • Shelby Kilpatrick and Katrina Hicks – Len P. Quattrochi Memorial Scholarship
  • Mya Gates –Fowden G and Katherine G Maxwell Scholarships
  • Domingo Monjaras– Roger Gold Outstanding Faculty Scholarship
  • Travis Faris – Dial and Eva Martin Scholarship
  • Qifan Lin – Perry L. Adkisson Scholarship
  • Andrew Graf – Manning A. Price Memorial Scholarship
  • Judd Hatler and Adrianna Juarez– Paul Truman Riherd Scholarship
  • Andrew Evans – Dr. Roger Walker Meola Memorial Scholarship
  • Bryce Phelps- Honorah A. Doré Scholarship
  • Jeremy Arnold, Christopher Hibbert, and Riley McBroom– Department of Entomology Scholarships
Students receiving certificates
The Entomology Scholars Society members standing with Dr. Kevin Heinz and Dr. Pete Teel. From left to right: Dr. Heinz, Shelby Kilpatrick, Andrew Graf, Jakalynne Gosnell, and Dr. Teel.

Shelby Kilpatrick, Andrew Graf, Jakalynne Gosnell, and Dayvion Adams were announced as the latest cohort of the Entomology Scholars Society. These students will be enaged in a series of activities at the university, college and departmental levels assisting prospective students with campus visits, assisting new students during summer conferences with class scheduling, and by planning/conducting special programs in conjunction with departmental faculty and staff.

Dr. Micky Eubanks, right, receiving the Professor of the Year from UESO member Shelby Kilpatrick, left.
Dr. Micky Eubanks, right, receiving the Professor of the Year from UESO member Shelby Kilpatrick, left.

Dr. Micky Eubanks was recognized as Professor of the Year. This award is given annually to the professor that does an outstanding job at instruction to the Department’s students. Elizabeth Lem was recognized as the AFISO Member of the Year, and Shelby Kilpatrick was recognized as the UESO Member of the Year award.

The organizations recognized Chelsea Holcomb as the Most Outstanding GraduateTeaching Assistant of the Year in Forensics and Emily Boothe for the Most Outstanding GraduateTeaching Assistant of the Year for Entomology. The AFISO 2015-16 officers were announced:

  • Emily Grimshaw-President
  • Whitney West-Vice President
  • Stephanie Stratta – Treasurer
  • Denise Carlos – Secretary
  • Adrianna Tirloni – Activities Coordinator
  • Melissa Espinoza – Treasurer

The UESO 2015-16 officers were announced:

  • Andrew Graf – President
  • Ryan Selking – Vice President
  • Robin Callahan – Treasurer
  • Jakalynne Gosnell – Secretary
  • Catherine Collins – Historian
  • Shelby Kilpatrick – Outreach Coordinator
  • Melissa Espinoza – Webmaster
Kelsey Muniz, center, standing with Dr. Bill Dugas ,left, and Dr. Mark Hussey. Photo by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Kelsey Muniz, center, standing with Dr. Bill Dugas ,left, and Dr. Mark Hussey. Photo by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Senior Forensic and Investigative Sciences majors Kelsey Muniz and Caitlin Otto received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Senior Merit Awards for 2015 during the Spring Awards Convocation on Saturday, April 18.

A native of Giddings, Texas, Muniz is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Forensic and Investigative Sciences major with the Law Emphasis Track. She is currently a member of the Aggie Forensic and Investigative Sciences Organization. As a member, she has helped with the organization’s annual bake sale fundraiser and volunteered with The Big Event in 2011. She also has been involved in several activities through her undergraduate experience, including volunteering for the Lee County Food Pantry and various functions for St. Paul Lutheran Church. In summer of 2014, she interned with the Austin Police Department as a Crime Scene Unit Intern, where she observed and assisted crime scene technicians with processing non-evidentiary items in the lab using Cyanoacrylate fuming, black powder and dye stains.

Caitlin Otto, center, standing with Dr. Bill Dugas, left, and Dr. Mark Hussey. Photo by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Caitlin Otto, center, standing with Dr. Bill Dugas, left, and Dr. Mark Hussey. Photo by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Otto, a native of Houston, Texas, is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Forensic and Investigative Sciences major with the Science Emphasis Track. During her career at A&M, she was a member of the Leggett Hall Council and served as its President from 2013-2014, as well as its Treasurer and Vice President in 2012-2013. Otto has been a member of the the Residence Hall Association and the Presidents Council from 2013-2014. She has also been involved with Relay for Life and has served both as a participant and as a Team Co-Leader for three years.