News

Former Student Honored with Outstanding Early Career Alumni Award

December 1, 2016 by Rob Williams

inside-page-featured-image — Brad Hopkins, left, with Dr. Mark Hussey, Vice Chancellor and Dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences. Photo by Michael Kellett

BRYAN, Texas—Congratulations to Dr. Brad Hopkins as he received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Early Career Award.

The award recognizes former students in the College that have made significant accomplishments and contributions at the state, national or international levels in agriculture, natural resources or the life sciences and who graduated from the college within the past 15 years.

Hopkins was recognized at the annual Legacy and Leadership banquet held at the Brazos County Expo Center on November 18.

Hopkins received his bachelor’s, masters, and Ph.D. from the Department and currently works at Dow AgroSciences global headquarters in Indianapolis as a Global Biology Leader.

As a Global Biology leader, Hopkins works with different clients including working with other companies that provide seed treatments to evaluate what Dow’s options are and to make recommendations to their seed brands globally. He also plans the company’s global internal research program and acts as a consulting resource to their seed brands for seed treatment.

Before joining Dow, Hopkins worked as a crop consultant at Hopkins Agricultural Service, Inc, in Portland, Texas. Hopkins said the company, owned by his father, Sidney Hopkins, specializes in crop consulting and contract research with producers of cotton and grain sorgum, as well as other crops in the company’s coverage area.

During his time as a Ph.D. student, Hopkins worked in Dr. Patricia Pietrantonio’s lab where his research focused mainly on pyrethroid resistance management in the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea). From a research standpoint, he tested new technologies and assessed how they performed in the field. The testing of these new technologies allowed Hopkins to teach producers how they work and which ones will work best in increasing their profits.

“His interest evolved from general and field entomology to molecular science with special emphasis in insect toxicology,” said Dr. David Ragsdale, entomology department head and nominator. “The faculty recognized Brad for his leadership, maturity, responsibility, intelligence and common sense.”

Hopkins felt grateful for the award and said that it was a great honor to be at the ceremony.

“I felt truly honored to be recognized by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Department of Entomology for such a prestigious award,” Hopkins said. “Living in the Midwest, we don’t have a lot of opportunities to visit Texas, so it was great to get to see Texas A&M and be able to share the experience with family, friends and Dr. Pietrantonio and her husband at the award reception.”

Pietrantonio was very excited for Hopkins and was very proud of his accomplishments.

“I am personally extremely proud of Brad accomplishments both academically and in his current position at Dow AgroSciences, for which he was also recognized with an award in 2014.”

“I attended the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Awards Recognition Banquet and it was truly inspiring to see Brad and other early career Aggies following on the footsteps of so many other, more senior former students that have shown academic and work leadership, integrity and community service,” she said. “As a professor, students like Brad validate our work and the reasons why we are here for–to contribute to maintaining our tradition of academic excellence, development of valuable human resources and through them, serve society both in the short and long terms.”

Pietrantonio also noted that Hopkins was an inspiration to others in the field.

“Brad is a role model for his fellow entomology students and of what they can achieve through tenacity, motivation, applying their talent and fostering their own curiosity,” she said.

AgriLife Research team makes strides in fight against Zika

November 15, 2016 by Rob Williams

by Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications

Dr. Kevin Myles, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist at Texas A&M University, discusses research notes with AgriLife Research associate scientist Glady “Hazitha” Samuel. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Rob Williams)

COLLEGE STATION – There’s a war raging on a tiny battlefield and the outcome could well touch millions of people worldwide threatened by Zika and related viruses. The key ally unlocking the mystery surrounding this conflict is the long-dreaded yellow fever virus.

Dr. Kevin Myles, Glady “Hazitha” Samuel and Dr. Zach Adelman are Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists at Texas A&M University, College Station, who published “Yellow fever virus capsid protein is a potent suppressor of RNA silencing that binds double-stranded RNA.”

The paper appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Go to http://bit.ly/2eYsyIQ.

The mystery has been how these viruses get around the insect’s immune response, and the answer is the virus makes a protein that suppresses the immune response, Myles said.

“When mosquitoes are infected with these viruses, there’s a signal that lets the mosquito’s cells know that they are infected, resulting in targeting of the virus by the mosquito’s immune response.

“Something similar occurs in our bodies when we’re infected with these viruses; there are signals our cells detect that let our immune system know all is not well,” he said.

The AgriLife Research team found a protein that is produced by yellow fever virus, as well as Zika virus, West Nile virus and dengue virus, that suppresses the immune response of the mosquito.

“While the mosquito doesn’t want the virus in its body any more than we want it in ours, and is trying to get rid of it, the virus isn’t defenseless,” Myles said. “It’s fighting back and deploying its own countermeasures. Basically this is what’s known as an evolutionary arms race. The survival of this group of viruses depends on their ability to stay one step ahead of the mosquito’s immune response.”

Aedes aegypti mosquito. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Gabriel Hamer) — *Aedes aegypti mosquito.* (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Gabriel Hamer)

Now that the scientists know this, there are a couple of options. By using gene drive, a method targeting specific genes, they could go in and tip the scale in the mosquito’s favor. Alternatively, they could give the nod to the virus. In the latter, the virus would actually make the mosquito sick preventing transmission to humans.

“It will also be interesting to see if this protein interferes with the human immune response,” Myles said. “Certainly similar types of proteins have been found in other viruses that are not transmitted by mosquitoes but do infect people, influenza viruses for example.

“If it does interfere with our immune response, it could become a target for vaccine development, not only for Zika virus, but possibly other viruses as well.

“More research is needed before we reach that point though, but as ironic as it may seem, we are using the yellow fever virus, once arguably the most feared pestilence in the Western Hemisphere, to help us defeat the Zika virus and quite possibly others as well.”

Myles and Adelman joined the department of entomology at Texas A&M on Aug.1. The scientists were previously at Virginia Tech and now lead AgriLife Research’s efforts to stop Zika.

Myles is working to understand the basic biology of how viruses such as Zika replicate in mosquitoes, and Adelman’s projects involve creating mosquitoes resistant to viruses such as Zika.

For more information, contact Myles at 979-458-3110, mylesk@tamu.edu .

Former Grad Student Receives Award from Malaysian Government

November 10, 2016 by Rob Williams

Chin Heo, center, with Dato' Kamel Mohamad, Deputy Secretary General of Higher Education in Malaysia (left), and Associate Prof. Dr. Puzziawati Abdul Ghani (right) — Chin Heo, center, with Dato’ Kamel Mohamad, Deputy Secretary General of Higher Education in Malaysia (left), and Associate Prof. Dr. Puzziawati Abdul Ghani (right)

The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate former Ph.D. student Chong Chin Heo as he received the highest honor from the Malaysian government during a special ceremony held at the Embassy of Malaysia in Washington, D.C. on November 5.

Chong Chin Heo received the Perdana Scholar Award in the Research, Innovation and Publication category from the Malaysian government. Given to selected Malaysian students that have studied in the United States, the award’s goal is to identify, document and promote Malaysia students that have excelled in academics, leadership sports, entrepeneurship, innovation and research in their studies.

He was the only recipient that was in the Research, Innovation and Publication category. Heo was recognized for his outstanding work in research while being mentored under Dr. Jeffery Tomberlin.

Heo’s research project was titled “Sensitivity of Arthropod and Microbial Communities Associated with Vertebrate Carrion in Response to Delayed Blow Fly Access: Implication for Carrion Ecology and Forensic Entomology”. His research was in collaboration with Dr. Tawni Crippen – USDA – ARS and Dr. Jacqueline Ann Aitkenhead-Peterson from the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University.

“I am very proud of Chin and his accomplishments during his PhD research,” Tomberlin said. “This award is quite prestigious and demonstrates the quality research he conducted.”

Heo was very excited and proud to receive the award. “I must thank FLIES lab (especially my advisor, Dr Jeffery Tomberlin), my PhD committees, and The Entomology Department, Texas A&M University, for nurturing me and shaping me into a researcher,” he said. “I am also grateful to the Malaysian Government who has been aware and appreciate our effort in venturing carrion ecology and forensic entomology.”

Students Receive Recognition During 25th Meeting of International Congress of Entomology

October 12, 2016 by Rob Williams

Pierre Lau, left, Dr. May Berenbaum, Ryan Selking, and Shelby Kilpatrick at the awards presentation. Photo by Andrew Graf.

ORLANDO—The month of September has been good for the Department of Entomology as six students received awards during the International Congress of Entomology (ICE) meeting in Orlando.

Held every four years, ICE allows entomologists worldwide to collaborate and communicate their ideas and to make important connections with entomologists and scientists and compete in global presentation competitions.

This year’s meeting featured keynotes from Nobel Prize recipients Drs. Peter Agre and Jules Hoffmann and featured various plenary speakers each day throughout the duration of the conference. In addition, several of our grad and undergrad students were featured in the conference’s poster and student presentation sessions.

Alex Payne standing in front of a banner in Orlando — Alex Payne. Submitted Photo.

In the “Entomology Around the World” undergraduate category, Shelby Kilpatrick won first place for her presentation titled “An updated checklist of the bees of the Commonwealth of Dominica (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)” while Ryan Selking received second place for his presentation titled “A comparison of spider family diversity on vegetation between primary rainforest and secondary rainforest.”

In the Graduate Student Oral Competition, Pierre Lau received first place for his talk in the “Ecology and Population Dynamics” category for “Palynological analysis of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in developed areas in four regions of the United States.”

In the “Urban Entomology in a Changing Environment: Ants” category, MacKenzie Kjeldgaard received first place for her talk titled “I’ll have what she’s having: Next-Generation insights into the diets of invasive ants” while Alex Payne received First Place in the “Undergraduate Student Oral Competition-Frontiers In Entomology” for her presentation titled “The effects of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen insemination volume on colony growth.”

“There were so many amazing presentations throughout the conference,” Lau said. “I was overjoyed to find out that I was able to represent my school by winning the Ecology and Population Dynamics: Pollination section. I am grateful for all of the support everyone has provided me.”

Assistant Professor of Apiculture Dr. Juliana Rangel was very proud of Lau on receiving the award.

“Pierre’s presentation was incredibly well received,” she said. “He had a lot of comments and questions afterwards and he looked very comfortable and knowledgeable of the material that was presented. He’s a really great presenter and I am really proud of him!”

Payne was very excited and proud to have received such high honors for her presentation.

“Even though I was extremely nervous before giving my talk, I wanted to proudly represent my lab and A&M to my global audience and show that I am a part of a university that puts a strong emphasis on undergraduate research and success,” Payne said. “It feels rewarding to have one first place for my talk as it means that all the time I spent conducting my research and preparing my presentation paid off in the end!”

Rangel was very impressed by Payne’s professionalism during the presentation.

“Alex has shown to be very professional and I am very proud of her accomplishment,” Rangel said.

Kilpatrick enjoyed the time she had and thanked all that supported her research endeavors throughout her college career.

“I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to attend ESA/ICE this year. The Congress was an amazing experience and it was a privilege to represent Texas A&M University during the event,” Kilpatrick said. “I learned a lot as well as made memories and connections that will make a difference in my future. I was also thrilled to be recognized for my research at the end of the week alongside several of my friends and colleagues.”

Selking also received third place in the Triplehorn insect pinning challenge, which is a timed tournament to see who is the fastest in mounting and pinning insect specimens. He said that it was great getting the chance to present his research and networking with other colleagues worldwide, as well as participating in the competitions.

“This was my first time ever attending an entomology conference, and considering that it was the largest gathering of entomologists in history, it was a lot to take in. I realized the importance of going to these conferences, to keep up to date with who is researching what and what progress they have made, and it is also a great place to network,” he said. “Networking at these conferences not only opens up possible schooling or career options, but it is also a great place to find collaborators for graduate student projects as I did.”

Kjeldgaard said the conference was a great networking and learning opportunity and was excited about winning first place for her talk.

“I am very happy,” she said. “I also got to meet a lot of fantastic scientists and attend a number of interesting talks. It was a massive conference, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Faculty Members and Student Receive Top College Awards

October 4, 2016 by Rob Williams

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Three people from the Department of Entomology received the highest honors the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences gives out annually during its annual Awards Ceremony on September 29.

Drs. Juliana Rangel and Adrienne Brundage, and senior Shelby Kilpatrick won three awards for their hard work and dedication with the Department and College.

Rangel was honored with the Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Early Career Research for her work during the first few years since she joining the Department.

Since Rangel joined the faculty as Assistant Professor of Apiculture in 2013, she has been able to acquire approximately $1 million in extramural support and funding for her research program, focusing on providing solutions to unexplained colony decline, or colony collapse disorder, with a study on the effects of agricultural pesticides on honey bee fertility, a grant to identify floral sources foraged by honey bees in four different locations in the U.S., and a grant to create and lead the Texas A&M University’s Tech Transfer Team.

In collaboration with the Texas Beekeepers Association, Rangel also wrote a successful grant to help raise awareness of the benefits of “Real Texas Honey.” Along with the above major grants, she forged several significant collaborations with faculty and national and internationally to research honey bee queen and drone reproduction, ecological genetics of feral Africanized honey bees, and integrated pest management techniques for control of Varroa destructor mites in Texas apiaries.

She also has served on numerous departmental committees, including the Faculty Advisory, Capital Gains, and Graduate Student Recruitment committees and coached the undergraduate and graduate Linnaean teams. Since coaching the teams, one graduate and one undergraduate team placed first and second place in regional competitions and advanced to the national competition that was held in Orlando this September.

As part of her service role for the Texas beekeeping industry, Rangel writes a column for every issue of the Texas Beekeepers Association Journal and she speaks at several state and national beekeepers association meetings throughout the year. In conjunction with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS) she helped start the Texas Master Beekeepers Program and she serves on the Board of Directors.

“Her enthusiasm is infectious and in the end she is exposing as many people as possible to the science of apiculture and the joys of beekeeping,” Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale said in the nomination letter.

shelby-cover — Shelby Kilpatrick. Submitted photo.

Shelby Kilpatrick also received the Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Undergraduate Research. Since her academic career, Kilpatrick has been active student in the Department’s Honors Program research projects, including studying horse and deer fly trap effectiveness in College Station, sodium regulation and homeostasis in the grasshopper Schistocerca Americana, and collecting, rearing and studying the lacewing species Abachrysa eureka.

Her most notable research project was when she traveled to Dominica in 2015 for her individual project. In Dominica, she conducted a survey of pollinator biodiversity that focused on a subset of pollinators that are abundant on the island. With her project, Kilpatrick collaborated with Drs. James Woolley and Jason Gibbs, where she collected a total of 77 specimens representing 13 bee species in the Apidae and Halictidae from 12 sites on the island.

After returning from Dominica, Kilpatrick studied the procured specimens and found three species that were new records, as well as four that were very new to science, in which one species was named in her honor. She then presented her research and received first place at the 64^th annual Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society meeting and at the Ecological Integration Symposium, and was a top finalist for the Division of Student Affairs Award during Student Research Week in April.

“Shelby’s professionalism, her approach to science, her clear and concise description of her project and the results were spectacular,” Ragsdale said. “She is an amazing public speaker.”

Kilpatrick also serves a leadership role in the Department of Entomology Scholars Society, the undergraduate Entomology Student Organization, Texas A&M Collegiate 4-H Club and a supervisory team member at the TAMU Insect Collection.

“Shelby is committed to the success of her projects and strives to ensure that a level of excellence is met in each one she undertakes,” Ragsdale said.

adrienne-brundage-for-wordpress — Adrienne Brundage. Photo by Rob Williams

The Dean’s Award for Early Career Teaching was awarded to Dr. Adrienne Brundage. Since fall 2013, Brundage has been teaching in the Department as a full time lecturer. She currently teaches the Veterinary Entomology (ENTO 208), Medical Entomology (ENTO 423), undergraduate seminar, and Intro to Forensic Sciences (FIVS 205), teaching several hundred students each semester.

Brundage’s philosophy is to make the subject matter engaging, interesting, and impactful for her students.

“She is an exceptionally gifted teacher,” Ragsdale said. “She cuts through the extraneous information, and presents new and complex knowledge to students in such a way that it not only sticks, but impacts their lives. She does this through innovative and exciting teaching methods, coupled with an attentive, caring, and enthusiastic demeanor. Adrienne holds her students to a very high standard, and is confident that when they leave the university they will understand and expand their chosen field into new and unexplored areas.”

Brundage is very active in several outreach programs, including teaching high school students during the Youth Outreach Program, various children’s groups and schools in the Brazos Valley in both entomology and forensics. Most recently, Brundage was asked by the Texas State Anthropological Facility to train college students and police officers on using insects in forensic science. In addition to outreach, she also advises the First Responders Training Unit, the Order of Aggie Illusionists, and the Aggie Forensic Sciences Organization.

“Dr. Brundage embodies the spirit of what a junior professor at a land grant university should be – an exceptionally accomplished teacher who is making an impact in student’s lives and in her science,” Ragsdale said.

In addition to the awards, several faculty members were recognized for being new and for promotion and tenure. Drs. Zach Adelman and Kevin Myles were recognized as new faculty while Dr. Hojun Song was recognized for receiving promotion and tenure.