News

Department Celebrates Retirement of Staff Member

March 31, 2016 by Rob Williams

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Department of Entomology celebrated the achievements of Sherry Boyd during a reception held in the fourth floor atrium on Wednesday, March 2016.

Boyd is the Department’s Business Coordinator I and is mainly responsible for Research accounts and inventory. She will be retiring on March 31 after nine years with the Department.

“Sherry is an invaluable member and a tremendous asset to the Department,” said Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. “She will be missed greatly.”

Texas A&M Entomology Students Receive Numerous Awards during Southwestern Branch Meeting

March 16, 2016 by Rob Williams

Derek Woller, left, receives the Comstock Award from Jerry Michels during the awards presentation at the conference.

TYLER, Texas – Seven students walked away winners at the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society meeting February 22-25 in Tyler.

Ph.D. student Derek Woller received the ESA’s Comstock Award. This prestigious award with one graduate student from each branch recognized for their accomplishments in research, service, and public engagement. The award is financial support to attend the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America which this year is co-located with the International Congress of Entomology to be held in September in Orlando, FL.

Woller is a Ph.D student currently studying in Dr. Hojun Song’s lab where his research is focusing on unraveling the evolutionary history of a group composed of 24 flightless, small grasshopper species that inhabit scrubby, xeric habitats in the Southeast.

Woller said that he couldn’t have done it without his advisor, Dr. Hojun Song.

“There is no higher honor for a graduate student in entomology than the Comstock award, so I was thrilled when I received the news!” Woller said. “Looking over the list of past recipients

I see many names of people I know and respect very much in the entomological community, including my advisor, Hojun Song, and I’m proud to be a part of that shared history.”

Song was very proud of Woller’s hard work and dedication to his lab and research.

“The John Henry Comstock Award is the highest honor for graduate students in entomology to receive in this country. Derek has been an exemplar graduate student since 2011. First and foremost, he is an excellent scientist with many ideas. His dissertation research, which focuses on the evolution of flightless grasshopper in Florida, is likely to be a model study for studying the evolution of male genitalia in a phylogenetic framework.”

Isaac Esquivel showing his poster to judges during the Ph.D. poster sessin — Isaac Esquivel showing his poster to judges during the Ph.D. poster session

At the poster session, Erin Maxson received second place in the Master Student category for her poster “Species composition and seasonality of the natural enemies of sugarcane aphid on susceptible and resistant sorghum” and Isaac Esquivel received second in the Ph.D. category for “Spatial relationships of plant bugs in large scale cotton operations: Do edge and ecotone matter.”

Esquivel’s co-advisor Michael Brewer was proud of his accomplishments and said that he was grateful for him being in his lab.

“Isaac brings a fresh perspective to the question of how and why spatial patterns of insect presence of activity are relevant to insects on plants in agricultural lands nested within the coastal environment of South Texas,” Brewer said. “He really brings in the science of landscape ecology to his research. I has been fun to work with Isaac, and serve as his mentor along with Bob Coulson.”

Coulson also praised Esquivel for all of his hard work and dedication with his project.

“Both Dr. Brewer and I are celebrating with Isaac in his success at the Southwestern Branch Meeting. His award was not a surprise to either of us as the story of his poster was significant and interesting and his preparation was meticulous,” he said. “Good work Isaac.”

Shelby Kilpatrick, center, with Blake Bextine, left, and Jerry Michels, right, at the awards ceremony

“Erin has worked very hard on the research that led to this poster, and she worked very hard on the poster itself,” Maxson’s advisor Dr. Jim Woolley said. “Her macrophotography of insects is really superb, and in a class by itself, so we were delighted, but not at all surprised, when her poster won second place in the graduate student competition.”

In the Undergraduate Ten-Minute Paper competition, Shelby Kilpatrick received first place for her talk “An updated checklist of the bees of the Commonwealth of Dominica (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)”

“Shelby had a lot of fun with this project during our field and tropical biology course in Dominica in summer of 2015, and she worked long hours collecting and identifying the bees,” Woolley said. “As a result she made several interesting new discoveries that she reported in her talk. The talk itself was very well prepared and she practiced it over and over with different audiences, so again, we were delighted but not at all surprised when she won first prize in the undergraduate competition.”

Masters student Pierre Lau placed second in the Masters talks for his presentation “Analysis of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in developed areas”.

In the Ph.D. Student Ten-Minute Paper competition, Woller received first place for his talk “Exploring the sexy frontiers of functional morphology…in 3D!!! (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplus rotundipennis)” while Mackenzie Kjeldgaard received second for “Quantifying the diet of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis

Pierre Lau, center, with Blake Bextine, left, ad Jerry Michels

invicta): A next-generation sequencing approach to molecular gut content analysis,” and Adrian Fisher received third place for “The synergistic effects of almond protection fungicides on honey bee (Apis mellifera) forager survival.”

Song was very proud of Woller’s communication skills and praised his dedication to his achievements and dedication to teaching entomology.

“Derek is also a fantastic scientific communicator and his passion for outreach is unparalleled. He is dedicated to his teaching, which he takes very seriously, and the students that he interacts with always benefit and learn from him tremendously,” Song said.

Adrian Fisher II, center, with Blake Bextine, left, ad Jerry Michels

“I am very proud of Derek’s achievements so far, including the recent award at the Southwestern Branch meeting, and I feel extremely lucky to have him as my graduate student. I am confident that Derek will be the next rising star in entomology.”

Eubanks was very proud of Kjeldgaard on receiving high marks on her talk.

“MacKenzie is an outstanding young scientist and an incredibly energetic student. This study utilizes the very latest molecular techniques to provide unique insight into the ecology of one of the most serious pests of Texas,” he said.

Rangel was very proud of her students and said their hard work and dedication in the past months had paid off during the meeting.

“I am incredibly proud of Pierre and Adrian because they worked really hard on their presentations,” In my lab we take time to practice every person’s talk at least twice before every meeting,” Rangel said. “Having practiced even the day before the competition one last time helped them to improve their talk and the way in which they presented their research to the audience. These and all the other awards that my students received make me not only proud but encouraged about continuing to excel in honeybee research.”

Woller also won Best Overall Photo for his photo named “Captivating Chrysalis” and Xanthe Shirley received first place in the Microphotography category for her photo called “Contemplating Quantum Physics”.

Photo salon committee chair Carl Hjelmen said that there were a total of 51 submissions in this year’s salon and said the images increased in quality compared to last year’s.

“I was very pleased with the number of submissions, especially that there were representatives from all around the branch,” Hjelmen said. “I hope the trend of increased photo salon entries continue.”

Linnaean Teams Win First and Second Place at Southwestern Branch Meeting

March 7, 2016 by Rob Williams

The Graduate Linnaean Team vs the Undergraduate Linnaean team during the final round. Photo by Juliana Rangel

TYLER, Texas–The Department of Entomology’s graduates and undergraduate Linnaean Teams came out big during the annual Linnaean Games quiz bowl competition at the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society meeting during the last week of February.

The Graduate Linnaean Team received first place after defeating the Texas A&M undergraduate team in the final round of play. Both teams also competed other teams, graduate and undergraduate, from Oklahoma State University.

The graduate team consisted of Pierre Lau, Freddy Ibanez, Adrian Fisher, and Carl Hjelmen while the undergraduate team included Shelby Kilpatrick, Andrew Graf, Dayvion Adams and Bret Nash.

According to the Entomological Society of America website, the Linnaean Games are a lively question-and-answer, quiz bowl style competition on entomological facts played between university-sponsored student teams. Each team is comprised of four members and members score points for the team by answering questions correctly.

Linnaen Games - inside page — The Undergraduate Linnaean Team, right, facing off against the Oklahoma State team. Photo by Andrew Graf.

The two teams will advance to the national ESA Linnaean Games competition, as well as participate in the International Congress of Entomology meeting’s competition that will be held in Orlando in November.

“I was very excited to be participating in this year’s games, especially because we finally got first place at the meeting,” Hjelmen said. “Oklahoma historically has been a very difficult opponent and in previous years we have only achieved second. These games were especially exciting because the TAMU undergrad team was also able to beat both Oklahoma teams in order to get to second place.”

Hjelmen said that with the graduate team taking first place and the undergraduate team taking second helped them to get both undergraduate and graduate representation when they go to Orlando later this year. He also attributed the hard work to his teammates and Rangel for her great coaching.

“Needless to say, both teams have barely been able to contain their excitement for these games. This couldn’t have been achieved without all of the countless hours spent by the teams and our coach, Juliana Rangel, in practices and studying outside of the practices and games,” he said. “All of this studying allowed us to easily answer the tricky historical entomology questions, sometimes with my personal favorite answer “C.V. Riley.” There were really way too many difficult questions to count and it is always surprising when people know the answers!”

Undergraduate team member Shelby Kilpatrick was looking forward to going to Orlando for the national ESA Linnaean Games, as well as the International Congress of Entomology’s Linnaean Games. The national ESA meeting will be held in conjunction with the ICE meeting in Orlando, Florida.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in the National Linnaean Games at the Entomological Society of America,” she said. “It will be my first time to attend a national ESA meeting and this is a historic year since it’s being held in conjunction with the International Congress of Entomology. I am very proud of my team and looking forward to the national contest in September.”

She said the hardest questions were the ones about toxicology while the easiest were the questions that included photos or about taxonomy and insect classification.

“One of my favorite things about entomology is that there will always be something new to learn,” she said.

This was Lau’s first time to participate in the Linnaean Games this year since he was an alternate during last year’s competition. He said that being an alternate helped him to know what to expect during this year’s competition.

“I thought the games this year were much better than the last because we won first and second place,” Lau said. “It has been a while since the graduate team won first at the meeting.”

Linnaean Team coach Juliana Rangel was very proud of both teams and was impressed by the amount of hard work and dedication they had put in before and during the competition.

I am extremely proud of the performance of both teams, dedication during practice rounds and their homework really had paid off,” Rangel said.

She was extremely proud of the undergraduate team because of their dedication and the depth of entomological knowledge, and their courageousness during the hardest parts of the games.

“I am extremely proud of the undergraduate. They were courageous enough to beat the graduate team from Oklahoma State University, despite the nervousness you usually get facing other teams in a competition.”

“Overall, I’m extremely proud of both teams and I’m also proud to be their coach,” she added.

Grad Students Honored with Awards During Seminar

February 25, 2016 by Rob Williams

Carl Hjelmen, right, receiving the Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award from Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale, left. Photo by Rob Williams — Carl Hjelmen, right, receiving the Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award from Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale. Photo by Rob Williams

COLLEGE STATION, Texas –The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate two of our grad students as they received top honors during the department’s spring seminar series on February 18.

Ph.D. student Carl Hjelmen received the Outstanding Ph.D. Student while Devin Beach Tillman received the Outstanding Masters Student Award during the special presentation.

Hjelmen is advised by Dr. Spencer Johnston and is currently researching the evolution of genome size in Drosophila species. Hjelmen is a member of the Graduate Entomology Student Organization, where he is serving as the organization’s vice president. He also has served as the chair of the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society’s annual Photo Salon for two years and was Social Activities Chair of the EGSO for a year.

He has been active in several outreach programs, including Creek View Elementary, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences tailgate, and the Boonville Days at the Brazos Center. Hjelmen also has 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.

Hjelmen was a participant in Texas A&M Research Experience for Undergraduates – Expanding Scientific Investigation Through Entomology (REU-EXCITE) during the summer of 2012.

“Carl is the best student I have had the pleasure of directing and is very deserving of this year’s outstanding graduate student award,” Johnston said.

Tillman is mentored by Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy and is researching the interaction between sugarcane aphids and sorghum plants.

Tillman has been a teaching assistant for several classes, including ENTO 201 (General Entomology) and Applied Forensic Entomology courses (ENTO/FIVS 432), and the Dominica Study Abroad program. She also served as a Texas A&M transfer ambassador in 2012 and a Blinn Ambassador in 2011.

She also was a member of the TAMU Department of Entomology Scholars Society, where she has represented the Department during different activities and has been a liaison between faculty, staff, students, and prospective students.

Tillman was an active member of the Undergraduate Entomology Student Organization and the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Student Organization. She has served as the treasurer of the Undergraduate Entomology Student Organization from 2010-2014, Activities Coordinator for AFIS from 2013-2014 and Vice President from 2012-2013.

Tillman received numerous awards and scholarships during her college career, including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Diversity Excellence Award, the Perry L. Adkissson, Roger Meola Memorial Scholarship and the COALS International Studies Scholarship.

“Devin has managed an incredible task, she has excelled in every single objective she has set up for her future, and that includes also a good balance between her professional and personal life,” Tamborindeguy said. “Devin will be an amazing role model for our future students.”

Texas A&M AgriLife Research Entomologists Co-Authors on Bed Bug Genome Mapping Paper

February 5, 2016 by Rob Williams

Cover_Benoit_Guenard_1-with text — Bed Bug. Photo by Benoit Guenard.

COLLEGE STATION – Two Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologists were among a team of more than 80 international scientists whose work in sequencing the genome of the bed bug was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on Feb. 2.

Dr. Ed Vargo, Texas A&M University Endowed Chair in Urban and structural Entomology, College Station, holds a bedbug sample while discussing recent genome mapping work. Photo by Steve Burns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications. — Dr. Ed Vargo, Texas A&M University Endowed Chair in Urban and structural Entomology, College Station, holds a bed bug sample while discussing recent genome mapping work. Photo by Steve Burns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications.

The AgriLife Research team members from College Station who were part of the two-year project are Dr. Ed Vargo, Endowed Chair in Urban and Structural Entomology headquartered in the Rollins Urban and Structural Entomology Facility, and Dr. Spencer Johnston in Texas A&M University’s department of entomology.

The paper, “Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome,” is available online at http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms10165 .

According to the paper, the bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a human parasite throughout much of the world. The causes are linked to increased international travel and commerce and widespread insecticide resistance by the bug.

“Bed bugs are a big pest,” Vargo said. “They are very small insects, about the size of an apple seed, that have been associated with humans for a long, long time. They are unique in that they fill a very specific ecological niche and specialize in feeding almost exclusively on human blood.”

He said they are active at night and actually administer a slight anesthetic with each bite, which deadens the site so as to remain undetected. Reactions such as welts and itching can take a day or two to develop.

“They’ve been around for thousands of years, but with the advent of modern pesticides they all but disappeared from the industrialized world in the 1950s,” Vargo said. “So I grew up not really knowing about bed bugs except for the saying people had, ‘sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.’ And that to me was cute but very foreign because I’d never experienced bed bugs.”

But in the last 20 years, Vargo said, they’ve come back with a vengeance and are now very prevalent as numerous media reports in recent years can attest. They are in all 50 states in the U.S. and are especially prevalent in low income housing and housing for the elderly.

“As far as we know, they do not vector any diseases,” Vargo said. “The bites can cause itching, even scarring in some cases, but psychologically they can have a big impact on people. It’s hard to sleep at night if you know the bed bugs are going to come out when the lights go out. Knowing they are there can be very anxiety producing for many people.”

Mapping the bed bug genome is a crucial step in regaining global control, Vargo said.

Genes are pieces of DNA within an organism that make it unique, he said. The genome can be likened to the animal’s personal blueprint for making a bed bug a bed bug. So by sequencing the DNA — obtaining the genome — the team of scientists have identified all the genes that are in a bed bug. They now know which genes are critical for their survival.

“So having the genome is a valuable resource that any researcher in the world now has access to,” Vargo said. “This whole approach of targeting genes in organisms for their control is being used across the spectrum of agriculture and urban entomology. This paper provides a publically accessible resource that scientists can use to develop new and specific targets for bed bug control.”

Johnston said that the paper focused on three areas of control: genetic responsibility for insecticide resistance, the bed bug’s preference for blood in its diet, and especially the genes that are responsible for the insect’s ability of finding only human hosts.

He also noted that the results from the research would greatly help speed efforts to find more effective control methods.

“There are closely related species that feed on other organisms. The bed bug is the only one that preys exclusively on man,” Johnston said. “The genes involved have now been identified and fully described. This will speed efforts to find compounds to confuse or confound the bed bug so it is no longer able to home in on its host.”

In the meantime, Vargo said, those suspecting a bed bug problem should contact a professional pest control operator, as very few people are successful in controlling the insects themselves.