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Grad Students Receive AFRI Travel Grant for ESA Meeting in November

September 16, 2014 by

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Ph.D. students Freddy Ibanez and Carrie Deans will be able to travel to the national meeting of the Entomological Society Meeting this year thanks to a travel grant from the US Department of Agriculture.

Deans and Ibanez were two of 10 students that were selected to travel to the meeting that is scheduled to be held in Portland, Ore., on November 16-19.

According to the ESA’s website, the grant provides financial support to allow graduate students to travel to the annual meeting to allow them to experience such opportunities as networking and presenting to peers and colleagues. The grant is sponsored by the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, or AFRI.

Deans is co-advised by Dr. Gregory Sword and Dr. Spencer Behmer . Her research focuses on how nutrition impacts stress response in insects. Ibanez is advised by Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy.

A native of Jackson, Minnesota, Deans was first introduced to and worked with insects and entomology while she was an undergraduate at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. While at St. Thomas, she worked in the labs of Drs. Adam Kay and Kyle Zimmer. She was involved in projects focusing on the nutritional ecology of aquatic insects.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Environmental Studies at St. Thomas, she worked in the natural resources field. After serving with the Minnesota Conservation Corps and working at Willow River State Park in Wisconsin, she then pursued her Master of Science degree in Ecology and Natural Resources at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

During the time she was at St. Cloud State, she worked in Dr. Neal Voelz’s stream ecology lab on her research on the field of ecological stoichiometry. She said that ecological stoichiometry is a sub-field of nutritional ecology that focuses on the balance of elements in consumer-resource interactions. Deans then received her Master of Science in Ecology and Natural Resources before joining Texas A&M.

During her career, Deans received the C. Everette Salyer Fellowship in Cotton Research in 2011, the 2014-2015 Texas A&M University Dissertation Fellowship, and the Best Ph.D. Student Oral Presentation Prize in the Insect Control section during the Beltwide Cotton Conference in New Orleans in 2014.

Deans was excited and grateful to receive the grant and hopes that this will give her the opportunity to share her research with peers.

“I am very honored to receive this award, especially knowing the high caliber of research going on in the field of entomology right now,” she said. “The funds provided by this award will allow me to perform some analyses that will really improve my dissertation project and will hopefully produce data that will allow us to better understanding the nutritional impacts on stress and the environmental constraints on pesticide efficacy.”

Ibanez received his BS in biochemistry at the University of Santiago in 2006, where he served as secretary of the Biochemistry Undergraduate Student Organization. Freddy’s interest in insect biology started years ago when he was working as a research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Veronica Cambiazzo at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology in Chile

He joined Texas A&M University as a research assistant in the Department of Horticultural Sciences in 2010, then joined Dr. Tamborindeguy’s lab to learn and understand how the pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum and its vector Bactericera cockerelli will colonize potato and other solanaceous crops which results in a plant disease. In potato this is known as Zebra chip, which is associated with the dark bands produced when potato chips are processed.

In August, 2013, Freddy started to pursue a PhD degree in entomology in Dr. Tamborindeguy’s group, where he is dedicated to studying Bactericera cockerelli reproduction, determining the effects of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum on insect fecundity, and identifying novel targets to control psyllid populations.

“I am honored to be chosen,” Ibanez said. “This is a great opportunity for me to network with all the great researchers in entomology.”

Teel Receives COALS Award for Excellence in Teaching, ENTO Faculty Achieved Promotion

September 11, 2014 by

Teel-Award-front — Dr. Pete Teel, right, with with Dr. Bill Dugas, Acting Vice Chancellor and Acting Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate Professor and Associate Department Head for Academic Programs Dr. Pete Teel for receiving the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Teaching.

Teel was honored for the Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Teaching in the Educational Enrichment and Innovation category during a special awards presentation at the AgriLife Center on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

The main goal of the awards ceremony is to recognize and reward excellence in the College’s faculty, staff, and students in their dedication and hard work and to recognize all the faculty who were promoted in 2014.

Teel has been the Department’s Associate Department Head for Academic Programs since 1994 and has been instrumental in improving the academic operations of the Department. Recently Teel has been instrumental in creating the Undergraduate Certificate in Public Health Entomology. Launched in 2012, the certificate’s goal is to prepare students for opportunities in public health services from local to international levels, military services, and relevant graduate and professional schools.

Teel also has provided leadership in the growth and development of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences program from a single course into a separate major and developed a capstone course for the undergraduate curricula called Case Studies in Problem Solving (ENTO 435), which he taught from 2006-2010.

He also led the development of the TickApp, which is a free mobile smartphone application designed to educate a broad range of audiences on tick identification and biology, tick borne diseases, and control and management. Since its inception, the app has been used as an instructional resource in three courses, reaching more than 250 Aggies per semester, as well as being used by the USDA, Texas Animal Health Commission, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service arm of the USDA, and Veterinary Services. Within weeks of the first launch, it has been utilized by people in all US states and >60 foreign countries, with 5 of the top ten US states being from the northeastern and New England area where the majority of 20,000+ new Lyme Disease cases are diagnosed annually.

Michel Slotman, left, with Dr. Bill Dugas, Acting Vice Chancellor and Acting Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Photo by Rob Williams.

“I strongly believe that the diverse venues used by Dr. Teel to improve the educational experiences of our students as well as his commitment to teaching innovation deserve to be rewarded with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Educational Enrichment and Innovation category,” said Entomology Department Head Dr. David Ragsdale.

“Dr. Pete Teel is an excellent colleague and mentor to younger faculty, especially regarding departmental teaching efforts,”

Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy, left, with Dr. Bill Dugas, Acting Vice Chancellor and Acting Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Assistant Professor Dr. Aaron Tarone said. “By developing quality curriculum and providing innovative course material, Pete has enhanced the quality of learning that our undergraduates experience both in the FIVS and ENTO majors.”

The College also recognized 25 faculty members for promotion or tenure, and in Entomology Dr. Spencer Behmer was promoted to the rank of Professor and Drs. Michel Slotman and Cecilia Tamborindeguy were promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. These are significant milestones in the career of these faculty.

Grad Students’ Research Presentations Receive Recognition During Forum

September 3, 2014 by

The winners of the Seventeenth Annual Graduate Student Forum. from left: Kevin Deitz – Third Place, Emily Boothe – Second Place, Luciano Cosme – First Place. Photo by Rob Williams.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate grad students Luciano Cosme, Emily Boothe, and Kevin Deitz as they received awards for their talks during the annual Graduate Student Forum.

The students received awards for having the top presentations out of sixteen participants during the seventeenth annual event that was hosted on August 28.

Deitz received third place for his talk titled “Genomic Analysis of Divergence Within the Malaria Vector Anopheles melas” while Booth received second for her talk “A stable isotope mark-capture study of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus in College Station, Texas”. Cosme received first place for his presentation “Gene expression changes accompanying behavioral changes in mosquitoes”

Deitz and Cosme are both Ph.D. students and are mentored by Dr. Michel Slotman and Boothe is a Master of Science student mentored by Dr. Gabriel Hamer.

Dr. Charles Allen speaking to the audience. Photo by Rob Williams

The event opened with a welcome from Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy and a keynote address from Dr. Charles Allen, associate department head for Extension Programs. Allen spoke about his experiences at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and gave sound advice for the new graduate students in attendance.

“There are great opportunities in Extension that will continue to be around,” Allen said.

Allen also spoke about how he got interested in entomology and working with Extension for the past several years and how his experience has helped him to tackle problems such as pests and solving the grand challenges that producers face every day.

He said that having a broad-based knowledge of pests and entomology, as well as working well with people were keys to success working in a position with Extension. He stressed that good work ethic, honesty and the ability to work with a team are also valuable and important skills to have.

Presenter presenting research — Ph.D. candidate Ordom Huot presenting his research. Photo by Rob Williams

“It’s about honesty and integrity,” Allen said.

He also encouraged the new graduate students that there are lots of opportunities if they are interested in helping people, including working as teaching and research at universities, horticulture and nursery industries as an entomologist or consultant, or working with the United States Department of Agriculture.

Held every August, the Graduate Student Forum serves three purposes—to encourage students to share with colleagues and others in the academic community, provide a professional development experience for students, and allow students to practice their presenting skills for upcoming meetings and competitions.

During the forum, participants are given 12 minutes to present their research and allowed 3 minutes to facilitate any questions asked by the audience. The top three presenters are given a certificate and a cash prize during a special awards ceremony.

Dr. Spencer Johnston Co-Authored Article on Antarctic Midge Genome

August 27, 2014 by

The adult stage of the Antarctic midge (Belgica antartica). Photo courtesy of Richard. E. Lee, Jr. — The adult stage of the Antarctic midge (*Belgica antartica*). Photo courtesy of Richard. E. Lee, Jr.

Who would have thought that there would be an insect (or any other terrestrial animal) tough enough to survive the brutal Antarctic environment?

A group of scientists including the Department’s own Dr. Spencer Johnston just published an article featured in Nature Magazine on the Antarctic midge that not only survives year round in the South Pole, but also has the smallest insect genome sequenced to date.

Led by Dr. Joanna Kelley of Washington State University, the scientists have set out to study the Antarctic midge (Belgica antartica) and how it has adapted to survive in the extreme conditions of the Antarctic.

According to the paper, the midge lives on the rocky outcrops of the Antarctic Peninsula and is the only land based animal endemic to the continent. The larvae develop slowly over two Antarctic winters and may lose up to half their body mass through dehydration with no ill effects.

The larval stage of the Antarctic midge (Belgica antartica). Photo courtesy of Richard. E. Lee, Jr. — The larval stage of the Antarctic midge (*Belgica antartica*). Photo courtesy of Richard. E. Lee, Jr.

Kelley’s group, which includes Johnston, studied the genome to see if it would provide clues on how the midge has evolved to cope with the extreme Antarctic environment. a

The group found out that the insect has the smallest insect genome discovered to date, with 99 million base pairs, as compared to the next smallest genomes, 104.7 million base pairs in the body louse and the 108 million base pairs of the parasitic twisted-wing insect (Strepsiptera:Myrmecolacidae).

Other unusual adaptations include winglessness, plus extreme cold and salinity tolerance, which allow the insect to endure high winds, exposure to salt, and of course extremes of temperature.

Johnston said it was a surprise to find that the midges somehow cope with these extreme conditions by using less genetic information, rather than more. Now, the goal is to explain the ways in which the environment has helped make the genome more efficient, selecting the right DNA elements.

It was a surprise to the research group to discover how small and compact the insect’s genome was; now they have to learn how this relates to coping with the harsh environment of the region.

“It does not cope by using more information – It copes with the same or less,” Dr. Johnston said. Even though the midge only had 99 million base pairs, the midge has around 13,500 genes, which is similar to other flies in the family. “This lends credence to the idea of Junk DNA in most genomes and suggests that the extreme environment has selected against the selfish DNA elements (Junk DNA) that bloat the genome of most of the higher organisms.

Johnston also said, “The big questions we are asking are, ‘What is essential information? What if anything is Junk DNA?’ Can manipulation of the total amount of DNA (something we do not do now) increase productivity and increase the tolerance to environmental change?’” The answers may help us find ways to adapt organisms to the changing environment and better understand the architecture of the genome and the effects of selection on that genome architecture.

The article is available in Nature by viewing at the following address: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140812/ncomms5611/full/ncomms5611.html

Department, Extension Names Robert Puckett as Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist

August 21, 2014 by

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Department of Entomology and Texas AgriLife Extension would like to welcome Dr. Robert Puckett as its newest member.

Puckett will be starting his position as Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist on September 1,and will be co-located at the Rollins Urban and Structural Entomology facility where he will work with Dr. Edward Vargo, the next Endowed Chair in Urban and Structural Entomology.“We are very fortunate to be able to hire Dr. Robert Puckett as Extension Entomologist at College Station,” said Dr. Charles Allen, Extension Entomology Program Leader/Assoc. Dept. Head for Extension Programs.

Puckett will primarily be working with pest control professionals on urban pest issues. Dr. Puckett was hired in 2008 as an Assistant Research Scientist with the Center for Urban and Structural Entomology under the current Endowed Chair for Urban and Structural Entomology Dr. Roger Gold and was promoted to an Associate Research Scientist in 2012. While at the Center, he conducted research on the interactions of phorid flies and fire ants, the ecology, behavior and management of tawny crazy ants, and the ecology and behavior of Formosan Subterranean termites.

Puckett gained valuable experience as a graduate student by working as an Extension Assistant. . Puckett worked under Dr. Bart Drees and Dr. Marvin Harris monitoring treatment effects of the red imported fire ant control study, as well as conducting surveys for Texas Red Imported fire ant quarantine efforts.

Puckett has received and has been nominated for several awards and honors, including receiving the Entomological Society’s J.H. Comstock Graduate Student Award, and being nominated for the Jeffery P. LaFage Graduate Student Research Award. He currently serves as the chair of the Entomological Society of America’s Ethics and Rules Committee and as a reviewer of the Annual Student Research Award Competition Proposal for the Texas Academy of Science.

Puckett received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Texas A&M University in 2008 and following his BS and MS degrees in Biology from Sam Houston State University. “Dr. Puckett has excellent people skills which along with his knowledge, technical skills and desire to serve the public in extension make him an ideal candidate for the position,” Allen said. “We are very proud to have Dr. Puckett join our group of extension professionals. In my opinion, our already outstanding program just got stronger.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,” Puckett said. “I cannot wait to begin working with such an extraordinary group of people.”