Message from Department Head, Sujaya Rao
Greetings!
Spring Semester was an amazing time for the Entomology Department with two huge ‘department showcase’ event successes, Celebrate Entomology with the endowed lecture on a century of honey bee research at the UMN, and the Great Minnsect Show which drew over 1,800 visitors from far and wide! Two other exciting achievements - enrollment in the Insect Science Minor surpassed 50, and the $5 million fundraising goal to endow a Honey Bee Faculty Chair was reached! Meanwhile, faculty, staff and student achievements were recognized with numerous awards at the North Central Branch ESA meeting in March, the Entomology Department Awards Ceremony and Borealis Night of Excellence in April, and the CFANS College Assembly in May. It was humbling to witness the overwhelming community response to our various programs geared towards enhancing awareness about insects and the many ways they impact humans and the environment. Details about our achievements are shared below.
Happy Reading! Send us your thoughts and ideas for the department – we welcome your feedback!
Sujaya
This issue has been assembled beautifully by Ellen Reed – Thank you!
Events
Celebrate Entomology, our annual showcase event, featured the Richards-Hodson Endowed Lecture in Insect Physiology and Ecology sponsored by Dr. Sping Lin, an alum (MS, 1950; PhD, 1952). This year’s lecture was presented (for the first time as a hybrid) by Prof. Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor in the UMN Entomology Department. Her presentation on “A Century of Bee Discoveries at the University of Minnesota”, an excellent historic overview of honey bee programs in the department over the years, was educational, enjoyable and humorous! If you missed it, we have a recording available for you to enjoy. You can also view KARE 11’s interview of Prof. Spivak featured the same day in the evening news.
The endowed lecture was preceded by a poster session in which postdocs, graduates, and undergraduates shared their research, and was followed by the Department Awards Ceremony. Award recipients are listed below under Achievements, Awards, Honors.
The Great Minnsect Show, our annual public outreach event, was held on Saturday April 20. Given the success of last year’s event which drew close to 900 attendees, the 2024 event was moved to a larger space, the St. Paul Student Center Ballroom. Visitors stopped by 40 stations hosted by the Entomology Department and local insect-related agencies, some by our alumni – a great opportunity for catching up! Popular additions this year were a live painted lady tent for kids to observe closely butterflies that landed on them, and four interactive presentations about Bess bugs, insect collecting in Ecuador, life as an urban entomologist, and why humans should embrace entomophagy (the consumption of edible insects by humans). As in 2023, emeriti Roger Moon, Mark Ascerno, Jeff Hahn, and alumna Val Cervenka hosted an ‘Ask an Expert!’ booth for answering insect questions while Jeff Hahn’s amazing insect images projected on a large screen were enjoyed by all!
A catchy press release (To bug or not to bug — there’s no question, you must attend the Great Minnsect Show 2024!) by Lori Fligge, CFANS Communications, led to interviews by Fox 9, Star Tribune, Axios Twin Cities, Racket, MPR, and listings under Weekend activities/Things to do. As a result, the public heard about the event, read about it, and showed up for an educational and enjoyable experience in overwhelming numbers all day – over 1,800 in all! Visitor immersion in entomology across the large Student Center Ballroom was a sight to behold!
We are now seeking an even larger space for The Great Minnsect Show, to be held on Saturday April 19, 2025. Stay tuned for details, and join us next year with friends and family!
The virtual Ento Alumni Socials have reconnected us with alumni and friends! The idea for virtual socials was presented to us by Mary Buschette, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations in CFANS, as a means to stay in touch during the covid pandemic, but have continued post-covid, once each semester thanks to the positive response! During the 8th UMN Ento Alumni Social on March 29 we featured achievements by faculty, and students. Prof. Bob Koch presented his high-tech research on remote sensing of an agricultural pest, while we shared updates on our graduate and undergraduate programs. Alumni were excited to hear about the grand opening of the Puparium in 155 Alderman, the new space occupied by graduate students in lieu of the Refuge (the grad student ‘hang out’ for decades). During your next visit to the St. Paul campus, stop by the Puparium and check out the upgraded graduate student space!
Upcoming Events
- Fall Welcome -Tuesday, September 10, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, Cargill Building Atrium.
- 9th UMN Ento Alumni Social - Friday, November 8, 3:00 to 4:00 pm.
- Minnesota/Wisconsin Mixer - Monday, November 11, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, ESA 2024, Phoenix, AZ.
- Bug Out – TBD (early December).
Stay connected! Submit this form to get email alerts for all the department's upcoming events!
Honey Bee Faculty Endowed Chair
The Department of Entomology achieved its $5 million fundraising goal for establishment of a Honey Bee Faculty Chair. This pivotal milestone ensures the continuation of the department’s legacy of groundbreaking honey bee research that started at the U of M more than a century ago and continues today at the U of M’s Bee Lab, known internationally for promoting healthy bees and sustainable beekeeping practices.
Graduate Corner
Congratulations to our Spring Graduates!
MS - Entomology
- Chan Dolan, Advisor Dan Cariveau
MS - NRSM (Natural Resources Science and Management)
- Grace Graham, co-Advisors Brian Aukema and Marcella Windmueller-Campione
- Rose Picklo, Advisor Brian Aukema
PhD - Entomology
- Emily Althoff, Advisor Brian Aukema
Welcoming New Graduate Students
PhD
- Saúl Aguirre, Advisor George Heimpel
- Kylee Nissen, Advisor Dan Cariveau
- Zixia Song, Advisor Fei Yang
- Matthew Villalta, Advisor Amelia Lindsey
MS
- Cameron Garland, Advisor Matt Petersen
- Ella Maddi, Advisor Brian Aukema
- Hunter Ness, co-Advisors Fei Yang and Bob Koch
- Virginia Roberts, Advisor Dan Cariveau
Reflection by a recent graduate student
Chan Dolan
This April, I completed and defended my M.S. research which was focused on nesting bumble bee ecology and natural history. Going into my research project I was unsure of how it would pan out, given that very little is known about the nesting habitats of even some of the most common bumblebee species in North America. Working in the Entomology Department and the Bee Lab gave me the opportunity to try something new and break new ground in this area of study. In addition to learning about bumble bee biology, I gained a newfound appreciation for all kinds of insects and their beauty. Throughout my time at the Entomology department, I have proudly grown as a scientist. Going forward, I plan on pursuing opportunities to practice skills in environmental education with all ages of people.
Field Notes from Frenatae
submitted by President Sarah Lisak
Hi all! The graduate students have been busy bees this spring with the Grand Opening of our new graduate space... THE PUPARIUM! This event unveiled our new space and showcased all of our hard work within the last year to alumni, the Entomology Department and CFANS community. We are proud of the great collaboration between our club members for this event. A couple of examples of great contributions include a new sign for our space designed by Sabrina Celis, an improved Arthropod Zoo with educational signs led by Megan Jones, an outreach timeline created by our Outreach Coordinators, Maya Vellicolungara and Pheylan Anderson, and much more!!
This space is the perfect spot for housing outreach events, our improved Arthropod Zoo, and great lunch and meeting destination for graduate students. If you missed out on the Grand Opening, be sure to come stop by the first floor of Alderman to check out our visitor-friendly Arthropod Zoo viewing portholes!
That’s not all! We have been working closely with the undergraduate Insect Club and partnered together on hosting the first ever Arthropod Zoo at the Great Minnsect Show! Visitors had the chance to observe, pet and even hold some of our Arthropod Zoo critters!! Additionally, we have been sharing our insect knowledge to 4 H groups, local schools, and we even appeared on the Three Rivers Park District Podcast talking about soil-dwelling arthropods!!!
A special thanks to the Bee Lab for hosting the first ever Frenatae Candle-making workshop that taught us how to make our own candles for our annual Honey Sale!
Up Next: we will be participating in the MN State Fair this summer and prepping for our annual Honey Sale this fall! Stay tuned for some sweet deals on honey, student-designed t-shirts, stickers, calendars and more!!
Undergraduate Highlights
Insect Science Minor Spotlight
Submitted by Dr. Matt Petersen, Advisor, Insect Science Minor
The Insect Science minor continues to grow in enrollment, and reach new undergraduate students across the University. In Spring 2024, we surpassed the 50-student enrollment mark, another new record for our program! Undergraduates are gaining entomological knowledge through a wide range of in-person and online courses, and increasingly through experiential learning opportunities. They participate in research through credit, paid positions, and the competitive Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
This academic year, three Insect Science students traveled to and presented their research at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in National Harbor, MD. Two won awards during the 10-minute oral presentation sessions: Pablo Stilwell was awarded first place in the Biochemistry, Physiology and Toxicology (PBT) section, and Ellie Meys the second place in the Plant-Insect Ecosystem (P-IE) section. Ellie Meys also received the Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology Award in the Plant-Insect Ecosystem (P-IE) Section.
Congratulations to our recent Insect Science Minor Graduates!
College of Biological Sciences (CBS)
- Kyle Murley (Major: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior)
- Patrick Roisum (Major: Biochemistry)
College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
- Timothy Benike (Plant Science)
- Jacob Drummer (Plant Science)
- Eleanor Meys (Major: Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology)
College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
- Isabelle Maddalena (Major: Chemistry)
- Gwyneth Picthall (Major: Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Justice)
Insect Club
submitted by President Jena Ostendorf
Contact: insect@umn.edu; Instagram: @insectclub_umn
The Undergraduate Insect Club was busy with club events, outreach opportunities, and in welcoming our new six-legged friends…lubber grasshoppers. At our first event this spring semester, we organized a joint guest speaker event with the PMB club (Plant & Microbial Biology) featuring Dr. Amelia Lindsey. Students were able to learn more about microbes and their connections to insects and hang out with some glow in the dark flies! In February, guest speaker Val Cervenka shared her knowledge and experiences as a forensic entomologist. In March, we toured the insect collection with Dr. Robin Thomson and learned about insect curation. Our last club event of the semester was an insect themed bug trivia night where we tested our insect knowledge and learned new bug facts along the way.
The Insect Club was also involved in numerous outreach activities. We visited the school of Environmental Science in Apple Valley MN and provided some live arthropods for the high school students to view or hold. During a campus visit by 4-H students from Eden Prairie we hosted a session about career opportunities in entomology. And lastly, during the Great Minnsect Show, the Insect Club along with Frenatae hosted a live arthropod zoo. The arthropod zoo was a huge success especially with a child and his grandmother who commented that they “would like to live here”. We look forward to planning activities for the upcoming academic year.
Insect Science Pathways Scholarship
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, once again, we were able to award two scholarships, each $1,000. Word has spread and the number of applications doubled!
Spring 2024 recipients:
The Insect Science Pathways Scholarship aims to increase student diversity in our Insect Science Minor while also enhancing awareness about the Insect Science Minor. If you would like to make a gift to help build a pipeline of diverse entomologists for the future, please make an online gift here.
Give to the Insect Science Pathways Scholarship today!
Achievements, Awards, Honors
Congratulations to UMN entomology faculty, staff, postdocs, graduates and undergraduates, for their selection for fellowships, awards, student competition prizes, and other honors and achievements, at UMN and nationally!
Faculty
New Position
- Dr. Benjamin Cull was hired as Research Assistant Professor; His research focus is ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Awards
International
Apitherapy and Bioactivity (APIBA) 2023 Scientific Excellence Award, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
- Prof. Marla Spivak
Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of England
- Prof. William D. Hutchison
Filipo Silvestri Biological Control Award, Accademia Nazionale Italiana di Entomologia
- Prof. George Heimpel
National
ESA- NCB Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension
- Dr. Elaine Evans
ESA- NCB Legacy Contribution Award
- Prof. William (Bill) Hutchison
ESA-P-IE Lifetime Achievement Award in Entomology
- Prof. William (Bill) Hutchison
Perry L. Adkisson Distinguished Speaker Award, Texas A&M University
- Prof. William (Bill) Hutchison
CFANS
Borealis Distinguished Alumni Award
- Prof. Sujaya Rao
Entomology Department
Frenatae FAME (Faculty Award for Mentorship in Entomology)
- Dr. Matt Petersen
Staff and Post-Docs
CFANS
Civil Service/Bargaining Unit Staff Technical Award
- Nicole Burkhardt
Graduate Students
National
ESA NCB John Henry Comstock Award
- Dr. Hailey Shanovich
ESA NCB 2024 Student competitions - Oral Presentations
MS:
- Ellen Owusu Adjeiwaa - Third Place, Paper Session II
- Pheylan Anderson - Third Place, Paper Session III
PhD:
- Matt Gullickson - First Place, Paper Session - III
- Sabrina Celis - Second Place, Paper Session- III
- Sarah Lisak - Third Place, Paper Session IV
Also, the UMN team (Megan, Maya, Sarah, Sabrina - Pheylan was the alternate) did an excellent job in the Entomology Games; the team won the first round and missed the second by just 10 points!
UMN
President's Student Leadership & Service Award
- Jessica Rootes (PhD: Natural Resources Science and Management)
Undergraduate Students
National
P-IE Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology Award
- Jenalyn Ostendorf (Major: Plant Science; Minor: Insect Science)
UMN
UMN President's Student Leadership & Service Award
- Jenalyn Ostendorf (Major: Plant Science; Minor: Insect Science)
Entomology Department
Insect Science Pathways Scholarship
- Liz Perelman (Major: Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Minors: Insect Science and Wildlife Care & Handling)
- Isabella Anderson (Major: Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Minor: Insect Science)
Robert C. Hodson Memorial Undergraduate Entomology Award
- Pablo Stilwell (Major: Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Minor: Insect Science)
- Lauren Leen (Majors: Biochemistry and Microbiology)
Alumni
Award of Excellence in Integrated Pest Management
- Prof. Deborah McCullough (PhD Alum, now at Michigan State University)
Retirement Celebration for Tammi Pekkala Matthews
Thank you to everyone who came to Tammi's retirement celebration on Friday, July 12. It was so nice being able to celebrate her career with everyone by sharing memories, lots of laughs, thoughtful gifts, and good food. When Tammi was asked what kind of food she preferred, her choices included Indian food, Greek food or ice cream... so all 3 were provided!
Tammi joined the Department of Entomology in 2015. She started as the office manager, doubled as the graduate program coordinator for many years, and retired as the administrative director. Her endless support over the last 9 years has made an incredible impact on the department.
Emeriti News
Retirement Celebration for Prof. Ralph Holzenthal
On January 18, 2024, we celebrated Prof. Ralph Holzenthal’s retirement at Dual Citizen Brewing Company in St. Paul. It was great to see entomology faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends gather, mingle over beer and pizza, and share stories about their interactions with Ralph over the years!
Honoring Prof. Len Ferrington
UMN Entomology Professor who passed away in 2021
Submitted by Will Bouchard (UMN Entomology alum, PhD 2007, advised by Prof. Ferrington)
A special session to honor Len Ferrington was held at the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) meeting in Philadelphia, PA on June 4, 2024. Len was very involved in SFS and served as president, organized a meeting, and was elected as an SFS fellow in 2021. Over 46 years he never missed a meeting. Len was born and educated in Pennsylvania so holding a special session in this state was especially fitting. The session was organized by some of Len’s students including three UMN Department of Entomology alumni - Will Bouchard, Alyssa Anderson, and Corrie Nyquist. UMN alumni Tessa Durnin, Jessica Miller, and Hannah Bodmer presented or attended the session. Len’s widow, Deborah Ferrington was also in attendance. The session filled one day of the SFS meeting and consisted of 17 talks on the ecology and taxonomy of Chironomidae. Len’s research encompassed many areas of freshwater biology including biological monitoring and assessment, biodiversity and biotic surveys, fish diet analyses, gut fungi/chironomid interactions, phenology and life history studies, stream ecology and aquatic resource sustainability, systematics and taxonomy, and winter hardiness. Fittingly, the talks presented in the session covered most of these topics and in all cases had Chironomidae as a common thread. The research presented included work that Len had a direct hand in, that he inspired, or at least paralleled his work. The special session served to honor and carry on an important part of Len's legacy and hopefully, further inspire current and future Chironomidae researchers.
In Memoriam - Dr. Herb Kulman
Honoring and Remembering Dr. Herb Kulman, Professor in the Department of Entomology
Dr. Herb Kulman, who was a professor in the Department of Entomology, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2024, at his home in San Diego. Dr. Kulman received his PhD in Entomology at the University of Minnesota. He worked in the US Forest Service, and held academic positions at West Virginia University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In 1966 he returned to the University of Minnesota to lead the forest entomology program, and conducted research on forest defoliators, trained 30 graduate students including 13 PhDs, and authored or co-authored over 80 journal articles before he retired in 1991.
You are invited to a free public event: "Butterfly Effect: An Ecology of Lepidopterists" on Saturday, August 10, 2024, 2:00 - 3:30 pm, followed by a tour. The event takes place at Harriet Alexander Nature Center at 2520 Dale St N, Roseville, MN 55113 where habitat restoration is underway. Learn about stories of those who study and appreciate lepidoptera with intertwined roots at the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology in the 70s and 80s. Holly Menninger, Executive Director of the Bell Museum will provide introductory remarks on human-science-nature connections. The presentation features Marc Epstein, Lepidoptera specialist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, formerly of the Smithsonian Institution, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology. Jonee Kulman Brigham, will give a child's eye view of Herbert Kulman, a forest entomologist at the intersection of these stories. More information can be found here.
Celebrations of Life:
- In San Diego, California, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, afternoon to early evening
- In Roseville, Minnesota (In the Twin Cities), Friday, August 9, 2024, late afternoon to early evening.
Please fill out this form to RSVP and to be contacted with more information.
Read more - Obituary
Small Wonders
Small Wonders is a regular feature that profiles insects and other arthropods found in Minnesota. These are intended to inform our citizens and generate interest in entomology!
Interested in writing about your favorite arthropod in upcoming features? We are currently in need of contributors for 2024. Contact Ellen Reed (reed0964@umn.edu) to sign up!
Alumni
Connect with fellow U of M alumni
Interested in connecting with fellow U of M Alumni? In addition to the CFANS Alumni Society, there are more than 30 University of Minnesota Alumni Association networks in Minnesota, across the country and around the globe, providing opportunities for alumni to connect to each other and to the University. Learn more.
Share your insight, be a mentor
Each year the CFANS Mentor Program, hosted by the CFANS Alumni Society, matches approximately 200 students and postdocs with alumni and industry professionals who share valuable career insights and guidance. Through this award-winning program, students and postdocs explore possible career paths, learn how to build their professional networks, and enhance their professional skills. Learn more and sign up by September 28.
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