Entomology faculty and students win awards at Entomological Society of America meeting

Several UNL Entomology faculty and students won awards at the North Central Branch meeting of the Entomological Society of America, which was held in Des Moines, Iowa, March 9-12.

UNL Professor of Entomology Fred Baxendale received the C. V. Riley Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor given by the North Central Branch of ESA for “outstanding contributions to the science of entomology.”

The UNL Linnaean Team won first place in the competition at the meeting. Team members included Entomology graduate students Alister Bryson, Kyle Koch, Wayne Ohnesorg and Johan Pretorius. This is a quiz-bowl competition that asks questions on all aspects of Entomology, including entomological history and trivia. The UNL team qualifies to compete at the ESA annual meeting this November in Portland OR, and receive a $2500 travel grant to support their participation.
Student presentation awards included:

Justin McMechan received 1st place for his Ph.D. Ten Minute Paper presentation, “Establishing risk for alternative over-summering hosts for wheat curl mites and associated viruses” , co-authored with Gary Hein, UNL entomology professor.

Carolina Camargo received 3rd place for her Ph.D. Ten Minute Paper presentation, “Toxicity of thiamethoxam seed treatments on key natural enemies of soybean aphid, co-authored with Blair Siegfried and Tom Hunt, UNL Entomology Department.

Johan Pretorius received 3rd place for his Ph.D. Ten Minute Paper presentation, “The influence of tillage in sugar beets on beneficial, edaphic arthropod communities, and the arthropod-mediated ecosystem services they provide”, co-authored with Gary Hein and Jeffrey Bradshaw, UNL Entomology Department.

Camila de Oliveira received 3rd place for her MS Ten Minute Paper presentation, “Impact of co-infection of wheat streak mosaic virus and Triticum mosaic virus on virus transmission rates and wheat curl mite reproduction in the field”, co-authored with Gary Hein, UNL Entomology Department, and Stephen Wegulo, UNL Plant Pathology Department.

UNL Entomology graduate students Camila de Oliveira and David Wangila received North Central Branch ESA Presidential travel scholarships to attend the meeting.

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,500 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org

More details at: http://www.entsoc.org