Entomology Purdue@Newsletter Spring 2012

What’s Inside

Ecological Pest Management

From the Head Bug: Academic Programs in Entomology

Department News Centennial News

Outreach Update

Entomology Students

Alumni News

Calendar

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Although Indiana, and the Midwest in general has historically been known for its cultivation of corn and soybeans, the state is also among the national leaders in produc-tion of certain key vegetable crops such as tomatoes and cucurbits. I (Dr. Ian Kaplan) was hired as an assistant professor in the De-partment of Entomology at Purdue in the fall of 2009 to study insects on specialty crops. My expertise is in ecological interactions linking crops, pests, and beneficial insects. Specifi-cally, my research has emphasized crop re-sistance traits and natural enemy impacts, or ‘tri-trophic interactions’ (i.e., the integration of plant defenses + predation and/or parasit-ism to maximize herbivore suppression).

The majority of work in my lab thus far has been on evaluating the field-scale manipulation of plant volatiles to repel pests and attract beneficial carnivores. Plants emit a unique odor blend consisting of distinct volatile infochemicals when damaged by herbivorous pests such as caterpillars and aphids. The natural enemies of these pests have evolved the ability to cue in on these herbivore-induced plant volatiles and use them in foraging decisions to locate prey. Because of this, induced volatiles are potent attractants for biocontrol agents and, in theory, can be used to enhance the impact of these predaceous and parasitic insects in agricultural fields. Three graduate students in my lab are studying the potential uses of

volatiles in altering insect behavior and crop management. Joe Braasch is a MS student from California who is deploying complex odor blends to maximize natural enemy attraction and quantifying the spatial conse-quences of redistributing populations across the landscape. Ulianova Vidal Gómez is a PhD student from Colombia working on the role of olfactory learning in the maintenance of chemotactic responses to volatiles in general-ist predators, using the predaceous stink bug Podisus maculiventris as her model. Because attractive responses are not typically innate but rather are learned through experience, the concern over habituation is a central problem that Ulianova is learning more about. Last, Jess Kelly is a MS student from Maryland who is assessing the utility of plant volatiles and aggregation pheromones in retaining mass-released predators in focal fields for purposes of augmentation biocontrol. Because the vast majority of purchased predators disperse without consuming pests, Jess’s work has the potential to dramatically enhance the utility of this pest control strategy in open-field agriculture.

Another major project that my lab be-came involved with soon after arriving on campus involves organic pest management. A large interdisciplinary team of faculty across the College of Agriculture at Purdue

Jess Kelly: Releasing predators

Joe Braasch: Sampling volatile traps

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From the Head Bug

Department News

New Staff

Steve Yaninek

Holly Fletcher-Timmons is the new secretary for Urban Entomology, working under Gary Bennett. Holly has been in the position since last year, working through a local employment agency and was hired as a Purdue employee in March. Holly graduated from Purdue in August 2010 with a degree in psychology. Her husband, Josh, also works at Purdue as an executive chef at Ross-Ade

Academic Programs in Entomology

Stadium and Mackey Arena. Holly and Josh live in West Lafayette with their three chil-dren, Steve (11), Charlie (9), and Sarah (8).

J. Curtis Creighton received a courtesy appointment as an Associate Professor in the department in December 2011. Curtis is a tenured Associate professor in the De-partment of Biological Sciences at Purdue University in Calumet. He conducts research on the behavioral ecology of Necrophorus burying beetles (Col.:Silphidae) and other insects. He is working with Ian Kaplan and Jeff Holland to seek funding to support related graduate projects.

was assembled to improve Indiana’s capac-ity in organic crop production. The central focus of this project is on the use of crop rotation and fall-planted cover crops to manage weeds and the consequences of these management approaches for pest outbreaks. Carmen Blubaugh (notable for being my only lab member who is a native Hoosier from nearby Rensselaer) was recruited from her previous post down in Bloomington to conduct her PhD as part of this project. Car-men’s research, in keeping with the emphasis on organic weed management, has evaluated the contribution of insect seed predators (granivores) as a weed control tool. Specifi-cally, Carmen’s work focuses on the guild of omnivorous ground beetles in the family Carabidae that are ubiquitous in disturbed annual crops such as vegetable fields.

Last, but not least, Gina Angelella is a PhD student from Michigan who joined my lab in 2010. The nature of Gina’s work is quite unique, focusing on aphids that transmit viruses such as Cucumber mosaic virus into crops. Indiana is a major cucurbit-producing state and aphid-vectored viruses can be quite difficult to manage in melons, especially using traditional insecticide-based approaches. For this reason, Gina is track-ing aphid flight patterns across the region and using a combination of landscape and genetic tools to estimate movement patterns of aphids to pinpoint the source of vectors.

To learn more about the lab and what we are up to, please shoot me an email (ikaplan@purdue.edu) or visit our webpage for updates on new research directions and publications:www.entm.purdue.edu/ecolab/

~Ian Kaplan~

Chris Cookley accepted the position of Web & Graphics Designer in May. Originally from Southing, Connecticut, Chris has a BS in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue. He has been working as an intern this past year with a local marketing and communications company. Chris and his fiance, Sarah Eder, will be getting married in June.

Dieudonné Baributsa joined the de-partment in May as an Assistant Research Professor. He came to Purdue in 2009 as the Team Manager of the Purdue Improved Crops Storage (PICS) Project and will con-

Tyler Janovitz (BS ‘06) dropped by the other day, and was surprised to learn how much the faculty had changed – 10 new hires and 2 current searches. Tyler is immersed in an MD/PhD program and will soon defend his dissertation before pursuing the final 4 years of his program. Entomology has not been static, and the recent University review of academic programs revealed some inter-esting facts about our programs.

Entomology has been a core component of Purdue agriculture since the first curricu-lum was developed in 1879. Our role evolved from teaching in agriculture to become an independent program based on a taxonomic discipline. There are 25 departments of en-tomology in the US today, but only 14 offer an undergraduate degree in entomology. Purdue has one of the largest undergraduate programs in the country, and the largest in the Midwest. We’ve graduated 486 students since Leon Romine received that first BS degree in 1914.

Our undergraduates get training in the life sciences and entomology as well as a solid foundation in the natural sciences, chemis-try, physics, and math. Students complete a

capstone project that helps them integrate their knowledge and they can pursue a range of internships, on the job training, and experiential learning outside the classroom. We have students from across the US and overseas with SAT scores and retention and graduation rates above the average for the College. Graduations since 2000 are second only to the boom years of the 1970s. Under-graduate enrollment is steady at 35 to 45 (a majority female) with a similar number of graduate students.

Graduate education in Entomology began expanding in the 1960s and recently shifted from a majority of MS to PhD stu-dents. We’ve seen a marked improvement in the quality of our research capacity and graduate program with our new faculty (15 new hires since 2000), increased research support (doubling in the past two years), and an increase in the quality and number of PhD students (2/3 of grad students). We’ve graduated 297 MS students since Ira Hoff-man received the first degree in 1916 and 217 PhDs since George Gould, who later became a faculty member, received the first degree in 1942. Our graduates across all degrees continue to be in high demand, and if they don’t go to graduate school (40%) they end up in industry (40%), government (30%), or education (20%); since 2002, 15 alums have taken academic appointments around the country. I’m not concerned about the sustainability of the discipline. As long as there are insects, there will always be a need for entomolo-gists to feed the world, prevent the spread of diseases, preserve the environment, protect property, solve crimes, and teach science.

~Steve Yaninek~

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Faculty & Staff Promotions

Matt Ginzel was promoted to Associate Professor of Entomology this year. Matt has been a faculty member since August 14, 2006. Dean Akridge personally presented Matt with the good news in April.

Matt Ginzel

Vishal Lodha and his wife, Shilpa, wel-comed a second daughter to their family. Vinisha was born on January 23, 2012. Vishal is the Computer Services Manager and has been with the department since 2006.

Matt Ginzel and his wife, Christine, are proud parents of their new baby girl, Julia Arden Ginzel, born May 17, 2012. Matt is an Assistant Professor of Entomology and Forestry & Natural Resources, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center.

Births

Vishal Lodha and Melissa Shepson were promoted this year to the next desig-nated level of ranking for Administrative/Professional staff in the College of Agricul-

Awards

Jeff Grabowski, Cate Hill, and Tom Turpin are members of the Purdue zipTrips Team, winner of the 2012 Purdue Agricul-ture TEAM Award. Purdue zipTrips are free electronic field trips for middle-school science students. Teachers register their stu-dents to participate, then the field trip expe-rience is delivered live directly to schools or homeschools. During the field trips, Purdue scientists share their work and love of science with the students, with subjects organized strongly around scientific inquiry.

Larry Murdock and the PICS (Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage) Team were recognized with an International Award of Excellence at the 7th International IPM Symposium in Memphis, Tennessee in March. The award is in recognition of the hermetic storage technology they developed and implemented across the major cowpea growing region of West and Central Africa.

Staff and faculty recognized at the 2012 College of Agriculture Spring Recogni-tion Program for department awards were Amanda Pendleton for the Entomology Outstanding Service to Students, Jon Neal for Outstanding Undergraduate Counselor, Jeff Holland, Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher, and Christian Krupke for Out-standing Graduate Educator.

Centennial News

tinue in that position. Dieudonné studied his undergraduate courses in the D.R. Congo and worked as a researcher in the National Agricultural Research Institute of Rwanda before coming to the US for his graduate studies. He was also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Michigan State University and Program Associate for the USAID Integrated Pest Management CRSP Program in Central Asia.

ture. Vishal, Computer Services Specialist, has been with the department since 2006. Melissa is the Outreach Coordinator and also came to the department in 2006.

The 2012 National Meeting of the Entomological Society of America will in-clude a Purdue symposium. As part of our department’s yearlong centennial activities the symposium will highlight Purdue’s contributions to the Entomological Society of America and the science of entomology over the past 100 years.

The three-hour symposium begins at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 and will feature five prominent alumni as presenters. Bobby Corrigan (BS ’77, MS ’80, PhD ’95), the rat man of New York City, will

address Purdue’s role in the evolution of the pest control industry. USDA scientist, Suzie Legaspi, will present a paper highlighting insect and plant interaction research begin-ning with the USDA Hessian Fly program located at Purdue. Tom Myers (BS ’73), noted photographer, will share some of his photographic work and his connection to Don Schuder, long time organizer of the ESA Photo Salon. Past ESA president, Kevin Steffey (BS ’72), will provide insights into the development of IPM programs at Purdue. Gene White (MS ’96)of Rose Pest Solutions will look at how excitement about entomology is shared through outreach programs.

The symposium will be kicked off with a presentation by PhD graduate students Serena Gross and Gabriel Hughes on the history of entomology in the state of Indi-ana. Concluding remarks will be offered by current Department Head, Steve Yaninek. He will gaze into his crystal ball and predict the future of entomology.

We will also show for the first time a video produced by Outreach Coordinator Melissa Shepson and Videographer John

Obermeyer. The video will feature three “Bug Scouts” visiting iconic places and events on the Purdue campus and surround-ing area. Do you remember Pappy’s in the Union, sledding at Slayter Hill, or Harry’s Chocolate Shop and the Triple XXX?

At 5:00 pm, following the symposium, alumni and friends are invited to attend the annual Purdue Mixer associated with the National ESA meeting. Hail, Hail, to Old Purdue!

Find more news and information on the Entomology Centennial Website:http://centennial.entm.purdue.edu/

Bugs Scouts in Neil Armstrong Hall

Purdue Symposium at ESA

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The Honor Roll recognizes new gifts to the department June - December 2011. Contributions to the John V. Osmun Chair in Urban Entomology are included.

Monarch Club ($1000 up)

Firefly Club ($101-$499)

Mayfly Club (up to $100)

Honey Bee Club ($500-$999)

Outreach Update

National Science Teachers Association Conference

Pi Chi OmegaDr. Robert& Mrs. Pamela CrozierDr. Robert & Mrs. Karen TarverDr. Donald & Mrs. Nadyne ParmanDrs. Robert & Marianne AndersonMr. C. W. BartholomaiAnonymous

Dr. Eldon & Mrs. Margene OrtmanDrs. John & Jan OwensDr. David & Mrs. Susan HoggDr. Robert & Mrs. Nancy WaltzMrs. Bernice & Dr. J. Kevin DeMarcoMr. Juan & Mrs. M. Sue Torres

Mr. David & Mrs. Ann FincanonMr. Michael A. WeisburgerDr. Eric Lee-Chien-Hsin PangDr. Michael D. CulyMr. Bill A. ButtDr. Bruce F. EldridgeMrs. Harriet & Dr. Lawrence RichmanDr. Peter & Mrs. Georgia DunnDr. Eric H. SmithMr. Mark B. WeisburgerMrs. Kierston & Mr. John Gedeon

Dr. Juliana F. GarciaMr. David O. WietlisbachDr. Kenneth & Mrs. Georgiana KnauerMr. Gabriel P. HughesMr. John O. SillingsMr. Ronald & Mrs. Nancy CraneMrs. Rebecca J. Janicek

Mr. Kevin & Mrs. Ruth BlackMr. Thomas M. Tiernan Jr.Dr. Forest & Mrs. Donna OliveriaDr.Richard L. MillerMr. Daniel & Mrs. Cynthia TreagerMr. Edward S. SaugstadMr. Joseph A. IsbellMrs. Helen & Mr. Michael CorbittMr. George & Mrs. Rose LaRoccaDr. Xiao Chun Luo & Dr. Wei DaiMr. Jan A. NoyesMs. Barbara A. Nead-NylanderMr. Kenneth H. KendallDr. John & Mrs. Jean BurtonDr. Erik S. RunstromMr. Thomas & Mrs. Wayentta MyersMr. Fritz & Mrs. Anne SchumannAnonymous

Mayfly Club (continued)

Representatives from the Department of Entomology were on hand for At the Crossroads for Science Education, the 2012 National Science Teachers Association Conference (NSTA) in Indianapolis. NSTA is comprised of science educators, scientists, and industry representatives whose mission is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning. Having the 2012 national conference in our home state provided a unique engagement opportunity to showcase Purdue University’s outstanding work and impact on scientific research and science education to a national audience.

A committee of faculty and staff from across campus coordinated a Purdue pres-ence at the 2012 meeting. Melissa Shepson and Tom Turpin worked with the commit-tee to craft a conference theme of Merging Inquiry, Creativity, and Innovation through STEM.

Representatives from the Colleges of Agriculture, Education, Engineering, Sci-ence, Technology, the Discovery Park Learn-ing Research Center, and Purdue Marketing

and Media worked together to bring a cohesive presence to the Purdue University booth which included demonstration areas, exhibit kiosks, display counters, and a mini classroom stage where individuals and groups from the Graduate Science Educa-tion Program, USA Bio Olympiad, Purdue zipTrips, INSPIRE, Purdue Agriculture Trav-eling Exhibit Program, NanoDays, Institute for Accessible Science, Gifted Education Re-source Institute, STEM Goes Rural, and The Education Store showcased their programs.

Tom Turpin and the Science Theater Outreach Program (STOP) members took to the stage to present a program on Indo-nesian Biodiversity designed for 4th to 6th graders. The STOP student organization has its roots in an honors class taught by Tom. The class produces scripts, scenery and handcrafted muppets to present science-centered plays for middle school audiences.

Shepson and Susan Schechter talked with visiting teachers about the threats associated with invasive species and pro-moted online resources available to edu-cators. Shepson talked to visitors about the recently revised Arrest That Pest!. The ATP! curriculum promotes environment stewardship among youth to battle the problem of invasive species in general, and Emerald Ash Borer specifically. Schechter promoted the Pest Tracker website, a joint effort of Purdue University, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the National Plant Board, and the Center for Environmental and Regulatory Informa-tion Systems (CERIS). This website was created by the National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) and brings together information on more than 500 dif-ferent exotic pests. It includes maps of each invader’s spread, pictures, descriptions, and other valuable information.

Joe Ruhl, past member of the Entomol-ogy Development Council and a frequent collaborator on departmental projects, was honored with The Shell National Science Teaching Award by the National Science Teaching Association. This award recognizes outstanding teaching and a positive impact on students.

For more information, photos and film, visit Purdue NSTA:http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/p14stem/nsta/index.php or the association sitehttp://www.nsta.org/conferences/2012ind/

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Entomology Purdue@ Entomology

Students2011 - 2012 Outstanding

Entomology Students

Freshman Julia Snyder Winterport, Maine

Sophomore Caryn Michel Egg Harbor City, New Jersey

Junior Elaina Grott Mt. Prospect, Illinois

Senior Tyler Stewart Loogootee, Indiana

Serena Gross was selected to receive a CETA (Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants)Teaching Award for commitment to undergraduate education. Kapil Raje was nominated by the depart-ment for the Graduate School Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest university recognition of graduate student teachers. Serena and Kapil received recognition at the Annual Celebration of Graduate Student Teaching Excellence in April.

Jeff Grabowski was awarded a one year pre-doctoral trainee assistantship from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, School of Medicine. Jeff is a PhD candidate with Cate Hill, studying in the area of Microbiology.

CTSI Predoctoral Trainee Award

Graduate Teaching Awards

Indiana Seed Industry Award

Bilsland Fellowship

Hossam Abdel Moniem was selected to receive a Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship. The fellowship provides substantial finan-cial support for the completion of doctoral degree requirements.

Madeline Spigler received the 2012 In-diana Seed Industry Graduate Student Study Award for the high value the seed industry has placed on her research. The award was presented in February at the Corn Belt Seed Conference annual meeting in Indianapolis.

Madeline Spigler

Hossam Abdel Moniem

GRADUATE STUDENTSJoseph Braasch, MS Berkeley, CaliforniaAdam Salyer, MS Lakewood, ColoradoSarah Thompson, MS Marion, Indiana

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTSJohn Diller Goshen, IndianaZach Eisenhauer Bloomsburg, PennsylvaniaStephanie Hathaway Noblesville, IndianaRebecca Rose Logansport, IndianaEdward Russell Lafayette, Indiana

Jeff Grabowski

The undergrads have a lot to look for-ward to this coming year in Thomas Say. From midnight collecting parties at the bell to scavenger hunts around the department, Thomas Say is striving to build relationships between students but also get to know faculty and staff within the department. We are looking forward to new adventures and are excited for what this next academic year will bring. Officers for the 2012 - 2013 year are Alyssa Collins, President; Carly Morris, Vice President; Caryn Michel, Secretary; Danielle Craig, Treasurer; Susanna Sisk, Historian.

Thomas Say Club

2012 Spring Graduates

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“Cryptosis entomologenios”

2011 - 2012 Student Scholarship Awards Presented

2011 - 2012 Scholarship Award Recipients: Over $ 57,500 of scholarship funds were awarded to 32 entomology students at the 76th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference in January 2012.

No one would have guessed I would grow up to be an entomologist. I was a quiet, little kid who avoided getting dirty or muddy outside. Instead, I practiced trumpet indoors and envisioned my fu-ture self as a veterinarian, curing wolves of… whatever wolves got sick with. These passions continued to dominate my life through undergrad at Augustana College where I double-majored in music and bi-ology. I thrived and enjoyed an easy talent for music but found myself fascinated with ecology in parasitology class. I decided to continue my education in graduate school and someday teach biology at a university, but I needed practical lab technique and research experience before returning to the academic world.

My first job at Hospira Pharmaceuti-cals in North Chicago taught me to work

efficiently with precision so I could enjoy free time with my diverse lab mates. De-spite the good times and enticing advance-ment opportunities, I was lured to Denver, Colorado by a crazy, kind, and beautiful girl I met at Augustana. While dating my would-be-wife, I found employment as an environmental technician where I assisted in biological field surveys and stormwater management. Marveling over the diverse, regional insect communities while I ex-plored the mountains, forests, and agri-culture of Colorado led me to an epiphany. I’ve been mesmerized by insects since I was a kid, dreaming of a fire-breathing terror, spawned from a dead dragonfly found on our porch steps. After finding a live stag-horn beetle at music camp, I gently carried it with me everywhere. With shock and horror I witnessed epic ‘battles of black’ wherein warring pavement ant colonies covered our sidewalk, leaving a battlefield of carnage. It was as though my young insect interest pupated into a full-blown career choice. I was an entomologist all along; I just didn’t know it! After evaluating several schools, I contacted Dr. Grzegorz Buczkowski about a potential position in his research lab.

I chose the Department of Entomol-ogy at Purdue because of its flexible cur-

riculum, prestigious reputation, inviting community, and intriguing research stud-ies. My research detailed the likelihood and consequences of Tapinoma sessile invasions by surveying ant community dynamics and testing colony survival in relation to abiotic and biotic stressors. Fellow peers kept me laughing while my graduate committee refined my writing and project design skills. I strived to make an impact through outreach efforts in Bug Bowl, Insectaganza, and the Entomology Graduate Organization. These activities along with participation in entomology meetings and Purdue Pest Management conferences inspired me to continue my education as a PhD student. I weighed my PhD options with several competing universities and elected to stay at Purdue because of Dr. Mike Scharf and Dr. Gary Bennett. As the authority in his field, Dr. Scharf will no doubt provide excellent guidance while I research carpenter ant gut symbionts. My understanding and ap-plication of urban pest management will be keenly sharpened under Dr. Bennett. I am thankful I get to study at Purdue for several more years and prove that even the most unlikely kids make excellent entomologists.

~Adam Salyer~

Adam Salyer

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Entomology Purdue@Alumni News Michael Meyer (MS ’01, PhD ’05) is

an Associate Professor in the Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology, Christopher Newport University, currently teaching entomology, herpetology, and two introductory major courses: Principles of Biology II and III.

A few of his many fond memories are sampling mayflies in Montana with Pat McCafferty, Arwin Provonsha, and fellow graduate students [great times in beautiful country]; riding the Hilly Hundred with Cliff Sadof [because we could and did]; dancing to Gwar in ENTM 105 with Tom Turpin [during insects in music lecture].

“Our [Rosalee and I] boys continue to grow in body and mind. Christopher enters high school next year, and Asher will gradu-ate to middle school. When not working, we try our best to get outdoors with Violet [three-year old Golden Retriever].”

Julie Miranda Longland (BS ’01) After working several years in the agricultural chemicals industry, Julie gained enough experience to be accepted as a volunteer with USAID’s (U.S. Agency for International Development) Farmer-to-Farmer Program. With Partners of the Americas, the organiza-tion that administers the Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Latin America, Julie worked with horticulture and potato growers in the highlands of Nicaragua in September. As a Pest and Disease Control Specialist, much of the assignment touched on her roots in the Crop Protection program at Purdue. Meet-ings with potato cooperatives and a com-munity organization of vegetable growers harkened back to classes with Alan York as she promoted integrated pest management. Expounding on the importance of scouting and recognizing beneficial insects echoed the courses on insect management in field crops with Rick Foster and insect identifi-cation with Chris Oseto. Even the arts and crafts projects in the department’s outreach programs like Bug Bowl were recreated in showing Nicaraguan growers how to make yellow sticky traps from easily purchased supplies. Pesticide safety and resistance management were other important topics covered during the training days.

Victoria (Tori) Fickle (MS ’07) I moved to Hawaii to work for the Department of Health- Vector Control branch. They wanted me to research Hawaii’s bed bug situation. I worked there for two years, publishing one paper and doing several other projects like West Nile Screening, mosquito distribution, etc. Although I loved what I did (and was good at it), I left the state because I had no seniority and since I was NOT ok with being judged on my years rather than my skills, I looked for employment in private industry and got a job offer working for Hawaii’s largest locally owned pest control company as their entomologist and technical director. I’ve been working here at Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions about 2 1/2 years. Our company is just about 60 or so employees. I manage the heat department as well and have success-

Michael Meyer with Tom Turpin during a recent visit to the department

Chandrasiri Kudagamage (MS ’80, PhD ’87) retired from state service in Sri Lanka as Director General, responsible for agriculture research and development of the country. Chandrasiri presently serves as an advisor to agricultural projects, a reviewer of the entomology programme in the Tea Research Institute, and teaches Host Plant Resistance to Insects course in the Post Graduate Institute in Agriculture. “During my graduate programme I have met many wonderful persons who enlighten my aca-demic and professional life. There are many personals, however I should mentions names of my major professor Dr. John Foster, Dr. Tom Turpin and Dr. Del Broesma. I enjoyed living in the campus particularly living in the married student housing. I remember time I spent in the home garden behind my house during the summer. I enjoyed the evening get-togethers and the pot luck dinners we had quiet often.”

fully grown our heat department from its foundation to roughly 700 heat jobs a year, and decreased our failure rate from 10% to less than 0.5% (sorry, had to add that ;)

I do all the training for continuing education, pesticide applicators licensing, field rep licensing, and all pest control field work (conventional and heat treatments). I participate in structural and commodity fumigations, termite control, k9 scent detec-tion department, and am certified to handle two bed bug dogs.

I love my job because I am always learning. There is always something new to do and I get to share my nerdish facts with my coworkers. I love Hawaii; the food, the people, and of course the weather have been outstanding. However... (I have to add be-cause people ask)… I do not get to the beach often (MAYBE 10 times since I’ve lived here). I love work and bugs…not so much the sun!

Shauna Stapleton (BS ’09) went on to volunteer with Teach for America before returning to Purdue where she is currently pursuing a MS degree in Public Health. “I have returned from St. Louis, MO, where I served lower-income students as a biol-ogy and physical science teacher, as well as their science department head. Teaching has taught me how fortunate I have been at Purdue to have been influenced by so many patient and devoted individuals. My experi-ence as an entomologist and as a teacher has provided me with a unique perspective.”

One of her goals as a former teacher with Teach for America is to raise money to send some disadvantaged, but worthy, for-mer students to Costa Rica. One of Shauna’s biology students (pictured below) who was chosen to make the trip will be attending the University of Missouri this fall in engi-neering. “He is a top student full of energy, dreams, and kindness.”

Costa Rica Dream

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July21 Butterfly Encounter

August3 - 19 Indiana State Fair State Fair Grounds, Indianapolis, IN10 Purdue Day at the Indiana State Fair

October12 John V. Osmun Award Presentation Deans Auditorium, Pfendler Hall12 -13 Centennial Gala and Other Events

November11-14 Entomological Society of America Knoxville, TN12 Purdue Symposium and Purdue Mixer ESA Knoxville

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It is the policy of the Purdue University School of Agriculture that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to the programs and facilities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, or dis-ability. Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access Affirmative Action employer.

From the editorWith each issue of Entomology @ Pur-due we keep you up to date on what’s happening in the Department of Ento-mology and with Alumni. Won’t you please take a moment to help keep us up to date with you?

Paula LaydenEditor, Entomology @ PurdueDepartment of EntomologyPurdue University901 West State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907-2089plloyd@purdue.eduPhone: 765-496-1119Fax: 765-494-0535 Please include your name, address, degree, major and year of gradua-tion. Digital photos (.jpg or .tif) are preferred. Photos received by mail will be returned upon request.To update your contact information online, go to:<www.purdueinsects.org>