Entomology Stridulations: Spring 2022
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From the Chair, Jamie Strange, PhD
From the chair, Jamie Strange, PhD
Hope springs eternal, and in spring 2022, we had many reasons to be hopeful. Our spring course enrollment increased. In fact, our molecular techniques course (taught by Pete Piermarini and Larry Phelan) exceeded capacity!
We will hire at least two faculty this year; interviews for our forest entomologist position will occur in May, and our search for a faculty in turfgrass health (shared with the Department of Plant Pathology) has begun. We are also excited for a new faculty position as part of the RAISE (Race, Inclusion and Social Equity) initiative at Ohio State. We collaborated with the Departments of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics; and the School of Environment and Natural Resources as part of the new CFAES Urban HERO (Health, Environment, and Race Outcomes) collaborative to get a cluster hire approved in CFAES. Our position will focus on urban insect ecology, specifically with insects of public health interest in urban communities. This faculty search is planned for autumn 2022. 
Our faculty, staff, and students won several awards at the ESA-NCB meeting, CFAES award competition, and the CFAES Research Conference (full list of Entomology awardees), and we were able to gather in person to celebrate the accomplishments of our many Entomology award-winners at the 2021-2022 CFAES Awards Ceremony. Our efforts to aid undergraduate students by raising scholarship funds have started to bear fruit. In the first six months we have raised $18,070—20% of our goal! Click to learn more about this effort and donate here.
We are also happy for Jim Hacker, our CFAES Wooster research associate, who retired after 32 years of service. Hacker helped with trapped flying squirrels, bats in our hallways, equipment breakdowns, and coordinating the move to the new Wooster Science Building, among many other duties. We wish Jim Hacker the best.
As we wrap up the spring semester, we hope to see many more of you at our upcoming Wooster Science Building Open House: save the date of May 19 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., which will overlap with our annual Entomology Spring Awards Picnic. This will be an opportunity to tour our new labs in Wooster and the United Titanium Bug Zoo, as well as to connect with many in our Ohio State Entomology community.
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Spring 2022 Awards and Honors
Undergraduate Student Honors and Awards
CFAES Distinguished Senior Award - Camden Dezse, Advisor: Sarah Short
CFAES Research Poster Competition - Undergraduate Entomology Students
2nd Place: Isabel Nazarian, Advisor: Reed Johnson
3rd Place: Nicole Sammons, Advisor: Reed Johnson
Denman Undergraduate Research Forum, Animal and Insect Science Category
Camden Dezse, Advisor: Sarah Short, Honorable Mention, $200: “Larval habitat microbiota influences male Aedes aegypti life history traits”Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Award - Sydney Robare, Advisor: Megan Meuti, Ohio State Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, $5,928. “Uncovering the relationship between sociological factors, mosquito abundance and West Nile virus risk in Franklin County, Ohio.”
Entomology Scholarship Awards
Loren F. Steiner Entomology Memorial Fund: Miabella Centuori, Abbie Korn, Anne Gill
Harry S. Mesloh Scholarship: Michaela Liptak
Graduate Student Honors and Awards
Honors
Ohio State Entomology Department Graduate Student Awards
Ana Trabanino, Advisor: Andy Michel, Susan W. Fisher Teaching Award, $250
Sarah Scott, Advisor: Mary Gardiner, Lowell R. (“Skip”) Nault Research Award, $250
Dylan Ricke, Advisor: Reed Johnson, David J. Horn Service Award, $250
Grace Sward, Advisor: Luis Canas, James E. Tew Extension Award, $250Graduate Associate Leadership Award, $1000
Adrian Pekarcik, Advisor: Kelley Tilmon
CFAES Research Poster Competition
Master’s Students
1st Place: Yuan Li, Advisor: Pete Piermarini
3rd Place: Brandon Shannon, ESGP Advisor: Reed Johnson
PhD Students
1st Place: Michelle Pham, ESGP Advisor: Mary Gardiner
2nd Place: Caralee Shepard, Advisor: Mary Gardiner
DeLong Award for Best Overall Student Presentation, established in 1985 in honor of Dwight DeLong, professor emeritus.
Brandon Shannon, ESGP Advisor: Reed JohnsonRoot Award for Excellence in Agricultural and Urban Entomology, established in 2003 by Jack and Helen Root.
Agricultural Research: Jonathan Lee, Advisor: Luis Canas
Urban Research: James Radl, Advisor: Sarah ShortHayes Research Forum, Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Category
2nd Place Oral Presentation, $400: Sarah Scott, Advisor: Mary GardinerNorth Central Branch, Entomological Society of America Annual Research Competition
2nd Place, Graduate 10-Minute Papers: James Radl, Advisor: Sarah ShortGrant Awards
Michelle Pham, Advisor: Mary Gardiner, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, $138,000, “Municipal investment in urban greening to support healthy bee communities”
Yuan Li, Advisor: Pete Piermarini, Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research, $335
Yuan Li, Advisor: Pete Piermarini, Ohio Mosquito and Vector Control Association Grant in Aid of Research, $997
Yuan Li, Advisor: Pete Piermarini, CFAES Research and Graduate Education Internal Grant Program (IGP), $5,000
Iliana Moore, Advisor: Jamie Strange, CFAES Research and Graduate Education IGP, $4,992
Michelle Pham, Advisor: Mary Gardiner, CFAES Research and Graduate Education IGP, $5,000
Lucy Guarnieri, Advisor: Mary Gardiner, CFAES Research and Graduate Education IGP
Ellen Danford, Advisor: Mary Gardiner, CFAES Research and Graduate Education IGPStaff and Visiting Scholar Honors and Awards
Ohio State Years of Service - 5 Years: Jason Owens, Amy Raudenbush
CFAES Research Poster Competition
Research Staff - 2nd Place: Nuris Acosta, Luis Canas, Andy Michel Labs
Postdoctoral Scholars - 2nd Place: Luis Martinez Villegas, Sarah Short Lab
Lohitha Gujjari, PhD, Visiting Scholar, Piermarini Lab, Ohio State Infectious Diseases Institute Trainee Transformative Research Grant, $2,000
Faculty Honors and Awards
Honors
Ohio State Years of Service
35 Years: Larry Phelan
30 Years: Joe Boggs
10 Years: Reed Johnson, Pete Piermarini
5 Years: Megan Meuti, Kelley TilmonGrant Awards
Sarah Short, Ohio State President’s Research Excellence Accelerator Award, $50,000, April 1, 2022–April 30, 2023. “What lies beneath: Using microsporidian parasites to control mosquito breeding in stormwater catch basins”
Peter Piermarini, Ohio State President’s Research Excellence Accelerator Award, $50,000, July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023. “Artificial intelligence‐driven development of novel chemical tools for controlling mosquito disease vectors”
Peter Piermarini, Ohio State Infectious Diseases Institute Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant, $25,000
Triplehorn Collection, National Science Foundation, $500,000, for significant upgrades.
Our Ohio State Entomology awardees were celebrated at the 2021 - 2022 CFAES Awards Ceremony.
Our department's award winners were announced in the autumn 2021 issue of Stridulations.
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Graduate Student Dissertation and Thesis Defenses
Doctor of Philosophy, Entomology
Adrian Pekarcik, Advisor: Kelley Tilmon. “Ecology and management of the Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera formosae, in corn-soybean rotated agroecosystems”
Summer 2022 - Tae Lee, Advisor: Larry Phelan. “Behaviorally characterizing chemical cues from wood and nestmates that mediate food discovery in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)”
Master of Science, EntomologyDylan Ricke, Advisor: Reed Johnson. "Assessing the long-term risk posed by metal pollutants on honey bees and their colonies"
Summer 2022 - Karlan Forrester, Advisor: Reed Johnson. “Measuring factors affecting honey bee attraction to soybeans using nectar and bioacoustics monitoring”
Master in Plant Health Management
James Morris: Advisor: Andy Michel. "Assessment of Soybean Insect Populations in Southern Ohio"
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Columbus Insectary and Bugmobile
Contributed by Jeni Ruisch, director, Insectary and Outreach Program
The biggest news to come out of the Insectary this spring is the arrival of the Bugmobile! The Bugmobile is the culmination of a three-and-a-half-year project involving Ohio companies Airstream and Creative Mobile Interiors (CMI). Anonymous donors generously provided a gift to the department. We approached Airstream and they donated a 28-foot trailer shell. Jeni Ruisch designed a dream setup for a mobile outreach vehicle, and FABE capstone students built a full-size mockup and then created a corresponding CAD design. The trailer shell was sent to CMI for customization, along with the CAD designs from the capstone students. CMI created a wooden version of the final design, and Ohio State Entomology was able to walk through the space.
Ruisch, along with Jamie Strange, department chair, Ohio State Entomology, picked out materials for the flooring, cabinets, countertops, and upholstery. Ruisch is working with USDA specialist Mark Hitchcox to inspect and permit the vehicle for its upcoming debut. The big event will be in downtown Columbus on the riverfront on May 7 at COSI. This will be COSI’s Big Science Celebration, which hasn’t been held in person since 2019. Some 45,000 people are expected at this event, and most of them will likely want to see what the Bugmobile has in store. We are still on the hunt for a tow vehicle, and we have a great need for some outreach-experienced volunteers. If you have a lead on a vehicle or would like to volunteer, please contact Insectary curator and outreach director, at ruisch.2@osu.edu.Connect with us on Instagram @osuentomology, or Facebook @OhioStateEntomology, or check out our new website.
Featured Arthropod
Beloved Insectary inhabitants were highlighted in a Madagascar hissing cockroach video, a brief virtual bug zoo visit presented by the Entomology Graduate Student Association and Insectary.
Video credit: Caralee Shepard, Iliana Moore, and Jeni Ruisch -
United Titanium Bug Zoo Highlights
Contributed by Jeni Filbrun, program manager, UTBZ
It has been one year ago this month that the first animal, our salmon pink bird-eating tarantula was on display in the UTBZ! We have been busy designing displays, securing the APHIS permit, and bringing the classroom to life! Be sure and check out the Ohio State Entomology UTBZ website, where we have been adding to the “Meet the Collection” section, and subscribe to the UTBZ blog! We have teamed up with our dedicated Insect Ambassador volunteers to bring you the latest happenings at the zoo!
Here are some recent activities in the UTBZ:
Featured Arthropods
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Pollinator Education Program Highlights
Contributed by Denise Ellsworth, director, Pollinator Education Program
The Tending Nature Speaker Series was held in January and February 2022. This virtual webinar series consisted of six weekly webinars led by entomology and ecology experts. The series attracted 4,957 enrolled participants and had 5,700 average views on YouTube after the live sessions. In Ohio, 154 participants took part in Tending Nature as part of a longer online course focusing on native plants and biodiversity. The online course included discussions, seminars, and individual projects. These participants will gather in person for three field days this spring and summer to continue their education about the role of native plants, and they have agreed to teach others through classes and events in their local communities. Of the 1,239 Tending Nature Speaker Series respondents, 94% learned new information about native plants and biodiversity, 89% intend to make changes in their landscape, and 77% will teach others what they’ve learned.
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Featured Educator: Megan Meuti, PhD, Assistant Professor of Entomology
Ohio State alumna Megan Meuti earned bachelor’s degrees in entomology and microbiology in 2008, and her PhD in entomology in 2014, all from Ohio State. Since joining the Ohio State Entomology faculty as an assistant professor in 2016, she has taught the following undergraduate courses: ENTMLGY 2101: Pests, Plagues, Pollinators and Poisons: Insects in Human Affairs, a general education (GE) course for nonscience majors for which she has co-authored a freely available textbook; ENTMLGY 4000: General Entomology (co-taught with Carol Anelli in autumn 2018) and for which she has contributed six recorded lectured that are part of the online offering of this course; and ENTMLGY 1350: The Biology of Hope and Belief, a GE science course as an asynchronous online course that has enrolled over 580 students.
Meuti’s graduate courses include ENTMLGY 6310: Insect Physiology and Molecular Biology and ENTMLGY 6320: Experimental Insect Physiology and Molecular Biology, which she teaches every other fall. She has also co-taught a graduate seminar course on vector biology. Meuti uses backward course design and research-supported techniques to enhance student learning and engagement in her courses, and routinely attends workshops and programming sponsored by the Drake Institute of Teaching and Learning and the Office of Distance Education and eLearning to further hone her teaching skills. In 2018, Meuti was awarded the Early Career Professional Educator by the Entomological Society of America.
In addition to her teaching, Meuti oversees an active research program that engages graduate and undergraduate students and has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. When Meuti is not teaching, researching mosquitoes, or engaging in outreach, she can be found at home playing with her three children (ages 7, 5, and 1), cooking, baking, and watching documentaries.
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Extension Materials, Journal Articles, and Courses
Spring 2022 Extension Materials
Identification, monitoring, & management of Asiatic Garden Beetle in Field Crops. Adrian Pekarcik, Kelley Tilmon, Eric Richer, Chris DiFonzo, Bruce Mackellar, updated 2022
Field guide to stink bugs of Ohio soybean. Amy Raudenbush, Suranga Basnagala, Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel, updated 2022.
Soybean Defoliation Post Card. Amy Raudenbush, Kelley Tilmon, Nick Seiter
3D Printed Spotted Lanternfly Egg Mass Keychain. Olivia Lang, Suranga Basnagala, Andy Michel, Ashley Leach and Luis Canas. 2021.
Spring 2022 Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Bold indicates current dept member. *Indicates recent PhD/MS student, post-doc, visiting scholar, or undergraduate advised by Entomology faculty.
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Caragata E, Short SM. 2022. Vector microbiota and immunity: modulating arthropod susceptibility to vertebrate pathogens. Current Opinion in Insect Science 50, 100875 doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100875
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Duong PC, McCabe T, Riley GF, Holmes HL, Piermarini PM, Romero MF, Gillen CM. 2022. Sequence analysis and function of mosquito aeCCC2 and Drosophila Ncc83 orthologs, Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 103729.
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King K, Meuti ME, Johnson NF. 2021. Identification and expression of odorant binding proteins in the egg-parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae, Telenominae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research.87:251–266. doi:10.3897/hjr.87.68954
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Lahey Z*, Musetti L, Masner L, Johnson NF. 2021. Revision of Phoenoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae, Scelioninae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87: 575–611. doi:10.3897/jhr.87.59794
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Lahey Z, Talamas E, Masner L, Johnson NF. 2021. Revision of the Australian genus Alfredella Masner & Huggert (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87: 81–113. doi:10.3897/jhr.87.58368
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Martínez Rodríguez EJ, Evans P, Kalsi M*, Rosenblatt N, Stanley M, Piermarini PM. 2022. Larvicidal Activity of Carbon Black against the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti, Insects, 13 307.
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Perry KI*, Riley C*, Fan F, Radl J, Herms DA, Gardiner MM. 2022. The value of hybrid and non‐native ash for the conservation of ash specialists is limited following late stages of emerald ash borer invasion. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. doi: 10.1111/afe.12499.
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Piermarini PM, Denton JS, Swale DR. 2022. The Molecular Physiology and Toxicology of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels in Insects, Annual Review of Entomology, 67 125-142.
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Scott SB, Sivakoff FS, Gardiner MM. 2022. Exposure to urban heavy metal contamination diminishes bumble bee colony growth. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01206-x
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van Noort S, Lahey Z*, Talamas E, Austin AD, Masner L, Polaszek A, Johnson NF. 2021. Review of Afrotropical sceliotracheline parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87: 115–222. doi:10.3897/jhr.87.73770
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Vasiliţi C, Popovici OA, Talamas E, Johnson N, Masner L, Tortorici F, Fusu L. 2021. Molecular analysis reveals Latonius planus Kononova to be a derived species of Trissolcus Ashmead. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87:267–298. doi:10.3897/jhr.87.63533
Spring 2022 Courses by Entomology Faculty
Luis Canas
ENTMLGY 5500 Biological Control of Arthropod Pests, 3 units (21 students)
ENTMLGY 5600 Principles and Applications of Integrated Pest Management, 3 units (32 students)
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 8998 Research in Entomology, PhD Pre-Candidacy, 1–16 units (2 students)Mary Gardiner
ENTMLGY 8998 Research in Entomology, PhD Pre-Candidacy, 1–16 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 8999 Research in Entomology, PhD Post-Candidacy, 1–16 units (3 students)Norman Johnson
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 8999 Research in Entomology, PhD Post-Candidacy, 1–16 units (1 student)
EEOB 3320 Organismal Diversity, lab, 3 units (47 students)Reed Johnson
ENTMLGY 2200 Beekeeping, lecture and lab, 3 units (66 students)
ENTMLGY 5800 Pesticide Science, 3 units (20 students)
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (3 students)
ENTMLGY 8999 Research in Entomology, PhD Post-Candidacy, 1–16 units (1 student)Ellen Klinger
ENTMLGY 1101 Insect Biology, lecture and lab, 4 units (32 students)
ENTMLGY 2101 Insects and Human Affairs: Pests, Plagues, Poisons and Politics, 3 units (69 students)
ENTMLGY 2400H Evaluating Evidence in Biology and Medicine, 3 units (18 students)
ENTMLGY 5604 Capstone Course: Problem-Based Studies in Plant Health, 2 units (6 students)Bruce McPheron
ENTMLGY 2400H Evaluating Evidence in Biology and Medicine, 3 units (17 students)Megan Meuti
ENTMLGY 1350 The Biology of Hope and Belief, 3 units (132)
ENTMLGY 4999H Honors Research with Distinction, 1–5 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 4999 Research with Distinction, 1–5 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 8998 Research in Entomology, PhD Pre-Candidacy, 1–16 units (2 students)Andy Michel
ENTMLGY 6193 Individual Studies, Graduate, 1-6 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 8998 Research in Entomology, PhD Pre-Candidacy, 1–16 units (1 student)Pete Piermarini
ENTMLGY 4607 Veterinary Entomology, online, 2 units (299 students)
ENTMLGY 6703 Molecular Techniques and Data Analysis, lecture and lab, 2 units (14 students)
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (2 students)Larry Phelan
ENTMLGY 6703 Molecular Techniques and Data Analysis, lecture and lab, 2 units (14 students)
ENTMLGY 8999 Research in Entomology, PhD Post-Candidacy, 1–16 units (1 student)Ben Philip
ENTMLGY 5608 Turfgrass Insect and Mite Pests- Identification, Biology, and Management, 2 units (10 students)
ENTMLGY 5609 Landscape Ornamental Plant Insect and Mite Pests - Identification, Biology and Management, 3 units (9 students)Joe Raczkowski
ENTMLGY 3330H Social Insects, 3 units (11 students)
ENTMLGY 4191 Internship Experiences in Entomology, 1–2 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 4600 Introduction to Insect Science, 1 unit (first session: 194 students, second session: 94 students)Sarah Short
ENTMLGY 4998 Undergraduate Research in Entomology, 1–3 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 4999H Honors Research with Distinction, 1–5 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 4999 Research with Distinction, 1–5 units (2 students)
ENTMLGY 8000 Entomology Seminar, 1 unit (3 students)
ENTMLGY 8998 Research in Entomology, PhD Pre-Candidacy, 1-16 units (4 students)Jamie Strange
ENTMLGY 4999H Honors Research with Distinction, 1–5 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 5150 Pollinator Biology and Conservation, 2 units (5 students)
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (2 students)Kelley Tilmon
ENTMLGY 7999 Research in Entomology, MS, 1–16 units (1 student)
ENTMLGY 8999 Research in Entomology, PhD Post-Candidacy, 1–16 units (1 student) -
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Entomology Student Group Highlights
Entomology Graduate Student Association
Contributed by Grace Sward, current president, EGSA
EGSA website: Kendall King, media officer, EGSA, has created our new official EGSA website through Squarespace, which has now passed the voting to go live. It will host our EGSA activities and outreach updates along with hosting our virtual outreach.
Insect Nightwalk: Iliana Moore has spearheaded organizing this year’s first in-person Insect Nightwalk since the pandemic. We are collaborating with the UTBZ to bring a fun and interesting event later this summer.
Virtual Outreach: The virtual outreach committee has officially published our first video exploring Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The creation of that video was led by Caralee Shepard. Another virtual outreach presentation on silk moths of ancient China is in its final stages. Its creation is led by Brendan Kelly. These videos will be hosted on the new EGSA website.
EGSA Member Milestones: Adrian Pekarcik, PhD, defended his dissertation. Dylan Ricke defended his thesis. Dominique Magistrado successfully transitioned to the PhD program, and Grace Sward passed her PhD candidacy exams.
Chrysalis Undergraduate Student Association
Contributed by Camden Dezse, president, Chrysalis
At the beginning of the spring 2022 semester, Chrysalis held a virtual Jeopardy night, as student organizations were not allowed to meet in person for much of the semester. The game night allowed members to test their knowledge of insects and other arthropods! Mid-semester, Chrysalis took a trip to Ohio State’s Museum of Biological Diversity for a tour of the C.A. Triplehorn Insect Collection graciously given by Dr. Musetti. At the end of the semester, Chrysalis explored the Blooms and Butterflies at the Franklin Park Conservatory.
To join Chrysalis, contact Joe Raczkowski, raczkowski.2@osu.edu, undergraduate advisor, Ohio State Entomology.