Hashmet Eke
Undergraduate Student Employee
heke@ufl.edu

Hashmet Eke is in his junior year as an undergraduate student at UF majoring in Entomology and Nematology. Hashmet started as an Environmental Science major, and then changed to Biology. In the fall of 2011, he enrolled in Dr. Baldwin’s Bugs and People class as recommended by a close friend. He thoroughly enjoyed that class and signed up for The Insects course the following semester. Dr. Baldwin illustrated various career opportunities and an abundance of scholarships available to entomology students, which persuaded him to switch his major to Entomology and Nematology. To become further involved in the program, he decided to seek out internship opportunities in the department. In May 2012, he began an internship with Dr. Hodges. His duties includes of assisting graduate students Sarahlynne Guerrero and Ashley Poplin with their research, which involves maintaining the brown marmorated stink bug colony, maintaining the greenhouses, and identifying host species of various mealybugs and soft scale insects for fact sheets. He is also responsible for creating a comprehensive, southern regional identification deck of soft scale insects.

Hashmet is still not entirely sure what he wants to do with his degree, but has developed a great interest in the field of biosecurity since starting his internship with Dr. Hodges. He feels this is the direction he is headed in and hopes to one day acquire a job that will allow him to travel.

In his spare time Hashmet enjoys riding his bicycle and collecting insects. He also enjoys sketching the insects that he collects on his outings.

 

 

← Back to Undergraduate Students