A note from Dr. Siegfried

The last few months have been kind of blur with all the interviews and annual evaluations going on at the same time. Now that we are nearing the end of the process, I thought it would be good to reflect on what has taken place.

The process of annual evaluations was extremely valuable for me. I feel like I have begun to get to know our faculty and to learn about the diversity of programs that we have here in Gainesville and around the state. Our REC’s offer a unique resource and I thoroughly enjoyed all my visits and look forward to having a little more time next year to get to know the areas.

This year, my travels extended from Homestead to Quincy, but next year I will get to visit even more of the state, as we will now have an entomologist at the WFREC in Jay. In fact, we have completed searches for six positions at REC’s and another four have been completed here in Gainesville. To put this in perspective, we have hosted almost 30 people in the department over the last seven months. This includes 30 seminar receptions (with numerous trips to Sam’s Club to purchase refreshments), organization of 30 itineraries, 90 meals (resulting in 10 lbs of weight gain for me) and untold number of credit card receipts and reimbursements. Hopefully you get a sense of how much effort went into the process and that our staff really stepped up to make this all happen.

Of all the candidates that I interacted with, they all complemented us for our organization and hospitality, and I am extremely grateful for the efforts of our faculty, staff and students for their professionalism and enthusiasm. While there are still a few positions in negotiation, I believe that we will have hired 10 outstanding faculty, and I look forward to welcoming them to our department.

~Dr. Blair Siegfried

ABOVE: On May 31st, Jane Medley retired from the Entomology & Nematology Department after working for 32 plus years as a graphic designer and layout specialist. Her job was to make us all look good. She was a “Wonder Woman” and her work was phenomenal. Jane started her career at the University of Florida with Dr. Phil Koehler on a 4-H IPM grant in 1979-1980. For that project, many 4-H IPM materials were developed and used by youth throughout Florida and the rest of the country. She then transitioned into Newell Hall on campus to work with the extension entomologists on their print publications and training manuals for pesticide applicators.

The article “Living Light” in the June-July 2016 National Wildlife Magazine quotes Dr. Marc Branham. The article explores the diversity of glowing organisms and their use of bioluminescence.

Dr. James P. Cuda was invited by Dr. Chris Reuter of Osprey Biotechnics, Inc., to give a presentation about the hydrilla IPM project and tour the company’s production facility on 12-13 May. Osprey Biotechnics, located in Sarasota, FL, is a leader in the development of microbial products for a large range of environmental, industrial and agricultural applications. Osprey was a potential licensee for the hydrilla pathogen Mycoleptodiscus terrestris.

Ms. Nancy Sanders was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Performance in Property Management. Nancy was 1 of 3 people in the entire University that got her UF Inventory done in a month.

Now hiring: Assistant Professor in Insect Pathology/Symbiosis, Gainesville, Florida. For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit additional materials by July 18, 2016. The position will remain open until available applicant pool is determined. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT # 00013269 Requisition # 497420

Bethany McGregor, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Nathan Burkett-Cadena, was selected to present her research in the Graduate Student Symposium at the Society for Vector Ecology Meeting in Anchorage Alaska, September 11-15, 2016. Bethany will receive one year free membership, conference registration waiver and $300 towards travel from the Society to attend the meeting. As part of the symposium she will present a 15-minute oral paper of her research entitled "Host utilization by Culicoides biting midges at a captive deer preserve in Florida."

From the Outreach Coordinator

A big thank you to the students and faculty who volunteered for last month’s outreach events.

• May 13th- Wiles Elementary- Michael Gonzalez and Erin Powell
• May 13th- Orange Park Elementary tour- Erin Powell
• May 18th- Newberry Elementary- Michael Gonzalez and Erin Powell
• May 21st- Lubee Bat Conservancy- Dr. Joe Cicero
• May 21st- Bug Week petting zoo at FLMNH- Dr. Rebecca Baldwin and Michael Gonzalez
• May 24th- Norton Elementary- Erin Powell
• May 25th- UF snapchat takeover for Bug Week- Brittany Campbell, Erin Powell, Mike Vickers, Dr. Billy Crow, The Miller Lab, and Lyle Buss.
• June 1st- Metcalfe Elementary- Michael Gonzalez
• June 3rd- Hidden Oak Elementary- Matt Moore and Shiyao Jiang
• June 6th- Chiles Elementary- Dr. Joe Cicero
• June 6th- CPET teacher training- Dr. Jennifer Weeks, Dr. Rebecca Baldwin, Dr. Jaret Daniels, Lary Reeves, and Erin Powell

Upcoming events

• June 14th- 4-H Camp tour
• June 20-24th- BUG CAMP
• July 12th- 4-H Camp tour
• August 5th- Girl Scout troop tour

ABOVE: Dr. Joe Cicero interacts with participants during the EAGO Earth Day event in Ocala.

The live critters are always a hit with children and adults alike. The critters are available for you to check out should you be leading an outreach event. We have doubles of our most popular critters, as well as various native insect species depending on the time of year. We have large wood and Plexiglas cages for viewing our native orb weaving spiders. There is one travel cage and one larger static cage. Please be sure to contact us and review the protocol on transporting and handling the critters if you are not already familiar with it. If you lead an outreach, be sure to fill out a documentation form so your event can be included in the newsletter and we can log all outreach events.