Congratulations to our Entomology and Nematology students receiving scholarships.  

Graduate Students:
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship – Jasleen Kaur
Doris and Earl Lowe and Verna Lowe Scholarship – Leo Ohyama
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship – Clebson Dos Santos Tavares
A. S. Herlong Scholarship – Yuexun Tian
Doris and Earl Lowe and Verna Lowe Scholarship – Kristin Sloyer
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship – Gagandeep Kaur
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship – Binita Shrestha
A. S. Herlong Scholarship – Kelly Carruthers

Undergraduate Students:
Florida Rural Rehabilitation Corporation Scholarship – Lauren Roberts
Suwannee River Resource, Conservation and Development Council Scholarship – Alexandor McMillan
Alto and Patrecia Straughn Scholarship – Elise Pounders
Harry Haman College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Scholarship – Emily Roeder
Orange County Farm Bureau Scholarship – Gina Bishop
SHARE Scholarship – Jordyn Ranfone
SHARE Scholarship – Vilheim Piwowarek
Alto and Patrecia Straughn Scholarship – Brett LaBella

New Ph.D. students:
Lovely Adhikary—Balm
Marielle Berto—Homestead
Sabina Budhathoki—Gainesville
Julia Nogueira Duarte Campos—Milton
Aria Deluna—Wong
Lynhe Demesyeux—Gainesville
Romain Exilien—Quincy
Maxine Hunter—Gainesville
Marley Iredale—Gainesville
Kaylin Kleckner—Gainesville
Miles Maxcer—Gainesville
David Moreira Calix—Balm
Daniel Perez-Ramos—Vero Beach
Sara Salgado Astudillo—Ft. Pierce
Sangwoo Seok—Vero Beach

New M.S. students:
Hunter Bergbower—Ft. Lauderdale
Joseph Cammarano—Gainesville
TJ Fedirko—Gainesville
Kaitlin Gazdick—Ft. Lauderdale
Robert Grosdidier—Gainesville
Kody Hughes—Gainesville
Leigh Ketelsen—Vero Beach
Kyle Kosinski—Vero Beach
Arden Lambert—Gainesville
Alina Lorenzo—Ft. Lauderdale
Decyo McDuffie—Gainesville
Lillie Rooney—Gainesville
Brandi Stanford—Gainesville
Carolina Tieppo Camarozano—Belle Glade

ABOVE: New Ph.D. student Aria Deluna, in the Adam Wong Lab, has been awarded a 5-year McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to promote representation of African American and Hispanic faculty with Ph.D.. Way to go Aria, and welcome to the department!

ABOVE: Julia Nogueira Carvalho Campos (Left) and Marcelo Dimase (right) are two new Ph.D. students starting their programs under Dr. Paula-Moraes at West Florida Research and Education Center. Welcome Julia and Marcelo!

The Minteer Lab welcomed, Sara Salgado, as a new Ph.D. student this month. Sara will be working on the biological control of the invasive earleaf acacia. Welcome, Sara!

Dr. Eutychus Kariuki, a post-doc in the Minteer Lab and a UF alum has accepted a permanent full-time position with USDA-APHIS. We wish Dr. Kariuki the best of luck in his new position!

Don’t forget the Entomology and Nematology Education and Outreach Program is available and will accommodate both virtual and approved in-person presentations!

Recent Outreach events:

August 23rd - Spider Biology Class: Jennifer Standley and volunteer Sarah Tafel showed off the arthropod zoo, especially the arachnids, to Dr. Lisa Taylor’s Spider Biology class.

September 1st - UF Undergraduate Entomology Club: Dr. Rebecca Baldwin and Jennifer Standley showed off the arthropod petting zoo at the first meeting of the semester, and what a fantastic turnout it was!!

Upcoming Outreach events: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

October 9th – Jacksonville Garden Club (8-3pm) We need a few volunteers for this event in Jacksonville. The Outreach van is available for a ride to get there. This will be a presentation about the Department and Entomology, with a focus on spiders. 1-2 volunteers needed.

October 16th – Tallahassee Science Festival (7-4pm) This event will also require a couple of volunteers. Typically, 4,000 people attend to enjoy a day filled with engaging and exciting STEM exhibits. There are more than 100 exhibits, including participants from all the local colleges and universities, scientific clubs and societies, and exhibitors from around the state. The Outreach van is available for a ride to get there. 3-4 volunteers needed.

November 18th – Suwannee CARES Event (1-10pm) located in Live Oak. This is a huge event that will have 500-600 attendees and recognizes farmers for their excellence in environmental stewardship. We will have a booth set up with lots of displays and the zoo. 3-4 volunteers are needed.

Entomology on the Go -

What’s better than a live show and tell of some really cool arthropods?! Our live petting zoo consists of: tarantulas, scorpions, vinegaroons, bess beetles, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and native insects, when in season. With a short training program, they are available for you to check out should you be leading an outreach event, even if it is virtual. The critters are always popular with both youth and adults and are used as a tool to expose the public to STEM disciplines. We have large wood and Plexiglas cages for viewing our native orb weaving spiders. There is one travel cage and one larger static cage. We also have activity kits and lesson plans that are available as well. Please be sure to contact us and review the protocol on transportation and handling of the animals. If you lead an outreach event, be sure to fill out a documentation form so your event can be included in the newsletter and we can log all outreach events. Also, note that volunteering to assist with outreach events will count as departmental service for ENSO travel grants. (Please note that some venues require background checks or additional screening.)
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please email us.

Cheers! - Jennifer Standley, Outreach Coordinator.

ABOVE: First meeting of the semester for the Undergraduate Entomology Club on September 1st. The turnout was fantastic! They got to see Arthropod Petting Zoo.