Nov. 14, 2007
From butterflies to silkworm moths, from
Mediterranean fruit flies to light brown apple moths,
from honey bees to caterpillars, our entomology
faculty shine. The UC Davis Department of Entomology ranks No. 1 in the country, according to the 2007 index, Chronicle of Higher Education.
 Thomas Scott
Elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his "distinguished contributions to the biology and ecology of mosquitoes and his leadership in developing strategic concepts for preventing dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases." The UC Davis Department of Entomology's AAAS Fellows: James Carey, Thomas Scott, Bruce Eldridge, Walter Leal, and former department chair Robert Page, now at Arizona State University. |
 Harry Kaya
Elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) for his contributions to insect pathology and insect nematology. Kaya is internationally known for his contributions to insect pathology and insect nematology, which include more than 220 peer-reviewed publications on insect nematode behavior and ecology, microbial control of soil insects, and interactions between insect pathogens and other natural enemies. Past UC Davis recipients: Richard Bohart, John Edman, Bruce Eldridge, Harry Laidlaw Jr., Donald McLean, William Reisen, and Robert Washino. |
 Bruce Eldridge
Received the international Harry Hoogstraal Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Entomology. He is one of only 15 entomologists ever to receive the award, and the third at UC Davis. The others are Robert Washino (2005) and John Edman (2004). UC Davis entomologists William Reisen and Thomas Scott, who nominated Eldridge for the award, described his career as “outstanding.” Eldridge’s military and academic career spans 52 years. |
FACULTY
James Carey
Selected to serve as vice chair this year followed by chair next year of the UC systemwide University Committee on Research Policy (UCORP). The chair is part of the UC Academic Council.
Larry Godfrey
Elected president of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, the third largest ESTA branch with 1,233 members in 2005.
Walter Leal
Received the 2007 Silverstein-Simeone Award in Chemical Ecology, awarded by the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) “for outstanding work at the frontiers of chemical ecology.” He delivered the Silverstein-Simeone Award Lecture in Jena, Germany.
Received the Scudder Lecture Award, University of British Columbia, Canada in March 2007 for outstanding research and achievements.
Served as the UC Davis coordinator of an international agricultural exchange program, Sustainable Crop Protection in Agriculture Program (SUSPROT), a federally funded program designed to promote scientific cooperation and collaborative education between academic and professional communities in Europe (Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands) and the United States.
Eric Mussen
Received American Association of Professional Apiculturists’ Award for Apicultural Excellence, for his bee industry leadership and apicultural research publications.
Received California State Beekeepers’ Association’s “Beekeeper of the Year” award for his regional, state and national contributions to the beekeeping industry.
Michael Parrella
Received Emma Lausten Horticulture Award from Rutgers University, New Jersey for his extensive contributions to floriculture integrated pest management (IPM).
Received alumni award from the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech in October.
Elected to the governing board of the ESA representing the Pacific Branch
Diane Ullman
Spearheaded a summerlong art-and-science exhibit in Washington, D.C., at the United States Botanic Garden on the National Mall across from the Capitol. The outdoor exhibit, titled Nature's Gallery, included 130 ceramic tiles depicting plants and insects commonly found in the UC Davis Arboretum's Storer Garden, which showcases drought-resistant plants.
Frank Zalom
Selected to lead a team of five U.S. university scientists to China on a two-week scientific exchange, Oct. 20-Nov. 3
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Carrie Nielsen, doctoral candidate advised by medical entomologist and Department of Entomology graduate student advisor, William Reisen, won the statewide William C. Reeves New Investigator Award for her work on West Nile virus. She received the $1000 prize at the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California conference in Fresno.
Lisa Reimer, doctoral candidate who is researching insecticide resistance of the malaria mosquito, won a $2000 grant from the African American and Africa Studies Program at UC Davis to fund her research (last summer) in the West African nation of Mali. She is advised by Anthony Cornel, Department of Entomology, and Greg Lanzaro, School of Veterinary Medicine.
Lisa Reimer and Jacklyn Wong received the 2007 William Hazeltine Student Research Fellowships. Lisa Reimer studies malaria with UC Davis medical entomologists Anthony Cornel, Department of Entomology, and Gregory Lanzaro, School of Veterinary Medicine. Jacklyn studies dengue with UC Davis medical entomologist Thomas Scott. Each received $1350. Reimer is researching insecticide resistance of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, while Wong is studying oviposition site selection in Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue. Reimer worked in the west African nation of Mali for the second consecutive summer, while Wong worked last summer in Iquitos, Peru and will again next summer.
Sharon Minnick, doctoral candidate advised by Thomas Scott, has accepted a one-year epidemiology fellowship with the Vector-Borne Diseases Division of the California Department of Health Services. Minnick researches dengue, a mosquito-borne disease found in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Nicole Mans, a doctoral student in entomology advised by Thomas Scott, was selected a Fulbright scholarship recipient to do research in Peru on dengue.
Cheryle O’Donnell, doctoral candidate advised by Michael Parrella, wrote a grant that resulted in funding for a three-day thrips workshop, held on the UC Davis campus in October.
Christopher Barker, advised by Bruce Eldridge, received the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's Travel Award, which paid his expenses to attend the society's annual meeting in Philadelphia, Nov. 4-8.
STAFF
Nancy Dullum and Debbie Dritz, each a 30-year UC Davis employee, received UC Davis Citations of Excellence for their exemplary work and were honored in May at a reception in the courtyard of Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. Debbie, a mosquito researcher in the lab of Sharon Lawler, has served as president for the last two years of the Northern California Entomology Society (it’s comprised of faculty, staff, professionals and students). Nancy compiled an excellent record with the UC Mosquito Research Program before joining the entomology department earlier this year.
Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, received the gold award, the top award in the newswriting category, from the Association for Communication Excellence, an international organization serving agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences.
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--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
