UC Davis doctoral alumnus Douglas Walsh, a professor and Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology, Washington State University for nearly three decades,  will receive the C. W. Woodworth Award, the highest honor from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA), at its March 30-April 2 meeting in Phoenix.

It was, by all accounts, a "fantastic" fruit fly-identification workshop.

The three-day training course, held March 11-13 in the Plant Pest Diagnostics Laboratory of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), involved identifying economically important fruit flies that infest the state’s agricultural crops. Invasive fruit flies attack more than 300 of California’s crops, ranging from fruits and nuts to berries and vegetables, causing millions worth of dollars in damage annually.

Link to research paper

Humans use the chemical compound, hydrogen peroxide, as a disinfectant, bleach, and antiseptic, but a newly published UC Davis study indicates that “diverse plant species, not just tobacco, protect their nectar from bacteria and fungi by producing varying levels of hydrogen peroxide.”

Carla-Cristina “CC” Edwards, a second-year doctoral student in the lab of UC Davis medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, is the newly elected chair of the Young Professionals (YPs) of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA). 

UC Davis doctoral candidate Mia Kanako Lippey, described as a "leader extraordinaire and an awe-inspiring entomologist who not only excels in leadership, but in research, academics, public service, science communication, computer programming, and scientific illustrations," is the recipient of the 2025 Student Leadership Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

UC Davis senior entomology major Kaitai Liu of the Department of Entomology and Nematology is the winner of the  fourth annual Dr. Stephen Garczynski Undergraduate Research Scholarship, sponsored by the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

The merit-based award honors the memory of Dr. Stephen Garczynski (1960-2019), a research geneticist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Wapato, Wash., who “had an unmatched passion for mentoring undergraduate students in their research.”

(Register at https://tinyurl.com/hmbnehnu. Registration ends March 23)

There may be a few openings available in the free, three-day fruit fly identification-training workshop, taught by internationally recognized Tephritidae experts  from March 11-13 in the Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), located at 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento.

The openings are due to cancellations by USDA employees who either lost their positions or had their funding cut.

Ski with a scientist?

Live poison dart frogs will be featured at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, themed “Venomous vs. Poisonous,” on Sunday, March 2.

The event, free and family friendly, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, and in the hallway.