What's Buzzing, Crawling and Racing at UC Davis Picnic Day

 

What's buzzing, racing and crawling at Briggs Hall--the home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT)--during the 111th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 12?

Bees, cockroaches and maggots, to be specific!

All of the department's entomological exhibits will be at Briggs Hall.  This includes a pop-up tent from the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (The Bohart Museum headquarters in the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, will be closed Picnic Day).

Douglas Walsh: C. W. Woodworth Recipient

 

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.

Mia Lippey: PBESA's Leadership Award

 

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).

The Late Medical Entomologist Bruce Eldridge, a Licensed Locomotive Engineer, So Loved Trains

UC Davis professor emeritus Bruce Eldridge (1933-2025), an internationally recognized medical entomologist whose military,  academic and administrative career spanned more than six decades, enjoyed many outside interests. Among them: he played his banjo in bluegrass bands and he loved trains.  Eldridge was a dedicated rail enthusiast who took many trips with his friend, Ken Lorenzen.

"How Do Animals Think? Some Insights from Bumble Bees'

 

(Update: Felicity Muth's Feb. 20th presentation is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Nv3DMH38s

Felicity Muth, assistant professor, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, UC Davis College of Biological Sciences, will give a special presentation via Zoom on “How Do Animals Think? Some Insights from Bumble Bees” from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20.

Walter Leal: From 'Rough Childhood' to Internationally Recognized Scientist

 

UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Soares Leal soared from a self-described “rough childhood” in his native Brazil to become an internationally recognized scientist celebrated for his research on chemical communication and olfaction in insects.

But in his early childhood, he disliked insects, especially the cockroaches that crawled into his mouth while he was sleeping, and mosquitoes that bit him when he was and wasn’t.