Among a variety of events for students at Entomology 2017 is the Linnaean Games, a quiz-bowl-style competition featuring teams of entomology students from several universities. Regional competitions took place at ESA Branch Meetings this year, and the national finals will take place on Tuesday, November 7, in Denver during Entomology 2017.

Editor’s Note: As Entomology 2017 approaches, today we continue with the third in a five-part “Students at #EntSoc17” series on Entomology Today, in which members of ESA’s Student Affairs Committee share what fellow student members need to know to be prepared to ignite, inspire, and innovate at Entomology 2017. 

By Amanda M. Whispell, Ph.D.

Amanda M. Whispell, Ph.D.

This November the Entomological Society of America’s Annual Meeting, Entomology 2017, will take place in Denver, Colorado. Keep reading for a list of events students can attend at the meeting and ways to get involved with the society so that you can take full advantage of all that Entomology 2017 has to offer.

Student Competitions

During the annual meeting in Denver, students have the opportunity to present their research and win prizes. There are four formats through which students will present their research. Click through to read more about each:

Student Ten-Minute Paper Competition
Sunday, November 5, and Monday, November 6
8 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Multiple times and locations
(online program)

Student Three-Minute Lightning Bug Talk Competition
Monday, November 6
Section 1: 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Section 2: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Convention Center – Four Seasons Ballroom
(online program)

Student Poster Competition
Monday, November 6
8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Convention Center – Mile High Ballroom
(online program)

Virtual Poster Competition
All four conference days
Convention Center – Mile High Ballroom and Mile High Lobby
(online program)

Linnaean Games Competition

The Linnaean Games are lively college bowl-style trivia competitions that are played between university-sponsored student teams. The four (plus two alternate) student players that compose each team are asked questions on the topic of entomology and score points by answering those questions correctly. ESA Branches all conduct regional Linnaean Games at their yearly Branch meetings. The top two teams from each Branch participate in the national competition in Denver.

Preliminary Round
Sunday, November 5
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Convention Center – Four Seasons Ballroom
(online program)

Final Round
Tuesday, November 7
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Convention Center – Four Seasons Ballroom
(online program)

Student Debates

The ESA Student Debates are cross-examination-style debates that take place annually at the national meeting. They are an educational and entertaining component of the conference, and the arguments will later be published in an article in American Entomologist.

Tuesday, November 7
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Convention Center – Four Seasons Ballroom
(online program)

This year’s debate theme is “The Anthropocene: Implications for Arthropods and Biodiversity,” and the debate topics are:

• What is the most important threat to global arthropod biodiversity?
  • Unbiased introduction: Chris McCullough, Virginia Tech
  • Competing teams:
    • Midgrass Prairie Regional Team hailing from Kansas State, South Dakota State, and Purdue Universities
    • Washington State University
• What is the most urgent and feasible use for CRISPR/Cas9 in entomology?
  • Unbiased introduction: Emily Kraus, Louisiana State University; and Priyanka Mittapelly, Ohio State University
  • Competing teams:
    • Purdue University
    • Michigan State University
• What is the best way to increase beneficial insect diversity in urban areas?
  • Unbiased introduction: Lina Bernaola, Louisiana State University
  • Competing teams:
    • Florida A&M University
    • Auburn University

Student Awards Ceremony

There are several Student Awards, including the award for the Student Competition for the President’s Prize, which will be conferred to the winners during the Student Awards Ceremony.

Tuesday, November 7
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Convention Center – Four Seasons Ballroom

Student Reception

This year, ESA’s Entomology Student Reception will take place at Denver’s oldest brewpub, Wynkoop Brewery. Mix and mingle as you spend the night sampling current seasonal brews or any of the other beverages on the drink menu, including cocktails and a spirits list featuring libations crafted by several local, Colorado-based distilleries, such as Spirit Hound Gin and bourbons made by Stranahans, A.D. Laws, and Breckenridge, to name a few.

The space itself features a dance floor and a billiards parlor, which includes 15 billiards tables, along with shuffleboards and dart lanes. Brewery tours will also be available for those interested in hearing about the history of the brewery and the brewing process.

In addition to all the entertainment and activities, the ESA Student Affairs Committee, in partnership with Wynkoop, will launch its first ESA Community Give-Back Program. Ideas are brewing, so contact the SAC with your ideas or to help!

All registered students and recent graduates are invited to attend. Make sure to bring both your state ID and name badge as proof of registration. Shuttle service will be provided from the Colorado Convention Center to Wynkoop following the Student Awards ceremony.

Tuesday, November 7
8 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Wynkoop Brewery
1634 18th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202
(online program)

Lunch and Learn Sessions

Attendees will have the opportunity to get together with friends and colleagues, have lunch together, and learn something new at the same time, during the eight Lunch and Learn Sessions at this year’s meeting. See below for more info on all of the Lunch and Learn sessions.

Sunday, November 5
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

How to Talk to a Nine Year Old about Climate Change (and Other Tough Concepts!) Using Informal Invertebrate Education
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 704, 706
(online program)

To the Head of the Class: Preparing for Your First Faculty Teaching Position
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 705, 707
(online program)

Monday, November 6
12:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Inspiring Science through Storytelling
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 601, 603
(online program)

This Week in Science Podcast Live Taping!
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 605, 607
(online program)

Science Policy 101 for the Entomologist
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 705, 707
(online program)

Tuesday, November 7
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Creative Writing for Entomologists: Short Forms and Little Creatures
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 704, 706
(online program)

1, 2…Eyes on You: Classroom Management, Crowd Control, and How to Rock Any Outreach Presentation
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 710, 712
(online program)

ESA Publications “Ask Me Anything”
Convention Center – Meeting Room 703
(online program)

Social Mixers

Several social mixers will be hosted by individual intuitions or groups at Entomology 2017. These mixers not only give you the chance to catch up with old friends and colleagues, but they also offer the opportunity to interact and network with people from other schools or groups.

Monday, November 6th

2017 Mid-Atlantic Mixer: University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and University of Delaware
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 605, 607
(online program)

Auburn, Arkansas, Clemson, Kentucky and Tennessee Mixer
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 705, 707
(online program)

Cornell University Entomology Mixer-Reception
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Hampton Inn – Energy
(online program)

Iowa State University Alumni Mixer
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Mineral Hall G
(online program)

Kansas State University, Colorado State University, and University of Nebraska – Lincoln Mixer
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 7
(online program)

Minnesota Mixer
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 1
(online program)

PNW Mixer: Oregon State University, Montana State University, Washington State University and University of Idaho
6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Mineral Hall F
(online program)

Purdue Entomology Mixer
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 6
(online program)

Southwestern Branch ESA Mixer: Co-Sponsored by University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, and University of Florida
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 4
(online program)

Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State University and Southwestern Branch Mixer
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 2, 3
(online program)

The Ohio State University and Michigan State University Joint Mixer
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Hampton Inn – Inspire
(online program)

University of California Mixer for Students and Alumni
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Convention Center – Meeting Rooms 601, 603
(online program)

University of Illinois Mixer
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Hampton Inn – Brilliance
(online program)

University of Wisconsin Mixer
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Capitol Ballroom 6
(online program)

Amanda Whispell, Ph.D. is a biology instructor at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and the Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Section representative on the ESA Committee on Student Affairs. She first became involved in ESA while pursuing her doctorate in Entomology at Rutgers University. She studies how trade-offs between sexual and natural selection underlie the diversification and evolution of sexual signals and signaling behavior in damselflies and how these trade-offs may have led to the evolution of damselfly species capable of physiologically changing color. Email: whispell@kutztown.edu

Blog post edited by Student Affairs Committee members Casey Parker and Adekunle Adesanya