Entomology 2020, the Entomological Society of America’s Virtual Annual Meeting, is underway. Explore the full online program.

Entomology 2020, the Entomological Society of America’s Virtual Annual Meeting, has continued this week, with four days of live symposia and programming taking place Monday through Thursday. As we did last week, Entomology Today asked participants to share some of their favorites from the livestreamed events, plus more on-demand content they may have watched.

See what they have to say below about some of the highlights from this week. And be sure to continue to take advantage of the on-demand conference content, available through November 30. (Monday and Tuesday live sessions are now available on-demand, and Wednesday and Thursday will be available soon.)

You can also find more commentary on Twitter via the hashtag #EntSoc20. And, if you haven’t already, you can still sign up to get immediate access to all of Entomology 2020 content, now extended through November 30.

Entomology of Cannabis sativa: Insect Science and Pest Management in a Burgeoning Industry

“On Tuesday morning, I participated in the virtual P-IE Section livestream symposium on entomology of Cannabis sativa. I was very interested to learn about the different pests that could affect hemp In North America. I was especially interested by talks about corn earworm, a corn pest that could become an important pest for hemp in the province of Quebec, Canada. I’m happy to see that studies are conducted to develop management practices in the U.S. and Canada. I was also interested by the presentation given by Sean Prager on the impact of cannabis oil on bumble bees. I also liked the possibility to chat with the presenters during the livestream symposium!” —Julien Saguez, Ph.D.

Importance of mentoring young scientists to successfully foster diversity in entomology

“This presentation by Joseph E. Munyaneza highlights the work of a past president of the International Association of Black Entomologists as he shares his experiences with transitioning as an international scholar to leading a successful career within USDA-ARS. Ways to support and encourage young people to maximize their potential and enjoy success as entomologists are also outlined. The on-demand talk was refreshing and positive. A must-read/listen for students (domestic and international) as well as early-career professionals.” —Michelle Samuel-Foo, Ph.D.

Resolving fossil insects in amber for systematics and outreach

“This talk has very dead insects (that went extinct tens of millions of years ago) rotating in 3D. It’s one of the few presentations I’ve seen that combines research and outreach. The detailed micro-CT scans are truly stunning—it’s amazing how many features are visible on the fossils. Plus, you get to see ants with mammoth-tusk-like mandibles.” —Sandra R. Schachat

Really impressive work on pitcher plant flesh flies (#Sarcophagidae) by @theKannArtist! SO many collecting localities. Also a very nice talk: https://t.co/FgezEQdrjU #EntSoc20 pic.twitter.com/G0q2AGQXqn

— Matt Bertone (@Bertonemyia) November 19, 2020

Addressing a Significant Food Security Threat: Spodoptera frugiperda Invasion in Africa, Asia and Australia

“A great overview of a major pest with updates from all around the globe. Well worth the time to check it out.” —Scott O’Neal, Ph.D.

Semi-automatic analysis of insect micro-CT data using the open source web application Biomedisa

“How fortuitous. Recently my lab has started to do more micro-CT scanning and analyses since it can be done during lockdown. One of the most labor-intensive steps is the segmentation of the scans, where you try your best to identify and interpolate the structures of interest. The more scans, the more time this will consume. In this talk, Thomas van de Kamp (re)introduced the free open-source tool Biomedisa that semi-automates this step. In one example, Thomas showed that a task that took him 77 hours to complete “only” took 9 hours to complete when implementing Biomedisa. My students thank you, Thomas!” —Marianne Alleyne, Ph.D.

Founders’ Memorial Lecture

“Dr. Michelle Samuel-Foo gave an incredible and moving presentation that fully captured the brilliant and admirable life of Dr. Ernest James Harris. I was truly moved to hear about how he overcame his struggles and setbacks in life to become a very accomplished entomologist but, above all, a truly magnificent person. Although I have been in the USDA-ARS for nearly 22 years, I have only heard of Dr. Harris from colleagues that had known him. From Michelle’s perspective, I can now fully appreciate all that he accomplished. We all need to take time to learn about others that have paved the way for so many of us. Bravo, Michelle!” —John Adamczyk, Ph.D.

Founders Memorial Lecture this morning at #EntSoc20 by @MichelleSam13 opens: "my goal is to make Dr. Ernest Harris a household name" wonderful talk! https://t.co/eCVEeKymLs

— Randa Jabbour (@randajab) November 18, 2020

Insects move across borders, so can we: Tales from a young entomologist

“I found Carlos Josue Esquivel Palma’s presentation so inspiring and thoughtful. He shared that mistakes, failures, fears and insecurity can hinder our dreams, but it is important to keep hearing that we can always face it and, with the support of the people who love us, to fix it and move forward to reach success and happiness in career and life. He gives a set of good advice and remembers that bad times won’t last forever.” —Juliana Torres Toro

STEMBugs: LiveLyme Foundation

“I participated in a great and impressive talk given by young Olivia Goodreau, a teenager who launched her first mobile app, TickTracker. She started the LivLymeFundation when she was only 12! She wants to help kids who cannot afford Lyme disease drugs and wants to find a cure. Very inspiring!”  —Julien Saguez, Ph.D.

Just watched every talk in the #EntSoc20 symposium Hyper-Effective Outreach: How Entomology Blossoms Outside The Academic Sphere Through The Ant Keeping Hobby. It's not just for ant people, it has good info for all kinds of entomologists. https://t.co/kwyzw6K1Ud pic.twitter.com/1NbJzzC68j

— Daniel Jin (@DJofBugs) November 20, 2020

Entomology of Cannabis sativa, Effective Use of Biopesticides

“A simple and well put-together poster by Timothy B. Johnson, making the case for using biopesticides for pest management in Cannabis! If you are interested in hemp entomology, then this is definitely worth a read!” —Michelle Samuel-Foo, Ph.D.

Making ‘Entomology for All’ a Reality – The ESA Diversity & Inclusion Committee’s ‘Best Practices’ for a Truly Welcoming Society

“This was an important symposium for everyone to attend. I especially appreciated Florence Holland’s talk ‘Implicit bias and microaggressions’ and would love to hear the full workshop. I think this would be a great idea for an Early-Career Professionals Committee-sponsored webinar.” —Scott O’Neal, Ph.D.

Exploring Embiodea: Bulky genomes and ‘silky’ genes

“This talk has everything, from amino acids to physics to genome size to locomotion. Webspinners are a fascinating order, and this presentation provides a really great balance between an introductory overview and the latest research advances. It’s a great example of how to incorporate new methods and technologies with the study of natural history.” —Sandra R. Schachat