How a Childhood Project Inspired a Life-Long Career
Meet Michael Skvarla, Ph.D., extension entomologist and director of the Insect Identification Laboratory at Penn State University, whose career path began with a Cub Scout insect-collection project. Skvarla is the subject of the next edition of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
How One Entomologist Looks to Fossil Ants to Answer Big Biology Questions
Meet Phillip Barden, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, an expert in fossil ant species and the evolutionary lessons they teach us, and subject of the next edition of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
How an “Accidental Entomologist” Connects Disparate Fields to Study Insect Ecology
Meet Manu Saunders, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow at the University of New England, Australia, expert in insect community ecology and ecosystem services, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
One Entomologist’s Quest: To Keep Insect Colonies Alive and Students Curious
Meet Carmen Blubaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor at Clemson University, researcher in insect ecology and biological control of crop pests, and subject of the next edition of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
How One Entomologist Found His Calling as an IPM Facilitator
Meet Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdivia, Ph.D., IPM entomology advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, connector of grower and research communities, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Why One Insect Toxicologist Aims to Explore the Unexplored
Meet Daniel Swale, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at Louisiana State University, whose research works to uncover novel biochemical targets in insects for potential application in pesticides. Swale is the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
How Studying Sociality in Bees Shapes One Entomologist’s Role in Society
Meet Hollis Woodard, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, expert in bumble bee sociality, passionate ambassador for public science outreach, and the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
How the Mighty Mite Conquered the Heart of One Entomologist
Meet Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, Ph.D., assistant professor at Clemson University, expert in biological control in fruit crops, a big fan of mites, and the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Why Both Teaching and Learning Drew One Entomologist Back to Academia
Meet Scott O'Neal, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher and instructor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specialist in insect physiology and immune function, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Small Creatures, Complex Behaviors: How One Scientist Got Hooked on Entomology
Meet Tolulope Morawo, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at Auburn University, insect chemical ecologist, and the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" Series.
Online and On Tour: How One Entomologist Shares Her Passion for Insects With the World
Meet entomologist Nancy Miorelli, co-founder of the Ask an Entomologist blog, tour guide in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, and insect-inspired jewelry maker, in the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
When the Path Less Traveled Leads to Hissing Cockroaches for a More Inclusive Tomorrow
Get to know Alex Bryant, extension agent and 4-H educator, whose curriculum using Madagascar hissing cockroaches has introduced more than 2,400 Kentucky middle school students to entomology and science.
From Garden Peonies to a Career Studying Ant-Plant Interactions
Kate Mathis, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona and soon-to-be assistant professor at Clark University, got hooked on entomology at a young age, when she saw ants swarm peonies in her mother's garden every spring as they bloomed. Today, she carries that fascination into her research on complex species interactions.
How an “Insect Ecologist at Heart” Got Focused on Pest Management Research
Lauren Diepenbrock, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University and soon to be an assistant professor at the University of Florida, says she enjoys "figuring out how insects, particularly invasive species, make use of the available resources to be successful."
How One Entomologist Puts His Creative Side to Work
Edwin "Ted" R. Burgess, Ph.D., an entomologist at Northern Illinois University, says his favorite aspect of his entomological research is that it encourages creativity to solve difficult problems.
Why One Entomologist Had to Become a “Coordination Gladiator”
In her postdoctoral position with the USDA-ARS, entomologist Erika Machtinger directed a field study in which she had to manage "a field staff of six, countless rotating volunteers, laboratory support, and multiple institutions and landowners." All in a day's work for a busy entomologist! Learn more in the first of our new "Standout Early Career Professionals" Q&A series.