ESA Launches New Science Policy Program and Partnership with AIBS

New partnership with the American Institute of Biological Sciences will enable insect scientists to engage in science policy process

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) announced today a new partnership that will provide ESA members with an even stronger voice in the nation’s science policy debates.

The ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA has more than 6,400 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, pest management professionals and hobbyists.

The AIBS is a scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. AIBS works independently and in partnership with scientific organizations to ensure that the public, legislators, funders, and the community of biologists have access to and use information that will guide them in making informed decisions. The organization does this through informing decisions by providing peer-reviewed or vetted information about the biology field and profession and by catalyzing action through building the capacity and the leadership of the biological sciences community to address matters of common concern.

“We are pleased to offer our members a new voice in science policy,” said ESA Executive Director David Gammel. “Our members have a wealth of scientific information that can inform policy decisions. Through this new partnership with AIBS, our members can become effective advocates for entomology.”

Richard O’Grady, AIBS Executive Director, is pleased that ESA is increasing its presence in the nation’s science policy. “ESA is a well respected scientific society with a long history and a robust membership of professionals who have a lot to offer our nation’s policymakers,” said O’Grady.

In the coming weeks, ESA members will begin to receive new science policy analysis and information through a monthly newsletter prepared by AIBS. They will also begin to learn about opportunities to gain experience and training in communicating with policymakers, and opportunities to inform science policy debates in the nation’s capital and in the states.

“This new partnership coincides with the creation of ESA’s new Science Policy Committee,” said ESA President Rob Wiedenmann, “and it fits in well with this year’s Annual Meeting theme, which is ‘Science Impacting a Connected World.’ We look forward to working with AIBS in the future.”

For more information about ESA: http://www.entsoc.org/

For more information about AIBS: www.aibs.org

Contacts:

Richard Levine, ESA, rlevine(at)entsoc.org or 301-731-4535 x 3009
Robert Gropp, AIBS, rgropp(at)aibs.org or 202-628-1500 x 250

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Call for 2014 Insect Calendar Photos

The Entomological Society of America is looking for the best insect photos to grace our 2014 World of Insects Calendar.

Photos should be of the highest aesthetic and technical quality. Photographs for the calendar will be selected by the Committee on the World of Insects Calendar.

The requirements for submission of photos are:

1. JPG format (between 1,000 and 2,000 pixels wide);

2. Common or scientific name must be included in each filename;

3. All photographs must be horizontal and rectangular (vertical or square photos will not be accepted);

4. Photographs of dead insects that are posed or mounted are not allowed;

5. A maximum of eight (8) photographs may be submitted by a single photographer (more than 8 submissions will disqualify all photographer’s entries); and

6. Submissions must be e-mailed to ESA headquarters (pubs@entsoc.org) by close of business on May 17, 2013.

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines in the world. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are students, researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, consultants, and hobbyists. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Anurag Agrawal to Give Founders’ Memorial Lecture

Dr. Anurag Agrawal, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology with a joint appointment in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, has been selected to deliver the Founders’ Memorial Award lecture at Entomology 2013, the 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) to be held in Austin, Texas, November 10-13, 2013.

At each ESA Annual Meeting, the recipient of this award addresses the conferees to honor the memory and career of an outstanding entomologist. This year’s honoree is Dame Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005), who will be the subject of Dr. Agrawal's presentation.

DR. ANURAG AGRAWAL

Dr. Agrawal’s research accomplishments cover the key areas of arthropod community genetics, real-time evolution of plant defense against insects, phylogenetic ecology, plant neighborhood-insect interactions, and insect colonization and induced defense. Over the course of his career to date, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in high-profile journals such as PNAS, Science, and Nature, and he has edited two key books on insect ecology.

In the relatively new area of arthropod community genetics, he has addressed natural selection on milkweed defensive traits and how plant genetic variation in these traits influences insect community structure and coexistence. In the area of real time evolution of plant defenses against insects, he has shown that the suppression of insect damage causes the evolution of decreased plant resistance and increased competitive ability. His work in the area of phylogenetic ecology uses a comparative biology approach to address problems ranging from the controls on the success of invasive species to phylogenetic signatures of coevolution. And in the area of plant neighborhood-insect interactions, his ongoing research seeks to partition the relative importance of direct, associational, and trait-mediated effects of competing plants on milkweed and its insect fauna.

DAME MIRIAM ROTHSCHILD

Dame Rothschild started her research in the 1950s in the area that is now known as chemical ecology. She had no traditional education, but was tutored in natural history by her father and her uncle.

She is best known for her work with mimicry, and she conducted classic studies on the role of carotenoids in insect mimicry. In addition to her work cataloging the famous Rothschild flea collection, Dame Rothschild was also a pioneer in the area of insect chemical ecology. Her work in particular on mimicry and sequestration of toxic compounds by insects was outstanding. Nature conservation was extremely important to her, and she lobbied strongly in favor of nature reserves.

Nearly 3,000 entomologists are expected to attend Entomology 2013. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org/entomology2013.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are students, researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, and hobbyists. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Southern Insect Scientists to Meet in Baton Rouge

The 2013 Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) will be held March 3-6, 2013 at the Hilton Baton Rouge (201 Lafayette Street) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hundreds of entomologists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee will meet to discuss citrus greening disease, invasive species, rice and cotton pests, integrated pest management, subterranean termites, red imported fire ants, emerald ash borer and other topics.

In addition, students from eight universities will face off during the Linnaean Games, a lively question-and-answer, college bowl-style competition on entomological facts. Participants will include teams from Louisiana State University, the University of Arkansas, Florida A&M, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, Mississippi State University, and North Carolina State University. The first and second-place teams will then compete on the national stage this November in Austin, Texas at Entomology 2013, the 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America.

The meeting will also feature student presentation competitions, an awards ceremony, an Insect Photo Salon, a reception, a crawfish boil, an LSU baseball game, and more.

Journalists who would like to attend should contact Dr. Fudd Graham for interviews and press passes at 334-750-3994 or grahalc@auburn.edu.

For more information, including the program and how to register, visit the ESA website at http://www.entsoc.org/Southeastern/2013SEB-annual-meeting.

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Insects Scientists and Children Meeting in Las Cruces, NM

1,200 elementary school students are expected to attend an INSECT EXPO at New Mexico State University from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM on Monday, February 25 at the start of the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), which will be held February 25-28 in the Ramada Palms Hotel in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

This free educational event will reinforce students' science skills with hands-on activities and a live insect zoo, and it will allow students to enjoy opportunities to interact with professional insect scientists as they participate in a wide variety of presentations and activities designed to educate people about the most numerous, widespread, and diverse group of organisms on earth: Insects!

The ESA Southwestern Branch meeting will be attended by hundreds of entomologists, who will present their research on mosquitoes, West Nile virus, ticks, bed bugs, agricultural insect pests, pollinators, and much more. In addition, students from southwestern universities will face off during the Linnaean Games, a lively question-and-answer, college bowl-style competition on entomological facts.

Journalists who would like to attend the meeting and/or the INSECT EXPO should contact Andrine Shufran at (405) 743-9311 or andrine@okstate.edu, or Carol Sutherland at (575) 635-3413 or CSutherl@nmda.nmsu.edu.

For more information, including the program and how to register, visit the ESA website at http://www.entsoc.org/southwestern/2013-SWBAnnualMeeting.

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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