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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