WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?
Entomology Appreciation
The club provides an opportunity for anyone at the University of Kentucky who has an interest in entomology to get together. The biggest purpose of our club is to serve as the student voice in departmental functions and community service activities and as a means of circulating information of importance to graduate students and staff. We participate in many functions in the College of Agriculture and in the Department of Entomology. The members of our club serve as leaders at the departments annual Insect Walk at Raven Run, many members judge area science fairs, give presentation to elementary students, and participate in the AgRound for College of Agriculture and Princeton Field Day for UK extension. Club members often go out to elementary schools, and Earth Day celebrations to show people about the wonders of entomology and recently at the 1996 Entomological Society National meeting in Louisville, KY, members presented a puppet theater for the 2000 elementary students who visited the INSECT EXPO. We have recently taken on the task of learning the skills necessary to make our own web page and hope to be giving an informative presentation of the department and entomology club members as graduate students. We are also involved in a variety of outside activities from t-shirt design contests, insect collecting trips, potlucks, Cincinnati Zoo trips, and softball competitions against the faculty (which we often lose), which bring individuals together and build a spirit of cooperation.
Student Choice Speakers
Another responsiblity of the club is to select a student choice seminar speaker each year. We are given the opportunity to select one speaker a year from anywhere in the USA to come and give a departmental seminar. This not only provides us with the opportunity to hear a seminar by an expert in a chosen field, but it also allows us to interact with a well-respected individual for several days and in a variety of activities. These activities not only include intellectually stimulating conversations about the newest trends in entomology, but also include times to eat, drink, and visit Kentucky whiskey distilleries, horse farms, and nature reserves!
Past and Future Student Choice Speakers Include:
LARRY PEDIGO in 1994.
Dr. Pedigo is the author of the much used text Entomology and Pest Management. Much of his research focuses on the economic impact of bean leaf beetle feeding on soybeans. He also teaches the Insect Ecology course at Iowa State University.
FRED GOULD in 1995.
Dr. Gould is a professor/researcher at North Carolina State University. He is involved in insect genetics among other subjects, and is particularly interested in the impact of crops with endotoxins inserted into their genes on other organisms. For example, he discussed a recent project that explored the effect of transgenic Bt tobacco on the parasitoids that attack tobacco pests. He also honored us by wearing a tie to our seminar - an unusual occurence for Fred. We wined and dined Dr. Gould at Logan's and tired him out on the Raven Run hike.
VINCENT RESH in 1996.
Dr. Resh is an aquatic entomologist, and an editor of the Annual Review of Entomology. A professor/researcher at the
University of California, Berkeley, he presented a seminar entitled "Publishing of Entomological Research in the 21st Century". The seminar was well received by everyone. We learned that several scientific journals have their information on the internet already, and several entomological-related journals are on the way to being accessible on the information highway. We also treated Dr. Resh to his first visit of Mammoth Cave!!! Don't ever offer him Palenta or cream of wheat for breakfast though?!?
JAMES LLOYD in 1997. This year we have invited James Lloyd, from
University of Florida, to be our departmental speaker. His presentation is March 28, 1997 entitled "Firefly flashing, sex and predation". We look forward to his visit and hope to have some exciting activities planned for him.
Fund Raisers
Every year we design a t-shirt to promote our club. Our previous t-shirt design was a predatory stink bug feeding on a Colorado potato beetle larva --- with the caption BUGS SUCK!!!. Our NEWEST design was drawn by Cesar Gemeno and is entitled "Milkweed does an insect good". If you're interested in ordering a t-shirt e-mail Aaron Adams or any other officer.
Harrison Garman Home Page
UK Department of Entomology Home Page