Department of Entomology Newsletter for Alumni and Friends (2009) Iowa State University, Department of Entomology
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Department of Entomology Newsletter Entomology 1-2009 Department of Entomology Newsletter For Alumni and Friends (2009) Iowa State University, Department of Entomology Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/entnewsletter Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Iowa State University, Department of Entomology, "Department of Entomology Newsletter For Alumni and Friends (2009)" (2009). Department of Entomology Newsletter. 7. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/entnewsletter/7 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Entomology at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Department of Entomology Newsletter by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. January 2009 Newsletter For Alumni and Friends Gassmann Hired as New Corn Entomologist I joined the Department of Entomol- ogy at Iowa State University in Janu- ary 2008. This was not the easiest time of year to leave sunny Tucson, Arizona where I had been working as an Assis- tant Research Scientist in the University of Arizona’s Department of Entomol- ogy. Despite the cold, however, I am delighted to be in Iowa again. I was born and raised in Dubuque County, where my family has deep roots. Vis- its to the farms of relatives and family friends filled much of my early years and gave me a strong affinity toward Iowa agriculture. I am very pleased to have returned to Iowa and am impressed by the wealth of research opportuni- Back row, left to right: Steve Thompson (MS student), Pat Weber ties available in my home state. More- (Agricultural Specialist), Aaron Gassmann (PI), Mike Dunbar (MS over, I find it deeply satisfying to have student). Front row: Nick Kiley (MS student), Missy Rynerson (MS student), Ximena Cibils (undergraduate student). a research appointment that connects with Iowa’s agricultural heritage. Continued on page 3 Lewis Elected Fellow of ESA Leslie C. Lewis, a former research leader with the USDA- ARS and current Chair of entomology, was recently elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. Les is a recognized national and international leader in research on diseases of insect pests of corn, and on multi- trophic relationships between insects, insect pathogens, ben- eficial insects, and plants. His work to define relationships of insect pathogens, macrobiological control organisms, and chemical insecticides contributed significantly to the field of integrated pest management. This work included the definition of a unique tritrophic relationship with Beauveria bassiana, the corn plant, and the European corn borer. He initiated and Entomological vanity plate directed research on the effect of transgenic crops and non- competition! Details on page 21. Continued on page 5 News Bloomquist presents 2008 Dahm Memorial Lecture Jeff Bloomquist, Department of Entomology, He currently leads Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA presented the 2008 a project on new Paul A. Dahm Memorial lecture in Entomology mosquitocides for on “Novel and Selective Anticholinesterases for malaria control from Control of the Malaria Mosquito, Anopheles gam- the Gates Founda- biae.” tion and National Bloomquist has established an internationally- Institutes of Health, recognized program in neurotoxicology, including Grand Challenges in work on environmentally-induced disease, as well Global Health pro- as insecticide resistance and the search for new gram. insecticidal molecules. This project is one He produced some of the first papers on the of only 43 funded Parkinsonian effects of neurotoxic insecticides out of >1,500 appli- and established up-regulation of the dopamine cations, and was transporter as a new biomarker for neurotoxic mentioned in a col- insult. Jeff Bloomquist umn written by Bill His work also demonstrated a possible linkage Gates in the Oct 1st between mitochondrial-directed insecticides, Par- 2007 edition of Newsweek calling for increased kinsonism, and diabetes. efforts to fight malaria. ISU Sesquicentennial Seminar Speaker: Diana Cox-Foster Diana Cox-Foster, Department of Entomology, ony Collapse Disorder? which was well attended Pennsylvania State University, presented the 2008 by Iowa bee keepers. Cox-Foster’s metagenomic Entomology sesquicentennial seminar. Cox-Fos- analysis of honey bee colonies identified the Israeli ter’s lecture was also an F. Wendell Miller lecture acute paralysis virus as highly correlated with col- and EGSO seminar. Cox-Foster presented a depart- ony collapse disorder (Cox-Foster et al., 2007. Sci- mental seminar, Intricacies in the Dance of the ence 318: 283-7). She has also worked on transmis- Bees, Mites, and Pathogens; Ecological and Molec- sion and persistence of the picorna-like viruses in ular Interactions and a public seminar The Plight of bees, and mite-induced immunosuppression that the Honey Bees: What’s the Newest Buzz on Col- activates bee viruses. Left to right: Diana Cox-Foster, Michael Dunbar, Nina Schmidt, Bryony Bonning, Wendy Sparks, Lyric Bartholomay. 2 Chair’s Perspective From the Chair’s Perspective My appointment by Dean Wendy Wintersteen to As a graduate of the Chair of Entomology in August is both a privilege program (Ph.D. 1970), and a challenge—especially as I follow in the foot- and after 43 plus steps of colleagues Jon Tollefson and Joel Coats. It years as a research is an honor to serve as department chair and work entomologist with with faculty and staff to balance the difficult eco- the former European nomic realities impacting each of us. Corn Borer Labora- I am certain the department will continue to do tory, the Corn Insects an outstanding job addressing issues important to Laboratory and lastly stakeholders in Iowa, the nation and the world. At as Research Leader the time of this writing we are finishing the search of the Corn Insects for a new faculty member who will conduct exten- and Crop Genetics sion and research in row crop agriculture with an Research Unit, begin- Les Lewis emphasis on soybean production. ning a job as a ten- The department will continue to build on our ento- ured faculty member is a wonderful endeavor. I mological strengths am pleased to be able to con- in vectors of disease- The department will continue to build tinue my own research, and causing agents (i.e. on our entomological strengths. anticipate that in 2009 we will humans, animals and complete the description of a plants), environmental microsporidium indigenous quality, biodiversity, population genetics, insect/ to the western bean cutworm as well as publish plant interactions, and production agriculture. The data on the dynamics of indigenous inoculums and foundation of these efforts are the collaborations success of horizontal and vertical transmission of between our faculty and other scientists conduct- Nosema pyrausta in the European corn borer. ing complementary research, excellence in teach- Please continue to let us know of your own work ing, and further extension of our reach beyond the and if in Ames, please stop by or drop us a line. We confines of the University. are always pleased to hear from our graduates. Gassmann, continued from front page evolution with pest management. I was working After attending college at the University of Saint with herbicide-resistant weeds at the time, but Thomas, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I completed a came to realize that entomology offered a natu- Ph.D. in ecology and evolution at the State Uni- ral fit for this overarching research goal. After an versity of New York, Stony Brook. The goal of my initial postdoctoral position in the Department of dissertation research was to integrate ecology and Entomology at the University of California, River- side, I moved to the University of Arizona where I undertook the study of integrated resistance man- agement for transgenic, insect-resistant (Bt) crops. Did you know? Iowa State University offers me unbounded oppor- tunities to take this earlier research in new direc- Andrew Joseph is the new State tions, working with Bt corn and its primary pests, Apiarist at the Iowa Department of the northern and western corn rootworms. Agriculture and Land Stewardship. He My wife, Emily Morgan, moved to Ames from worked towards an MS in Entomology Tucson in late May. She is completing her Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky on in art history through the University of Arizona but bees as pollinators in monoculture has found a place at Iowa State University, too, where she has begun teaching in the College of Art looking at the role of nectar foraging and Design. We are both very happy with our deci- in relation to overall foraging activity sion to move to Ames, and look forward to meet- and, ultimately, plant pollination. ing many of you in the future. —Aaron Gassmann 3 News Gassmann Publishes in Nature Biotechnology Aaron Gassmann is part of a team of researchers after their commercialization. The data revealed that reviewed global trends in pest susceptibility that, in almost all cases, pests remained highly sus- to transgenic crops producing insecticidal toxins ceptible to Bt, and that planting of non-Bt refuges derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis likely contributed to this very positive outcome. (Bt). Their paper was published in Nature Biotech- “Our work highlights the importance of hav- nology. ing scientifically sound resistance management The paper, which Gassmann coauthored with strategies in place for Bt crops,” Gassmann said. three members of the Department of Entomology “Although Bt crops have been extremely successful at the University of Arizona, reviewed data on sus- at controlling pest populations, continued research ceptibility of insect pests to Bt crops before and Continued on page 5 Gynandromorphic Leopard Lacewing A rare butterfly emerged from a May shipment “They are extremely rare and highly coveted” to Reiman Gardens’ Butterfly Wing. The butterfly, said Nathan Brockman, curator for the Christina which was among a batch of 50 leopard lacewings Reiman Butterfly Wing.