Bug Talk

In this week’s episode of Bug Talk, Natalie talked with her undergraduate research advisor, Dr. Kate Boersma. Kate is an assistant professor at the University of San Diego, California. She is an entomologist who focuses on arid land aquatic ecology. Natalie and Kate talk about the research they've done together, what it is like to be a first generation student, and strategies for recruiting a diverse lab. Follow @kateboersma on Instagram and Twitter for more information on desert aquatic entomology!

You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram @bugtalkpodcast and find out more about the podcast on the entomology department website. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the conversations with guests.

*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality, Matt Grieshop for the music and Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!

In this fun conversation with Dr. Samuel Ramsey, Jen, Natalie and Zsofia asked him about how he came to love insects, his life as a singer / performing artist and his passion for science communication. We mentioned his YouTube channel called Doctor Buggs, his appearance on American Idol and his 3-min thesis summary. Samuel is currently a postdoc at the USDA Bee Lab in Beltsville, MD where he works on Varroa mites - a topic he presented during a department seminar at MSU in Dec. 2020.  Follow Samuel @drsammytweets and @drsammygrams or visit his website at drsammy.online

You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram @bugtalkpodcast and find out more about the podcast on the entomology department website. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the conversations with guests.

*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality, Matt Grieshop for the music and Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!

Dr. Kelsey Graham was a postdoc in the Isaacs Lab until Dec. 2020, she is now a research scientist at the USDA-ARS Bee Lab in Utah. She and Zsofia discussed her job application and interview process during lockdown, she also talked about her new job responsibilities and what her expectations are for the future. The tea that Kelsey likes is called PU-ERH tea and can be found here. Kelsey is active on Twitter @kelsey_k_graham.
*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality and for Matt Grieshop for the music!

We talked to Jessica Ware and Megan Wilson, both part of the #entopoc team. Check out Episode  29 for an earlier podcast with 3 other members of this organization to find out more about who they are and how they were created. In this episode Zsofia talked with Jessica and Megan about how they paired 40 students with mentors for the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America and how #entopoc provides support for the best meeting experience for these students. We also talked about their recent publication in American Entomologist about "Why diversity matters among those who study diversity". This article is about the state of diversity in entomology, if you don't have access to it and would like to read it, please email [email protected] for a copy. We also chatted about Jessica's role as the current vice-president and future president of the Entomological Society of America. Please follow #entopoc on Twitter and Instagram @entopoc and if you have a job opening for an entomologist at any career level, consider posting the ad on their website.
*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality and for Matt Grieshop for the music!

In this podcast our co-host team (Andrea, Kayleigh, Ariana, Natalie, Jen, Zsofia) chatted about plans for the podcast's future, such as starting a YouTube channel for posting the recorded zoom videos, making public service announcements at the beginning of episodes about open positions, new people in our department, etc. We are also looking for people to join our podcast team or come on as a guest. We would like to build a network of podcast hosts across entomology departments, the only qualification you need is a passion for entomology. We also looked back on our favorite moments from all the episodes we published since March. Please send us a message and follow us on Twitter or Instagram @bugtalkpodcast.
*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality!

In this podcast Kayleigh and Zsofia talked to Emily Proctor from MSU Extension about her role in connecting MSU with MI Indigenous People. We also talked about her life growing up, her perception of the Land Acknowledgement and how to recruit indigenous students.
MSU Land Acknowledgement
Article by Emily Proctor about Tribal Colleges

*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality!

In this episode Ariana and Zsofia talked to Dr. Ivette Perfecto, James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan. She gave the MSU entomology department seminar on Nov. 2 where she shared her current work on ants in coffee agroecosystems. In this podcast, she talked about her origins and undergrad in Puerto Rico and her graduate studies at the University of Michigan. She shared with us how she became a professor at the University of Michigan and how the collaboration with her husband evolved over time. We also asked Ivette about her coffee drinking habits.
*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality!

In this episode, Zsofia talked to Dr. Tatiana Cornelissen, a Brazilian scientist working on insect-plant interactions. Tati recently gave an entomology department seminar over Zoom about her research. In this podcast we explored her life growing up in Brazil, how she developed a passion for science, her graduate studies including her Ph.D. in the US and, how she perceives the current status of science in Brazil. She also gave some great pointers for people interested in collaborating with Brazilian scientists. Follow her on Twitter @Taticornelissen.
*Thanks to Jason Roedel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality!

In this weeks episode, Natalie talks with MSU Entomology undergraduate student, Taylor Hori. Taylor is returning to school for a second degree, this time in entomology! Taylor and Natalie talk about the pros and cons of being an older returning student, what led Taylor from English to Entomology, and what it is like moving from the west coast to the mid west!  

In this episode, Zsofia, Jennifer and Kayleigh talk to Dr. Jessica Kansman who got her B.S. in Entomology from MSU. She then went on to complete a Ph.D. at the University of Missouri and is now a postdoc with Dr. Sara Hermann (listen to Episode 14 for a chat with her) at Penn State. We talked about how Jessica became an entomology major at MSU, what she did as an undergrad research assistant and her research as a Ph.D. student. Jessica also told us about her passion for outreach, in particular she mentioned Skype a Scientist, Letters to a pre-scientist, and the "Be the Nerd: Extension Entomology Share Fair" workshop at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. You can follow Jessica on Twitter @jesskansperson. Her outreach Instagram is 'kansibugyou'.