Bug Talk

In this episode, Zsofia talked to Willye Bryan about her career in entomology and her involvement in editing "Memoirs of Black Entomologists: Reflections on childhood, University and career experiences", a book published by the Entomological Society of America in 2015 and now available online free of charge. Willye talked about her activism in the 1960 to integrate classrooms and her initiatives during her time at the USDA-ARS in Stoneville, MS to bring people of color into research. 

This week cohosts Ariana and Natalie talked with Bryan Stanley, a second year PhD student in the physics department here at MSU and an outreach coordinator for Women and Minorities in Physical Sciences (WaMPS, follow them on instagram @msuwamps). We discussed Bryan's culinary skills and how he tragically lost an oven-mitt, how we are all figuring out living on your own, and his hobbies. We also talked about his passion for outreach, his current goals and how his time at Colorado State University helped lead him to where he is now. 

In this episode, Jen talks with MSU Vegetable Extension Educator Dr. Ben Werling. We talk about Ben's journey through grad school, what it's like to work in extension, playing cello in a music group about Michigan's Great Lakes, and advice for aspiring extension educators.

Co-hosts Andrea Glassmire and Zsofia Szendrei chatted with MSU Entomology undergraduate Michael Kalwajtys, who is starting his junior year in our department this fall. Mike discovered entomology after finding out that his passion for video games does not translate well to a career in computer sciences. He told us about a summer job he had that taught him about endangered species. We asked him about what life is like as an entomology undergraduate, how he is dealing with online courses, what he did during the summer in lock-down and how his summer plans were changed due to the pandemic. Mike also shared with us his work experiences in entomology and his passion for doing research in the field. He is an avid Star Wars fan and we talked about the possibility of meeting aliens and the chance for finding life in our solar system. Mike's top two favorite video games are Skyrim and Apex Legends. To learn more about Mike, check out Joy Landis' article about him on the department's website. 

In this episode, we talked with Manpreet Kaur Kohli, Aaron Goodman, and Melissa Sanchez Herrera, three members of the Entomologists of Color (EntoPOC) initiative. We chat about the origin of EntoPOC, how you can get involved, and their future plans! We also get to know a little bit more about what these entomologists research, their favorite podcasts and TV shows, and memories as entomologists!

To learn more about getting involved with EntoPOC, you can visit:
https://www.entopoc.org/

Or to connect with EntoPOC:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EntoPOC

This week cohosts Ariana and Jen chatted with graduate students Jessica Maccarro and Magda Argueta-Guzman from University of California Riverside. We discussed their research, how the awesome idea for 'Insects for Inclusion' was started (follow them on Instagram @insects4inclusion), which is a platform they use to sell insect art from which all of the proceeds go to a fund supporting paid research opportunities for undergraduates in underrepresented communities in science! They also discussed hobbies, favorite food, podcasts, books, and locations to visit! 

Dr. John Clark is the recipient of this year's MSU Entomology Alumnus Award. He is a professor and environmental toxicologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In this episode Kayleigh and Zsofia talked to John about how he got into entomology, his experiences as a graduate student, mentorship, transitioning to a faculty position straight out of a PhD, starting new projects and of course, his time at MSU. To learn more, please visit Joy Landis' article on the department's website.

In this podcast Zsofia and Joy Landis - communications manager and assistant coordinator of the IPM Program - talked about how she got into communication, her interest in design, photography and relationship to digital and social media platforms. We also chatted about her family, travel, things she misses during lockdown, her favorite food, and coffee/tea drinking habits - Joy buys bulk coffee online from Equal Exchange, a fair trade company. Joy is into running, ran the Chicago marathon, and also likes biking and walking.

In this episode Zsofia talked to Dr. Henry Chung, assistant professor in the MSU Entomology Department. He talked about his life growing up in Singapore, the cultural and linguistic diversity and school system, the geographic restrictions of a small nation. He then lived in Melbourne, Australia where he did his PhD and he shared his love of the great weather and life style there. Henry also talked about being in the army where he played in the band on the flute and was first hand witness to the comings and goings of state heads. We also chatted about his coffee drinking habits and his recent review article on climate change and insecticide resistance. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrywchung.

This week Ariana chatted with M.S. students Ellie Camerato and Jenna Walters. They discussed what led them to where they are now, with Ellie doing systematic research in entomology and Jenna studying pollination ecology in blueberries. They also discussed how COVID-19 and the campus shut down affected their research, how working from home has been, and hobbies they had during quarantine (find Ellie's block prints on Instagram @juniperprints_). They concluded with giving advice to anyone in grad school currently or thinking about applying for grad school.