Bug Talk

[RE-UPLOAD FROM FEB. 17, 2021]

Kayleigh, Natalie, Ariana, and Zsofia welcomed Dr. Olivia Cope to the department, she is a new postdoc in the Wetzel Lab. Olivia will also be joining our podcast team as co-host, so keep an eye out for episodes by her. Olivia told us about her life growing up in Seattle, doing her undergrad at Berkley and getting a PhD at the University of Wisconsin with Rick Lindroth. She shared about her passion for biking, and is looking forward to making new acquaintances in the department in person in the near future.

Follow Olivia on Twitter @ocopeo

Watch this episode on YouTube here!

Stay connected with MSU Entomology on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

[RE-UPLOAD FROM FEB. 3, 2021]

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 Kate on Instagram and Twitter @kateboersma for more information on desert aquatic entomology!

Watch this episode on YouTube here!

Stay connected with MSU Entomology on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

[RE-UPLOAD FROM JAN 20, 2021]

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-minute 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 Michigan State University in December 2020. 

Follow Samuel @drsammytweets and @drsammygrams or visit his website at drsammy.online

Watch this episode on YouTube here! 

*Thanks to Jason Rondel, audio engineer, for improving the sound quality, and Matt Grieshop for the music!

Stay connected with MSU Entomology on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

[RE-UPLOAD FROM JAN. 20, 2021]

In this episode, Ali and Zsofia chatted with Yolanda Chen, an associate professor at the University of Vermont. Yolanda shared with us how she got interested in evolutionary biology, her experience working at the International Rice Institute in the Philippines and talked to us about having kids while establishing her career as an assistant professor. We also discussed differences between working at a smaller, teaching focused institution such as UVT and larger universities like Michigan State University. 

Watch this episode on YouTube here!

Follow Yolanda on Instagram @insectagroeco and on Twitter @Yolanda_H_Chen.

Stay connected with MSU Entomology on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

In this episode Lauren Goldstein talks with Ben Phillips, who is a Vegetable Crops Educator at Michigan State University (https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/benjamin_phillips). Ben discusses his education and current job responsibilities working with growers.

In this week's episode of Bug Talk, Jen chats with Stefanie Steele, Pollinator Conservation Specialist for urban and small farms in underserved communities and USDA NRCS partner biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation! We chat about Stefanie's background and education and how she found her role at the Xerces Society. Stefanie also gives some tips on steps you can take while in graduate school to gain skills to work at a non-profit. To learn more about the Xerces Society and their work visit xerces.org

Dr. Maxime Eeraerts is a new postdoctoral associate in the MSU Entomology Department (https://www.isaacslab.ent.msu.edu/people/lab-members/). He is originally from Belgium, has a background in biological engineering and got interested in honey bees during his M.S. degree. After his Ph.D., he moved to Washington State University in 2021 for 9 months to work on a blueberry pollination project. He is currently housed in Rufus Isaacs' lab and is conducting a meta-analysis to better understand the pollinator dependence of different fruit crops. He is funded by a unique foundation that is intended to increase exchange of knowledge between the US and Belgium. He is also an outdoor enthusiast, biker, runner and will be exploring MI this summer.

*Contact/follow us @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram or Twitter.
Thanks to Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!

Laura Ingwell is an assistant professor of horticultural entomology at Purdue University (https://ag.purdue.edu/entm/Pages/Profile.aspx?strAlias=lingwell). First, she talked about her path from dentistry into community ecology and then to entomology. She then shared with us her thoughts about the role of extension, delivering research results to growers and the importance of building personal connections to gain trust.
*Contact/follow us @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram or Twitter.
Thanks to Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!

Ke Dong is a professor at Duke University leading a research program on insect toxicology and physiology (https://kedonglab.biology.duke.edu/). In this episode she talked about her childhood growing up on a silkworm experiment station in China, playing with silkworms, and her mother's influence on her interest in biochemistry. She talked about the importance of her mentor during her PhD program, the "two-body problem", and raising her son while managing a research program at Michigan State University. She also shared with us about her new life in North Carolina, including her teaching responsibilities and a new seminar course she created.
*Contact/follow us @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram or Twitter.
Thanks to Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!

In this episode Zsofia talked with Dr. Nayeli Carvajal. Nayeli is  starting her postdoc at MSU in the Entomology Department this month. She will be moving from California to Michigan in April just in time to see spring in all its glory! She completed her Ph.D. in Nov. 2021 at the University of California - Irvine  studying the effects of climate change on insect-plant interactions. During her postdoc, she will be working on determining how heat waves affect potatoes and its associated pests. Outside of research, Nayeli is passionate about plants, hiking, she also enjoys reading and cooking. Check out her website: https://nayelicarvajal.weebly.com/
*Contact/follow us @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram or Twitter.
Thanks to Ellie Darling for designing the Bug Talk logo!