Portrait of Laurie Barley

Laurie Barley Awarded the UTIA Extension “Award of Excellence”

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  Laurie Barley has been awarded the prestigious UTIA Extension non-exempt “Award of Excellence” that goes to an outstanding non-exempt employee who has gone “beyond the call of duty.” Laurie was instrumental in contributing to, and continuing, the educational and testing program of our state-wide Pesticide Safety and Education Program (PSEP) during the last 18 months. During this time, testing and recertification continued even as Covid-19 threatened to close them. This award recognizes her contributions to the attainment of the objectives of Extension:  including leadership, initiative, reliability, cooperativeness, personality, professionalism, communications, competence, planning and implementation. Please join us in CONGRATULATING Laurie on this outstanding recognition!    

Matthew Longmire sitting on a chair in the lab

2021 Tennessee Entomological Society Award Winners

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  The Tennessee Entomological Society (TES) is dedicated to spreading entomological knowledge throughout the state of Tennessee. Every year, TES holds an annual meeting that highlights student paper competitions. We would like to congratulate each participant for their excellent work while also highlighting the winners from our department. Congratulations and keep up the good work! If you would like to learn more about the Tennessee Entomological Society, please click here for more information.   Undergraduate Award: 1st place, Rachel Baxter (works with Jennifer Chandler and Dr. Karen Vail)                       M.S. Award: 1st place, Kassie Hollabaugh; 2nd place, Allyson Dekovich                      

Portrait Dr. Frank Hale

Dr. Frank Hale Awarded the Richard E. Caron Outstanding Entomologist Award

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  Please join us in congratulating Dr. Frank Hale as he has been awarded the Richard E. Caron Outstanding Entomologist Award! This award honors the late Dr. Richard E. Caron, extension entomologist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology from 1981 to 1991, who worked tirelessly with extension agents and producers, developing ecologically sound IPM programs for cotton and soybean. This award is presented to a TES member who has shown outstanding work in entomological pursuits. Dr. Hale is an outstanding entomologist and truly deserving of this award as he has shown! Congratulations Dr. Hale!      

Fall Armyworm

Scientists Discuss the Fall Armyworm Invasion

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  In The Conversation, entomology professor, Dr. Scott Stewart, discusses the invasive species, fall armyworms and control measures. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is an annual problem and has been invading lawns and fields across the United States. These species destroy lawns by feeding and chewing holes in leaves. To the eyes of many, these fall armyworms come across as worms. However, the fall army worm is a striped caterpillar. In the Summer, the entire lifecycle of the worm is about 30 days and twice the amount of days in the Fall and Spring. To read the full article, please click here.        

professor and two graduate students speaking to a group of kids

EPP Attends the Tennessee Valley Fair

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    Matthew Longmire and Kassie Hollabaugh, two graduate students, and one faculty member, Dr. Jerome Grant, have recently attended Down on the Farm at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville. They shared entomology with the kids in attendance. This annual outdoor event, sponsored by University of Tennessee Extension, is a special day dedicated to providing education and information about agriculture, farm safety, and more to young students. About 200 students attended this year’s event, which was modified slightly from previous events due to Covid-19. Bugs Rule!    

Julian Cosner while in the field doing research

Julian Cosner Selected as SEC Emerging Scholar

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In 2021, the SEC Emerging Scholars Program was established to provide professional development and networking opportunities for current doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who are considering careers in higher education. The Emerging Scholars Program encourages top scholars to seek employment and mentorship within the SEC. Each SEC member school was tasked with selecting up to 10 individuals to participate in the first workshop. The University of Tennessee had 45 outstanding nominees, and 10 were selected. Julian Cosner, a Ph.D. student under the tutelage of Dr. Grant, has been announced as one of the 10 participants! This is an impressive accomplishment. Congratulations Julian! 

portrait of Rufus Akinrinlola

Rufus Akinrinlola Announced as Recipient of Corteva DELTA Grant

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  Rufus Akinrinlola, a Ph.D. student under the tutelage of Dr. Kelly, has been announced as a recipient of the Corteva DELTA grant! The Corteva Developing Emerging Leaders and Talent in Agriculture (DELTA) program provides support to diverse talent and their research focusing on sustainable and reliable food production. Rufus participated in a research symposium, showcasing his research in nematode populations in soybeans and how they affect cover crops and Nitrogen fixation. Congratulations Rufus! Well-deserved.      

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NPW ’21 — Hoverflies

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  Hoverflies are incredibly important pollinators. In many ways, they are the underdogs (underflies?) in the pollinating world as many mistake them for bees. They are experts of Batesian mimicry, acting as doppelgangers for wasps and bees in hopes of avoiding predators. Sometimes this mimicry is too uncanny, giving bees undue credit for the wonderful services these little critters provide. It’s quite easy to get the two confused, but as soon as the hoverfly takes flight and begins to “hover” in your face, you know you have the real deal. In addition to pollination, hoverflies also aid in pest management. Many of their larvae are predatory, eating other harmful pests that can damage our crops. They also recycle organic matter