Category: Uncategorized
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Journeys in Entomology: Ivin Lam
To explore how one gets involved in entomology in post-secondary education as well as ongoing research, I met with Ivin Lam. Ivin is a a graduate student at Texas A&M University going for a Master’s in Entomology and currently works as a research assistant at the Texas A&M AgriLife center. We discussed at length about…
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The Cicada Cacophony
In 2024, a rare and fascinating natural event is occurring with the simultaneous emergence of two periodical cicada broods: Brood XIII and Brood XIX. This is the first time since 1803 that these two broods have emerged together, a phenomenon that happens only once every 221 years due to their differing life cycles of 13…
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Dissection Days!!!
In my school biology club I co-hosted a two day dissection lab of earthworms and lubber grasshoppers (way bigger than I thought!). We had lots of fun and learned about insect anatomy and physiology while getting our hands dirty!
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Phylogenetic Analysis of the Molesta Species Complex Solenopsis Thief Ant Subtaxa
Most well known for its invasive fire ants such as the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta, the Solenopsis genus has long been a taxonomic nightmare due to difficulties in morphological separation and lack of genetics research. This molecular phylogeny analysis assessed the genetic relatedness of species within the molesta species complex and its subgroups…