April and May news in this newsletter. Remembering Dion Lerman, plenty of awards and promotions, and a publication. More to come next month that just couldn't fit into this issue.
Great Spangled Fritillary on Frostweed / Photo Credit: Tasha Ferris
In the News
Bees
Butterflies
Fruitworm
Insecticides
Spotted Lanternfly
In Remembrance
Dion Lerman, MPH, ACE, HHS
Dion was a key figure in integrated pest management in Philadelphia and was very well known in the community. He collaborated with scores of organizations to help commonly overlooked community members get help with pest infestations. He regularly trained participants in workforce development programs for the National Healthy Homes Center and Network. He commonly conducted his training in North Philadelphia at the Energy Coordinating Agency, which recently dedicated a lab and classroom to Dion to honor his longtime service to the community
His most recently developed program trained residents of North Philadelphia to be urban IPM technicians so that they could find employment in the pest control industry and help residents of the neighborhoods where they lived. More about Dion and his life can be found on his memorium page.
Awards, Promotions, and Nominations
Rose Zhu, Ph.D. promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
Heather Hines, Ph.D. promoted to full Professor
Christina Grozinger appointed to National Academies committee on insect declines
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently appointed Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, to an 18-member study committee to examine the status of insects in North America.
International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) Early Career Award
Graduate Student and Staff Awards
2025 Graduate Exhibition
Sujay "Hat Trick" Paranjape
“Everything That Kills Me Makes Me Feel Alive: The Paradox of Plant Defense and Insect Preference”
- First Place: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
- Second Place: Data Visualization Award (Sponsored by the University Libraries)
- Third Place: Research Poster Category — Health and Life Sciences
Sahil Pawar
“The impact of salinity on plant-insect interactions”
- First Place: Data Visualization Award (Sponsored by the University Libraries)
2025 Recipients for the Apes Valentes and Dutch Gold Research Awards
Rebekah Whiteman
Undergraduate, Apes Valentes & Dutch Gold Award (mentor: Dr. Heather Grab): Exploring Pollinator Dependence in Tomato Crops across a Domestication Gradient
Sophia Mucciolo
Graduate student (mentor: Dr. Sara Hermann): Backyard monarch habitat: Designing gardens for conservation
Orion Pizzini
Graduate student (mentor: Dr. Christina Grozinger): Influence of microclimate on solitary bee nesting behavior
Robert Kelly
Graduate student (mentor: Dr. Christina Grozinger): Evaluating the role of diet and season on the nutrient content of brood food produced by honey bee nurses
Marie Muñiz
Graduate student (mentor: Dr. Heather Grab): Interactive effects of heat and pesticide exposure on important pollinator behavior
More information about the recipients and their work can be found on The Center for Pollinator Research website.
Publications
- Sublethal pesticide exposure decreases mating and disrupts chemical signaling in a beneficial pollinator, Nathan Derstine, Cameron Murray, Freddy S. Purnell, Etya Amsalem, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 970, 20 March 2025, 179005
Department of Entomology
Address
501 ASI Building453 Shortlidge Rd
University Park, PA 16802
- Email entomology@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-1895
- Fax 814-865-3048
Department of Entomology
Address
501 ASI Building453 Shortlidge Rd
University Park, PA 16802
- Email entomology@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-1895
- Fax 814-865-3048
