liga2424

Professor Karl Kjer at Entomology 2015: We discuss the formation of the 1000 insect transcriptome initiative. By necessity, the project was split into three phases, the first of which, involving the analysis of 1478 genes from 144 taxa from across Hexapoda, has been published. We discuss our phylogenetic results from this paper. Simultaneously, we have been working on 10 taxonomic divisions, or subprojects, which include basal hexapods, Odonata, Polyneoptera, Dictyoptera, Paraneoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Neuropterida, Diptera, Trichoptera, and Lepidoptera. These subprojects include data from 1500 taxa, and 3500-4900 genes. Progress on the subprojects will be discussed. There are also a large number of collaborative spin-off projects. Finally, we plan to summarize our data in a single publication, as well as a book. Because of the size of these data, we have modified protocols for virtually every step in the analytical pipeline, and these modifications will be discussed.

Three-minute presentations were a new event at Entomology 2015 (previously, there were only ten-minute presentations). In this video by Tanya Josek, entomology students tell us what they thought of the event.

In this video Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris and Kyndall Dye, Chair and Vice Chair of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) Student Affairs Committee, provide a preview of ESA's 63rd Annual Meeting, Entomology 2015. They discuss the meeting’s new events, including premier presentations and three-minute presentations; its student-focused standbys, including the Linnaean Games, Student Debates, and Student Reception; and how students can best take advantage of the numerous professional development and networking opportunities available. Following Rebecca and Kyndall, a representative of Meet Minneapolis highlights the best of all there is to see and do in Minneapolis, while ESA’s Director of Meetings concludes with some details on getting around and making the most of both the meeting and Minneapolis. If you’re attending Entomology 2015, this must-watch video contains THE must-know info!

The topic of the third student debate at Entomology 2015, which featured teams from Florida A&M and the University of Nebraska, was "What is the single best tool for managing pesticide resistance?"