Entomology MS Defense:

Mandy Anhalt

"Transmission biology of Banana bunchy top virus to banana by Pentalonia nigronervosa (Hemiptera: Aphididae)" Ms. Mandy Dara Anhalt

Friday May 11th, 2007
3:00 PM
Gilmore 306

Please join me in welcoming Dr. James Leary to PEPS as Assistant Researcher responsible for invasive plants/weeds!

James Leary

Dr. Leary received his BS in Horticulture from Michigan State University, MS in Horticulture from UH Manoa (with Joe DeFrank), and just completed his PhD in MBBE (with Dulal Borthakur). James' faculty position is funded by a TSTAR Capacity Building grant, in collaboration with NREM.

Dr. Leary can be contacted at:

James John Kalani Leary <leary@hawaii.edu>
Office: Gilmore 403
Lab: Gilmore 401
Tel: 956-6179

Double Feature!
Proposal seminars in Entomology:
Tuesday, May 8th, Gilmore 301

Will Haines

2:00pm: Will Haines, PhD. Proposal in Entomology: The ecology and evolution of Hawaiian Lepidoptera, with a focus on moths in the genus Omiodes (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Committee: Dr. Daniel Rubinoff (Chair), Dr. Ken Kaneshiro, Dr. Mark Wright, Dr. Andy Taylor, Dr. Jon Price (USGS)

Entomology MS Thesis Defense

Maggie Gentz

"Toxicity of boron compounds in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki" Margaret Gentz

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
2:00 pm
Gilmore Hall 306

All are welcome. Maggie's committee is Ken Grace (Advisor), Julian Yates and Josef Seifert.

"Conservation of the Unique: Life History and Genetics of the Wekiu Bug, Nysius wekiuicola, from Mauna Kea, Hawaii"

Mr. Jesse Eiben
Entomology Graduate Program
PEPS

Tuesday May 1, 2007 - 3 PM - Gilmore 306

Advisor: Dr. Dan Rubinoff

Adam Vorsino

ENTOMOLOGY PhD PROPOSAL SEMINAR: "Ecological and genetic change to a Biological Control agent following introduction to a new environment"

Mr. Adam Vorsino
Entomology Graduate Program
PEPS

Monday, April 23, 2007
10:00 AM
Gilmore 301

Adam's advisor is Dr. Mark Wright. All are invited to the seminar.

Ranit Kirschenbaum

"Behavioral Ecology of Invasive Ant Species in Hawaii" Ranit Kirschenbaum MS Candidate in Entomology

Friday, April 13, 2007
11:00 AM
Gilmore 301

All are invited to attend. The thesis committee is Ken Grace (Advisor), Julian Yates, and Mark Wright.

Nan-Yao Su

Dr. Nan-Yao Su Professor of Entomology Department of Entomology & Nematology Ft. Lauderdale Research & Education Center University of Florida

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11
10:00 AM COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS
10:30 AM LECTURE

AG SCIENCES 219

All are invited to hear our CTAHR Outstanding Alumnus for 2007, Dr. Nan-Yao Su, this coming Wednesday (this week!) in Ag Sci 219. Come at 10:00 for light refreshment.

Dr. Su received his PhD in Entomology from CTAHR in 1982, under the direction of Emeritus Professor Minoru Tamashiro. Since his graduation, Dr. Su has made a tremendous impact on termite research, and an equally important impact on how termites are controlled around the globe. He is known internationally for his research on termite behavior (with over 200 publications); and is best known to the pest control industry for his co-development, with Dow AgroSciences, of the Sentricon Colony Elimination System of baiting for the control of subterranean termite. His patent in this area (one of 7 patents he holds or has filed) is one of the two most successful inventions (along with Gatoraid) patented by the University of Florida.

Please come hear about how it all started - sampling termite colonies here at the University of Hawaii - and where we are going with the future of termite control!

Our students did very well in the CTAHR Student Research Symposium last week! Please join me in congratulating:

Mandy Anhalt (Ento) - CTAHR Best MS Student Oral Presentation
Adam Vorsino (Ento) - Gamma Sigma Delta PhD Student Poster Presentation Award of Merit
Mathews Paret (TPP) - CTAHR PhD Student Poster Presentation Award of Merit
Leyla Kaufman (Ento) - PEPS Best Entomology Graduate Student Oral Presentation
Cristita Verna Subere - PEPS Best Tropical Plant Pathology Graduate Student Poster Presentation

They will be recognized at the CTAHR Awards Banquet this Thursday. Also, the CTAHR Centennial Alumnus is Dr. Nan-Yao Su, a graduate of the Entomology program under the supervision of Dr. Tamashiro - he will also be recognized at the Banquet, and will be speaking on Wednesday in Ag Sciences (come at 10 AM for light refreshments, followed by his talk at 10:30).

We are about half way through the Food Drive, and I want to thank the one PEPS staff member who has generously contributed!

Why don't we make this a big week? This is a good cause - it all goes to feed the hungry right here in Hawaii. With most families one or two paychecks away from homelessness, this help is really needed (and appreciated).

Please consider making a donation this week. Checks are most appreciated (made to Hawaii Food Bank), but contributions of nonperishable foods (especially canned meats and vegetables) are welcome too.

Tax-deductible donations can be given to any of our great office staff. Lydia is our coordinator this year. See her also if you are interested in purchasing a Macy's discount card, t-shirt, or tickets to the special "food tasting" event this coming weekend.

The Hawaii Foodbank Annual Drive runs through April 23. PEPS has typically kicked okole in this Drive - you are generous people! This is a really worthwhile activity, since both money and food goes directly to feed the hungry here in Hawaii. Lydia is our Foodbank Coordinator this year. Please give monetary donations to the staff in either office for Lydia, and please drop off donations of food in the Gilmore office. Monetary donations (checks) are highly preferred, but nonperishable food is welcome too. CANNED meats or tuna, spaghetti, chili, corn beef hash, vegetables, fruits, and beans are the most wanted foods. No fresh or frozen items please.

Other items available shortly will be t-shirts ($10), Diners Club and Macys discounts, and a "Great Chefs" event on March 24. Flyers for this latter event are up in some of the buildings. These are really great deals! Check out the attachments to this message.

Please call Lydia if you have questions. Thanks for your generosity!

Great Chefs Fight Hunger		Macy's Community Shopping Day		Foodbank T-shirts

The Tropical Plant Pathology grad students are sponsoring another one of their famous volleyball, food, and drink get-togethers TOMORROW, FRIDAY JAN 26 at 4 PM on the GILMORE LAWN. Stop by for some relaxing fun, and feel free to bring a little something for eating and drinking to share.

Dear students, faculty, and friends:

The 19th Annual CTAHR Student Research Symposium will take place on April 5-6, 2007, in the Agricultural Science Building, UH Manoa. The Symposium serves as a multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion and exchange of information. The Symposium is open to graduate and undergraduate students conducting scholarly work under the supervision of faculty in UH Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and UH Hilo's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management.

The Call for Abstracts is attached to this e-mail message. THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION IS MARCH 9, 2007.

A web site with additional information on the symposium is being set up.

We encourage all students to participate so please set aside this date. We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the 19th Symposium.

Traci Sylva E-mail: tsylva@hawaii.edu 
Charles Kinoshita E-mail: kinoshitac@ctahr.hawaii.edu 

Dear CTAHR family -- students, faculty and staff:

Please join your friends at this year's CTAHR Spring Event on Friday, February 9, 2007, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., in the grassy area next to Gilmore Hall.

As a result of two consecutive years of Dodge Ball competitions at CTAHR's annual Spring Event, our CTAHR family has come to recognize the sport for what it really is... a true test of cunning, precision, grace, and stamina, arguably, the greatest competitive sport of the modern era. This third consecutive year of competition will surely take that sport to new heights.

CHEER on your favorite department's modern day gladiators in the sophisticated Dodge Ball competition!

FEAST on free hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers?!

MAKE a monetary donation to the River of Life Mission! (If you plan to write a check, please make it out to the River of Life Mission.)

Please visit http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/Academics/Activities.html#SpringEvent to view last year's fun event.

See you at this year's festive CTAHR Spring Event!

Images from last year's event can be found here.

Nan-Yao Su

I am pleased to let everyone know that PEPS / Entomology graduate Dr. Nan-Yao Su has been selected as the CTAHR 2007 Outstanding Centennial Alumnus! Dr. Su is a Professor at the University of Florida, and a well-known researcher in termite biology and control. He received his PhD in Entomology under the supervision of Emeritus Prof. Minoru Tamashiro.

This is the second year in a row that Em. Prof. Tamashiro's students have received this honor. Last year's (2006) recipient was Dr. Po-Yung Lai, who also earned his PhD under Dr. Tamashiro's supervision. Dr. Su is also the third PEPS alumnus to be honored in the past 4 years - the 2004 honoree was Plant Pathology graduate Dr. Robert Birch.

Please plan to attend the CTAHR Centennial Banquet on April 12. Dr. Su, and outstanding CTAHR students, staff and faculty will be honored. It should be quite a bash, as we celebrate 100 years of CTAHR and UH. Dr. Su will also be giving a seminar that week that everyone is invited to attend.

Good news to start the new year!

PEPS Annual Potluck Holiday Party!! 12 Noon - 2 PM Tuesday, December 19 St John 10

CONTEST: This year rather than a door-decorating contest, we're going to have a home-made HOLIDAY TREE CONTEST. The rules are simple - MAKE and DECORATE a holiday tree out of items found in your lab or office. That means both the TREE and the DECORATIONS have to be made out of normal items found there! No fair claiming that you always keep glitter and tinsel in the lab.

Bring your "tree" to the party, and we will display them all and choose the winner by acclimation!

GRAB-BAG: We'll have a voluntary grab-bag for items costing no more than $5.

FOOD: Drinks provided. Bring something tasty to share!

SPECIAL PEPS SEMINAR:

"Chemical Cues for Host Preferences of Rhagoletis Flies: Host-plant Mediated Sympatric Speciation"

Dr. Satoshi Nojima
Department of Entomology
North Carolina State University

Tuesday, December 5
10:30 AM
Gilmore 306

Dr. Nojima is a Senior Researcher in the program directed by Dr. Coby Schal at NCSU, where he is involved with numerous projects dealing with chemical ecology and chemically-mediated insect behavior. His seminar discusses research performed on the apple maggot fly, in collaboration with Wendell Roelofs and Jeffrey Feder. Please contact Ken Grace if you would like to meet with Toshi while he is Hawaii. He can also be reached by email at toshi_nojima@ncsu.edu.

Everyone is welcome!

Entomology PhD Proposal Seminar:

"Ecology, biology and management of the black twig borer Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) in Hawaii"

Elsie Burbano
Entomology Graduate Program
Dept. of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences

Friday, December 1
9:00 AM

Gilmore 301

Dr. Mark Wright is Ms. Burbano's advisor. All are welcome to attend.

Announcing the First (in a long time) University of Hawaii Insect Museum Insect Sorting Event!

What is it? An insect sort happens naturally as specimens accumulate through field work collections. Until a sort, these insects are not easy for experts studying different groups to locate in the museum. During a sort labeled insects are taken from the group in which they were collected and put with the other insects to which they are closely related. Then they are placed in their proper spot in the museum collection where experts can find them and identify them.

Who should come?
Anyone interesting in learning more about the insects of Hawaii. If you can tell a moth from a beetle, you can make a contribution!

Why should I go?
It's a great chance to learn a little bit about a lot of different groups of Hawaiian insects in a casual atmosphere.

How much time will it take?
You can stop by for a few minutes, go to class and come back, or stay for the whole time we are sorting on both days. We hope to finish after two afternoon and evening work shifts.

When is it?
Thursday October 19, 2pm until 6pm, and October 20, 2pm until finish!

Where is it?
The sort will be held in the UH Insect Museum. Room 607A Gilmore Hall.

Questions? Contact Dan Rubinoff: rubinoff@hawaii.edu