2007 Annual Meeting Wrap-Up Reports

 

Overview

The scientific program at the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting featured more than 2,000 scientific presentations (1,332 oral papers and 682 posters).  During the 4-day meeting, we offered 74 symposia (5 Program symposia, 1 late-breaking symposium, 21 Section symposia and 47 Member symposia) and 109 contributed sessions. Within the contributed presentation category, there were 24 Ten-minute paper sessions, 22 poster sessions, and 40 student competition sessions. 

By virtually every measure, the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting in San Diego was a great success.  The ESA staff, Tri-Societies staff, and our volunteers made this meeting successful and memorable. On behalf of the 2007 Program Committee, I thank all who contributed to this meeting.

Submitted by Bob Peterson, 2007 Program Chair
 

Posters

There were 689 posters submitted for presentation at the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting held in San Diego, California. On Monday, 219 student competition posters and 10 regular posters were displayed. On Tuesday, 231 posters were displayed, and 229 posters were displayed on Wednesday. Student volunteers Ryan I. Hill and Matthew J. Medeiros of the University of California at Berkley, Department of Integrative Biology helped with the changeover between sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The arrangement of posters on both sides gave synergy to attendance at the poster sessions and commercial exhibits.

Submitted by Phillip G. Mulder and Tom A. Royer, 2007 Poster Session Co-Chairs
 

Student Competition for the President’s Prize

We had 491 students participate in the 2007 competition. This was an increase of 60 presentations over the 2006 AM. There were 311 oral presentations divided into 25 sessions, and 180 display presentations divided into 15 sessions. There were 75 judges for the oral presentations and 45 judges for the displays. In addition, 50 moderators were involved. A breakdown of the number of oral presentations and displays by section is provided in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. This information was presented at the awards ceremony. The winners and runners-up were listed in the PowerPoint presentation at the awards ceremony and are also available through ESA headquarters.

The Excel spreadsheets that automatically totaled the scores for the judges were very well received. We did not receive any negative comments about the judging forms which had been modified in 2006.  Several of the oral presentations sessions had as many as 15 to 16 presentations; ideally, we would keep these sessions to no more than 12 or 13 presentations.  However, because we had only 25 rooms available, for the concurrent sessions, some of the sessions were longer than we would have preferred.

Table 1. Ten Minute Oral Presentations for the President’s Prize, by Section.

Table 2. Diplay Presentations for the President’s Prize, by Section.

Submitted by Ric Bessin, Doug Johnson, and Grayson Brown, 2007 Student Competition Co-Chairs
 

Section A

The 2007 Annual ESA meeting had high participation by Section A members. First off, many members attended and presented in the Entomological Collections Network (ECN) meeting held December 8-9. The union of these two important systematics meetings again helped drive systematists’ attendance to both. ECN had record attendance this year, with over 200 attendees and 35 scheduled talks.
 
Within ESA proper Section A held 3 Section symposia and were connected with 5 Member symposia (in addition to meetings of various taxonomic societies: Coleopterists, Heteropterists, Hymenopterists, Dipterists, Acarologists, etc.). All had excellent attendance:
 
Section Symposia:

·         New Minds for Weevil Systematics: Building Bridges Between Generations and Regions – Organized by Nico Franz and Robert Hamilton

·         Integrating Larval Ecology and Behavior to Illuminate the Evolution of Lepidoptera – Organized by Amanda Roe and Susan Weller

• Diversity of the Tenebrionoidea – Organized by Fran Keller and Katie Hopp

Member Symposia:

• AToL Lepidopteran Female Genitalia Workshop – Organized by Susan Weller and Amanda Roe

• SOLA: Scarab workers – Organized by Andrew Smith

• From Field to Screen: Digital Imaging Technology in Entomology – Organized by Katja Seltmann and Matt Buffington

• Insect Genetic Resources: Conservation and Integration – Organized by Carol Boggs and Roger Leopold

• Lady Beetle Linkages: Connections of the Coccinellidae – Organized by Donald Weber, Eric Riddick, Jonathan Lundgren and Natalia Vandenberg

There were 54 regular 10 minute papers and 55 regular posters presented.
 
The Section A student competition was overwhelmingly popular, with 4 separate sessions needed for the 48 talks, and 37 posters presented. Space available for talks turned out to be barely adequate or inadequate in the case of one room. These required a volunteer workforce of 21 judges and 8 moderators.

Submitted by Michael Caterino, 2007 Section A Chair
 

Section B

Section B members had successful 2007 Annual Meeting held at The Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA.  Dianna Cox-Foster was involved in co-organizing the late breaking symposium, “Colony Collapse disorder in honey bees: Insight into status, potential causes, and preventive measures”.

Three Section B symposia were organized:

• “Insect Antiviral Resistance” by Kent Shelby and Kelli Hoover

• "Influence of Molecular Technology on Invasive Species Programs” by Melody Keena

•  “Frontiers in Vector Molecular Physiology” by Walter Leal and David Denlinger (day and a half followed by sponsored reception)

A total of 25+ volunteers from Section B acted as officers, judges, and moderators in 2007.  In the Student Competition, Section B members contributed 28 ten-minute-papers and 26 posters.  There were 34 TMPs submitted organized into 2 sessions.  We had 64 posters submitted half of which were presented on each of two days.

The final business meeting was attended by about 45 members. 

Submitted by Melody Keena, 2007 Section B Chair


Section C 

Section C members were very active in the 2007 Annual Meeting held at The Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA.  They organized or help to organize all five program symposia and the late-breaking symposium, some with members from other sections.  “Facilitating entomological knowledge of the general population by connecting with the public” was organized by Steve Yaninek (Section C) and Tom Turpin.  “Sensory ecology: Amazing ways insects connect with their environment” was organized by Andrea Joyce and Miriam Cooperbrand, both Section C members.  “Conservation of insects: Current status, future directions, and an expanded role for the Entomological Society” was developed by John Losey (Section C) along with Mace Vaughan and Faith Keuhn.  “Connecting with the world: Should ESA have an international branch?” was organized by Megha Parajulee and Gary Bernon, both Section C members, along with Robert Hollingsworth, and “Making connections: Social interactions and social networking in insects” was organized by Stanley Schneider and Sean O’Donnell of section C, along with Jennifer Fewell.  The late-breaking symposium “Colony collapse disorder in honey bees: Insight into status, potential causes, and preventive measures” was organized by Jeff Pettis (Section C) and Diana Cox-Foster.

Four Section C symposia were organized by Section C members:  “Successes, challenges, and frontiers in biological control of saltcedar in the western U.S” by Ray Carruthers and Patrick Moran; “Making connections among insects, microbial symbionts and the environment: Behavioral and ecological consequences of symbiont infection in insects” by Martha Hunter, Kerry Oliver, and Richard Stouthamer; and “From the small to the grand scale: Innovations in studies on insect dispersal” by Jacquelyn Blackmer and James Hagler; and “Plant-insect interactions: A recognition and celebration of Liz Bernays’ influence and innovation”, by Spencer Behmer (Section C)and Stanford Eigenbrode (Section F). Seventeen regular symposia were represented by Section C members as organizers or co-organizers, including symposia covering Bt resistance, exotic forest pests, bark beetles and wood boring insects, soybean aphid, coccinellids, social insects, teaching, professional development, experiential learning for undergraduates, genetically modified crops, biological control, pathogens, and nematodes. 

Section C members also organized the student debate and the annual business meeting of the N. American section of the IUSSI, and co-organized the emeritus member symposium.

A total of 100+ volunteers from Section C acted as officers, judges, and moderators in 2007.  In the Student Competition, Section C members contributed 150 ten-minute-papers and 73 posters.  Overall, Section C members contributed 165 regular ten-minute papers and ­­­196 regular posters.  The final business meeting was attended by about 30 members. 

Submitted by Paul A. Weston, 2007 Section C Chair
 

Section D

Section D had a very successful meeting in San Diego in 2007.  The section symposia included ‘Ecology of Invasive Mosquitoes: Factors Controlling their Spread and Ecological and Public Health Impacts’ (Phil Lounibos and Steve Juliano), ‘Entomology in the DoD: Accomplishments and the Future’ (Jamie Blow) and ‘Highlights of Medical and Veterinary Entomology’ with presentations by Dan Kline, Tanja McKay, Assaf Anyamba and Felix Guerrero. Regular symposia included ‘Diagnostic tools/Protocols to Detect Arthropod Associated Pathogens’ (Alec Gerry and Seemanti Chakrabarti),  ‘Recent Advances in Sand Fly Research’ (Phil Lawyer and Marcelo Ortiagao), ‘Recent Developments in Insect Repellents Research’ (Moustapha Debboun) and ‘Molecular Insights into Bed Bug Biology’ (James Austin and Allan Szalanski). 

Section D members contributed 29 regular TMP in two sessions moderated by Jann Conn, Jim Cilek, Jerry Hogsette and Lance Durden.  There were 32 Section D posters divided in two sessions.

President’s prize Student Competitions were well represented with TMPs in two sessions.  In the first session, the 11 papers were moderated by Barry Alto and Aqeel Ahmad  and judged by Deb Jaworski and Chris Vitek.  The second session had 10 papers and was moderated by Justin Talley and Andrine Morrison and judged by Chris Geden and Alec Gerry.  The 10 student posters were judged by David Taylor, Dana Nayduch and Phil Lounibos.

Submitted by Sandra Allan, 2007 Section D Chair
 

Section E

Section E presented five well-planned section symposia, 10 TMPs and 30 submitted posters at this meeting.  Student competition submissions included two posters and two TMPs. The strength of our Section E is the five symposia slots that are successfully planned yearly with the assistant of the Section E Chair and the Program Co-Chairs. The five well-attended and received symposia were:

1.  Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Exposing and Navigating their Multifaceted Ramifications for Pest Management in Turf and Ornamentals, Organizer(s): Daniel C. Peck and Albrecht Koppenhöfer

2.  Regulatory Framework Connecting the Science and Application of Transgenic Insects, Organizer(s): Robyn Rose and Susan D. McCombs

3.  Teaching Entomology To Volunteers: Experiences With The Master Gardener Program, Organizer(s): Jeffrey Hahn and Whitney Cranshaw

4.  Implementing IPM through Conservation Programs: Opportunities, Experiences, and Strategies to Move Forward, Organizer(s): Michael J. Brewer and Edwin G. Rajotte

5.  Bt Crops and Resistance Monitoring: Innovation and Influence in U.S. Pest Management, Organizer(s): Sharlene R. Matten and Alan H. Reynolds

Chaired by Sharon Dobesh, Section E awarded four posters the Certificate of Excellence:

1.     Use of bumble bees to extend the duration of row covers on muskmelon in Iowa.  Jaura C. Jesse, Mark Gleason, Alicia Owens, Donald R. Lewis, and Henry G. Taber

2.     Development, dissemination, and adoption of an IPM technique to manage a key pest of turfgrass in the desert southwest United States.  Kai Umeda, and Gabriel Towers

3.     Occurrence and parasitism of Sitodiplosis mosellana (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in North Dakota. J.J. Knodel, G.A.S.M. Ganehiarachchi, K.M. Anderson, and M.O. Harris

4.     Strategies for optimizing detection trapping systems. D.R. Lance, T.C. Holler, D.B. Gates, V.C. Mastro, and A.J. Sawyer

Poster Co-Chairs Phil Mulder and Tom Royer, both members of Section E, did an excellent job in organizing the poster sessions at the San Diego meeting. Phil Mulder is also the Governing Board Liaison from Section E and he provided informative updates on the present status and future plans for the Society.

Congratulations goes out to two Section E members:

1.  Lisa Neven, elected to a leadership position in the new ESA structure (current Section E Vice-chair/Secretary).  Lisa will serve as the Treasurer in the new Plant-Insect Ecosystems section.

2.  Peter Follett, recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award in Horticultural Entomology at the 2007 ESA meeting.

A brief discussion of the new network structure was discussed.  It appears that section E will be scattered, mostly in the Plant-Insect Ecosystems section and the Structural, Veterinary, and Public Health Systems section.  Section E will move forward as a network, probably more as an extension network since the regulatory folks formed a network of their own (Society for Regulatory Plant Protection Network).  This will be discussed online via the listserv as we move into 2008.  There is discussion to submit a network symposia for the 2008 meeting in Reno.  It was also discussed to continue the extension poster judging sessions through the network.   It was decided to keep Sharon Dobesh, Chair of the Extension and Regulatory network for the coming year for consistency, and Scott Ludwig was elected Vice-Chair of the network.  Please contact Sharon Dobesh (sdobesh@ksu.edu) for any questions.

Submitted by Sharon Dobesh, 2007 Section E Chair
 

Section F

Section F. (including subsections Fa and Fb) had a very successful meeting in 2007, and its membership made major contributions to this year’s Program.  As in past years, our Section had three 3 section symposia.  Several member symposia were also organized by section members.  Ninety-four regular Ten-Minute-Paper (TMP) presentations were submitted, and an additional 61 Student Competition TMPs were included in the Program, for a grand total of 155 TMPs.  Section F. members also contributed a total of 90 poster presentations to this year’s Program, of which 59 and 31 were regular posters and Student Competition posters, respectively.  In every category, these numbers exceeded those of the past several years.

Volunteerism on the part of Section F. members was outstanding this year.  A total of 22 moderators (i.e., 12 for Regular TMPs and 10 for Student Competition sessions) oversaw the TMP sessions.  Another integral service to the Program was judging.  We had a total of 24 Student Competition Judges and an additional 12 individuals that had volunteered as reserves.  The service provided by those individuals is greatly appreciated.

No Editorial Board vacancies existed during the 2007 annual meeting.  Thus, no nominations or elections were necessary.

ESA award recipients and honorees belonging to Section F. included the following:

A.      Professional Awards

1.  Founders Memorial Lecturer:  Leon Higley, University of Nebraska

2.  Distinguished Service Award in Extension:  William Hutchison, University of Minnesota

3.  Distinguished Service Award to the Certification Program:  Robert Davis, BASF

4.  Entomology Foundation Award for Excellence in IPM:  Marvin Harris

5.  Ent. Foundation IPM Team Award:  Pacific Northwest Vineyard IPM Team
(Sect. F. members: Leonard Welch, Ronald Wight, Douglas Walsh, Sally O’Neal)

B.      ESA Honorees:  ESA Fellow – Nan-Yao Su, University of Florida

Submitted by Mark A. Boetel, 2007 Section F Chair