Tuesday, January 20, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
A lot can change in five years! Although institutions have reverted to in-person teaching following the COVID-19 Pandemic, entomology is increasingly shifting to online classrooms and portals for student learning. With higher demand for online course options, accessibility and engagement in digital classrooms are essential. Hosted by the ESA Formal and Informal Teaching (FIT) Student Subcommittee, join us as invited presenters Adrienne Brundage, Ph.D., and Tonya Shepherd, Ph.D., from the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University share their experiences, recommendations, and new tools for improving accessibility and engagement in virtual entomology teaching.
Moderator: Shelby Kilpatrick
Panelist: Dr. Tonya Shepherd, Dr. Adrienne Brundage
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Dr. Tonya Shepherd: I received my B.S. from the University of Evansville (2009) in biochemistry and received my Ph.D. in Medical Science from Texas A&M University (2016), College of Medicine, Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology department at Texas A&M Health Science Center. In 2017, I joined Dr. Juliana Rangel Honey Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, and currently am working as a Research Specialist. My duties include managing the molecular lab, providing training, and helping students on their research projects. I also am a Lecturer in the Department of Entomology where I teach Honey Bee Biology (Ento 320) online and face-to-face since 2017. Additionally, I am a part-time lecturer at Blinn College, since 2016, where I teach mostly Biology (hybrid/f2f) and occasionally Microbiology (hybrid/f2f). |
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Dr. Adrienne Brundage: I am an association instructional professor and the Director of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences program here at Texas A&M University. I began my teaching career in 1999 at San Jose State University, and have since taught large classes at SJSU, Baylor University, TAMU, Blinn College, University of Florida, and Florida State. I teach classes in traditional (f2f) format, hybrid, and fully online, depending on the needs of the class. Each semester I teach an average of 1000 students through all three formats. I am working on building a research program for teaching, and will be launching a project on online lab efficacy in the fall. I currently teach general forensics, forensic entomology, veterinary entomology, scientific writing, wildlife forensic entomology, carrion ecology, and study abroad courses, and in the past have taught medical entomology, microbiology, human biology, human understanding, general biology, botany, zoology, and human anatomy. |