In this episode, hosted by the FIT Section Early Career Professional subcommittee, panelists explored how generative AI is transforming education and extension programs, highlighting both its potential benefits and its limitations. The discussion focuses on responsible AI adoption, the importance of maintaining foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills, and the need for clear guidance for students, educators, and stakeholders. Panelists emphasized that AI can improve efficiency and support learning, but it cannot replace human expertise, judgment, or meaningful interaction. Ultimately, the conversation underscored the importance of preparing learners for an AI-enabled future while ensuring they can critically evaluate and appropriately use these emerging tools. Hosted by the FIT Section. Moderator: Melissa Reed Panelists: Alysia Ropp, Morgan Pinkerton, Jonathan Maletic Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the video on YouTube here.
In this episode, hosted by the ESA Student Affairs Committee, panelists Dr. Rob Morrison, Dr. J.P. Michaud, and Dr. Cynthia Lord provide a practical roadmap for turning research into published science. The discussion covers every stage of the publication process, including manuscript structure, scientific writing style, data presentation, journal selection, publication ethics, peer review, and responding to reviewer feedback. Dr. Morrison focuses on the fundamentals of manuscript preparation, emphasizing that scientific papers are ultimately a form of storytelling. He outlines best practices for writing effective titles, abstracts, introductions, methods, results, discussions, and reference sections. Dr. Michaud builds on these concepts by highlighting the importance of clarity, brevity, and novelty in scientific writing, while sharing strategies for creating impactful titles, concise results sections, and effective figures and tables. Dr. Lord concludes with guidance on authorship, journal selection, publication ethics, the peer review process, and how to successfully navigate revisions and reviewer comments. Together, the panelists offer actionable advice for students and early career professionals seeking to communicate their research effectively and increase their chances of publication success. Hosted by the Student Affairs Committee. Moderator: Rupinder Singh Panelists: Dr. Rob Morrison, Dr. J.P. Michaud, Dr. Cynthia Lord Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the screen recording with the slides on our YouTube here.
In this episode, Understanding Peer Review: From Participation to Practice, members of the Entomological Society of America's Entomology for All Committee bring together researchers, reviewers, and journal editors to demystify the peer review process. Panelists share their personal experiences as authors, reviewers, and editors, offering an inside look at how manuscripts move through scientific publishing and how review decisions are made. The discussion explores how scientists at every career stage can become involved in peer review, the critical role mentorship plays in developing effective reviewers, and what separates constructive feedback from overly critical reviews. The panel also examines the challenges facing the current peer review system, including reviewer recruitment, recognition for reviewer contributions, international barriers to participation, and the importance of diverse perspectives in strengthening scientific research. Ultimately, the conversation highlights peer review as both a service to the scientific community and a valuable professional development opportunity. Hosted by the Entomology For All Committee. Moderator: Morgan Pinkerton Panelists: Demian Gomez, Jeremy Irvine, Therese Poland, Lisa Neven Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the screen recording with the slides on our YouTube here.
In this Entomology Advocacy Week episode, Dr. Erin Cadwalader and Dr. Dominique Carter explore how federal policies, budgets, and regulations shape the future of scientific research. From grant funding and federal rulemaking to workforce challenges and congressional advocacy, the discussion highlights why scientists should pay attention to policy and how they can effectively engage in the process. Moderator: Erin Cadwalader, PhD Panelist: Dominique Carter, PhD Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the screen recording with the slides on our YouTube here.
New World screwworm is making headlines again, but how worried should we really be? In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Gordon sits down with University of Florida medical and veterinary entomologist Dr. Edwin Burgess to unpack the science behind one of the most infamous livestock pests in history. Learn what New World screwworm is, why it poses a serious threat to livestock and wildlife, how it spreads, and why the risk to humans remains extremely low. Dr. Burgess explains the fascinating sterile insect technique that successfully eradicated the pest from the United States decades ago, how "sterile flies" are helping fight its return, and why experts are confident it can be controlled again. They also tackle common misconceptions about sterilized flies, food safety, surveillance efforts, and the role of agricultural producers, scientists, veterinarians, and government in responding to the current outbreak. Whether you've been seeing alarming headlines or just want a deeper understanding of this remarkable insect, this episode offers a clear, science-based look at New World screwworm and what comes next. Moderator: Dr. Jennifer Gordon Panelist: Dr. Edwin Burgess You can learn more about ESA at our website entsoc.org. You can watch the screen recording on our YouTube here.
On this episode, ESA's Senior Manager of Certification Programs chats with Adam Holt and Chelle Hartzer from The BCE Podcast. Willet shares insights into ESA’s educational resources and certification programs, including the Board Certified Entomologist certification. The conversation explores how ESA programs help advance industry standards, encourage continuing education, and inspire the next generation of insect science professionals. This episode was created in partnership with The BCE Podcast: www.youtube.com/@TheBCEPodcast To learn more about ESA's certifications program, please visit entocert.org.
This episode features Samuel Martinelli, chair of the International Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC), who presented IRAC's history, key achievements, and future directions. IRAC has become the global authority on mode of action (MoA) classification for insecticides, developing the widely recognized classification system and guidelines that help farmers and advisors manage pesticide resistance. The discussion highlights IRAC's three pillars (MoA classification, guidance/tools development, and global coordination) and outlined their next major initiative: creating a comprehensive resistance database to provide validated, publicly available intelligence on insecticide resistance developments worldwide.
This episode is hosted by the Early Career Professionals Committee, featuring panelists Dr. Heena Puri, Dr. Mary Wallace, Dr. Swati Mishra, and Miles Maxcer discussing their experiences transitioning directly from graduate programs to roles at agricultural biotech startups focused on innovative pest control solutions like biopesticides and RNA technology. Using a Jurassic Park analogy, they defined startups as high-risk, high-reward ventures with dynamic workloads, limited resources, and opportunities for broad skill-building in fast-paced environments. The discussion covered job-finding strategies, leveraging academic backgrounds, positives like creativity and growth versus challenges like uncertainty, and advice on assessing company health and work-life balance. Hosted by the Early Career Professionals Committee Moderator: Lidia Gual Gonzalez Panelists: Mary Wallace, Swati Mishra, Heena Puri, Miles Maxcer Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the screen recording on our YouTube here.
This episode is hosted in honor of Black History Month to amplify the voices of International Association of Black Entomologists (IABE) and celebrate excellence, impact, and perseverance within the field of Entomology. The episode will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about IABE and how its community influences the academic and professional journey of its members. The program features distinguished panelists who will present their research programs, professional accomplishments, alongside personal and professional testimonies of resilience. Hosted by the International Association of Black Entomologists (IABE). Moderator: Tara-Kay L. Jones Panelist: Dr. Tolu Morawo, Dr. Beatrice N. Dingha Learn more about our panelists here. You can watch the screen recording on our YouTube here.
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. Hosted by the ESA FIT Pilot Section Moderators: Shelby Kilpatrick, Victoria Pickens Panelists: Dr. Tonya Shepherd, Dr. Adrienne Brundage Learn more about our panelists here. You can find the handout from our panelists mentioned in this discussion here, and watch the screen recording on our YouTube here.