A Word From Our Department Head...
Dr. Kevin Heinz
In preparing this piece, I recall a phrase drilled into me in shop that was coined by founder of the boy scouts, British Army officer Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, who wrote: "Try and leave this world a little better than you found it." While only time may tell if the Department of Entomology is a better place than it was eight years ago, I would like to leave you with ten observations supporting such a claim:
- We have grown and increased the relevance of our degree programs. The number of 2009 graduates is 22% higher than the next largest degree conferring U.S. institution (www.stateuniversity.com). Further, 66% of all undergraduates have positions, acceptances, or planned travel at graduation. Students graduating with a B.S. and with immediate employment opportunities contribute $34.8 million to the economy and society based upon an individual’s average life-time earning potential of $2.9 million.
- We successfully initiated the new Forensic and Investigative Sciences (FIVS) undergraduate degree housed within the Department. The importance of the degree to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was recently highlighted in the April 2010 issue of Texas A&M Career Corner
- We initiated the Entomology Scholars Society, which is a select group of undergraduates who assist in student recruitment activities and who play a key role in representing the department at various statewide events and in leading student community service projects.
- The department hired 16 new faculty, 3 new lecturers, and 2 new academic advisors. To facilitate this growth, the department was awarded a $125,000 annual increase to its base budget and raised $2.8 million for start-up cost associated in support of new teaching and research emphases in Arthropod Vector Biology (3 new faculty) and Forensic and Investigative Sciences (2 new faculty). We re-invigorated areas of arthropod interactions with plants (3 new faculty) and maintained strengths in commodity-based research (2 new non-tenure track faculty) and extension (6 new non-tenure track faculty) areas.
- We enhanced the Department’s cultural/ethnic composition whereby faculty origin now represents all continents except Antarctica. Similarly, the percentage of non-white tenure track faculty increased from 12% (2002) to 24% (2010), and of all budgeted employees from 18% (2002) to 29% (2010).
- We increased the book value of Department endowments (excluding endowed chair accounts) at the rate of 10.5% per year (2002-10 inclusive), which included $1.6 mil. in new gifts to establish 14 new endowments.
- We created, implemented, and awarded annually through a faculty peer-review process approximately $52,250 through the Reinvestment in Entomology Research Infrastructure Program and $7,500 through the INSECTeams Program. These programs have generated $10 in extramural grant support for each $1 invested internally.
- We acquired $1.6 million to support new construction, renovation, and repair of teaching and research infrastructure. These infrastructure improvements include opening of the Janice and John G. Thomas ’59 Honey Bee facility and 2,400 ft2 of newly renovated office and laboratory space in support of the hiring of the Charles R. Parencia Jr. Chair in Cotton Entomology.
- We increased the success of tenured/tenure-track faculty in competing for contracts and grants as measured by three year rolling averages: (FY ’02 – ’04: $113,997/PI/yr. FY ’03-‘05: $130,185/PI/yr. FY ’04-‘06: $129,377/PI/yr. FY’05-’07: $134,202/PI/yr. FY ’06-08: $138,935/PI/yr. FY ’07-09: $143,085/PI/yr.)
- Lastly, in collaboration with Solpugid Productions, we started a new educational podcast series (Bug Bytes) that between December 2009 and June 2010 received 114,331 hits and 21,795 subscribers to RSS feed, with one of the podcasts ranking third for downloads from iTunes U.
One quickly runs out of space when limited to selecting only ten observations; what would be your top ten? Regardless of your list, the accomplishments are the products of a creative, hard-working, and passionate administration, faculty, staff, and students who keep the wheels of the Department turning. Many families have entrusted us with their children and countless stakeholders have endowed us with resources that make possible the excellence in teaching, research, extension, and service we exhibit daily.
As this will be my last letter to you as Department Head, I thank each of you for daring to dream beyond what you thought possible and working to make those dreams real. On October 1, Dr. David Ragsdale assumes the role of Head of the best Department of Entomology. I look forward to working with him in my new capacity as Professor of Entomology (a first for me, as I became Department Head as an Associate Professor) and collaborating with many of you as we continue to Discover Entomology.
Dr. David Ragsdale Named New Department Head
The Department of Entomology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has named Dr. David Ragsdale to Department Head.
Ragsdale will begin his new position on October 1. Before coming to Texas A&M, Ragsdale was Professor and Interim department head for the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota and served as the director for graduate studies in the department.(Read More)
Welcome Angie Rollins!
The Department of Entomology would like to welcome Ms. Angie Rollins as our new Lead Office Associate.
Ms. Rollins comes to the Department from the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, where she was the Program Assistant and Assistant to the President for the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. (Read More)
Master Volunteers Learn Entomology Through Training Program
Understanding how to identify and work with insects is essential to any gardening program, especially if it involves being in the Texas Master Gardeners volunteer program.
For the past seven years, Texas AgriLife Extension entomologists and program specialists have conducted a training program to help anyone interested in becoming volunteer insect educators for the community.
Designed to provide advanced training to master volunteers, the program helps volunteers strengthen their experience with insects and allows them to expand educational programs in their home counties. (Read More)
Researcher Studying Presence, Effects of Brood Pheromone in Fire Ant Colonies in Food Selection
What does the foraging behavior of honey bees that are searching for pollen and nectar have to do with the foraging behavior of the red imported fire ant that is searching for protein (other insects) and carbohydrates? One researcher in Dr. Brad Vinson’s lab is trying to answer that question.
Dr. Brad Metz is trying to characterize the pheromone that helps communicate larval presence to the adults is present in fire ants. The idea came from his work as a Ph.D. student, conducting research on characterizing a brood pheromone within a honey bee colony. (Read More)
Congratulations Summer Graduates!
Graduating students Caitlin Nessner,left, Jennifer Stauffer, center, and Jessica Putnam, right, ready to cut the graduation cake.
Graduating students began the celebrations with former Texas A&M football coach R. C. Slocum speaking at a special convocation before the Friday commencement exercises.
Faculty and families of students met in the Heep Center fourth floor atrium for a light lunch and celebratory cake before the 2pm ceremony.(Read More)
Where Are our Former Students Now?
The Department of Entomology continues to serve past, present and future Aggies. Faculty at Texas A&M have developed strong entomological programs and traditions in teaching, outreach, and research for a continually growing number of students.
Our former students are either teaching or changing the world by making a difference in the areas they are working in.
(Read More)