Once a year, thousands of people from dozens of countries all converge on one city to share the latest news about insects. This year, that city was Portland, Oregon, where the Entomology 2025 conference ran from Nov. 9-12.
“The Entomological Society of America’s annual meeting brings together a broad community of scientists, educators, industry professionals and agricultural stakeholders to share and discuss the latest advancements in insect science. As global insect populations continue to decline, this meeting has become an increasingly important forum for presenting cutting-edge research and developing solutions to pressing conservation and agricultural challenges,” wrote Akito Kawahara, director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity.
The Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida at large had a strong showing at Entomology 2025.
“Faculty, staff and students from the Florida Museum and UF-affiliated departments attended this year’s conference, delivering excellent talks and posters, and many of them earned awards for their outstanding presentations.”
Photo courtesy of Rachel Walsh
The four following students at the Florida Museum received awards:
- Anastasia Baluk Garavaglia, an undergraduate intern in the Kawahara Lab, won 2nd place for their presentation in the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity (systematics and morphology) undergraduate category.
- Jahir Rayhan, a master’s student in the Kawahara Lab, won 2nd place for their presentation in the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity (phylogenetics) graduate category.
- Skyla Sheehy, an undergraduate laboratory assistant in the Kawahara Lab, won 1st place for their research poster in the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity (general) category.
- And Rachel Walsh, a doctoral candidate in both the Kawahara Lab and Daniels Lab, won 1st place for their presentation in the Systematic, Evolution and Biodiversity (sampling and models) graduate category.
We offer a hearty congratulations to all of our students who’ve worked hard this year to make new and important discoveries about our natural world!
Source: Akito Kawahara, kawahara@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Jerald Pinson, jpinson@flmnh.ufl.edu, 352-294-0452