Lisa Baik, assistant professor of insect biology and the coordinator of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's seminars for the 2026-27 academic year, has announced the list of speakers and their topics.

All seminars will take place on Wednesdays from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall and will be hybrid. The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

The schedule:

The highly anticipated YoloSol Collective's wetlands exhibition, "Good Fire, Living Water: The Gifts of a Marsh Economy"--to open Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Davis Arts Center and continue through Monday, Nov.

UC Davis alumna Gwendolyn "Gwen" Erdosh, a globe-traveling entomologist, researcher, photographer and graduate student who shares her passion and knowledge of entomology with 204,000 followers on her Instagram account, @Gwentomologist, is now teaching a global 10-week course, "Online Entomology Course (OEC)."

A Brazilian-UC Davis scientific network that collaborated with the legendary UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock (1947-2026), on his pioneering soluble epoxide hydrolase research, recently authored a  mini-review of their accomplishments in Science Direct.

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences, is the recipient of the 2026 Applied Chemical Ecology Award from the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) for his applied research targeting insect pests that damage plants, spread diseases, and destroy crops. 

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus (on recall) Frank Zalom, a legend in the world of integrated pest management and entomology for his research, teaching, mentoring and leadership, is the newly announced recipient of a 2026 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Exceptional Emeriti Award. 

"Beetlelady" Stephanie Dole, a UC Davis alumna, veteran science educator and a newly published children's book author (www.beetlelady.com), will be tabling at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, Sept. 20.

The open house, free and family friendly, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m.

Master's degree candidate Shah Alam of the Amanda Hodson lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will present his exit seminar on "Management Strategies and Disease Interactions of Resistance Breaking Root-Knot Nematodes" at 1 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4 in Room 176 of Hutchinson Hall. 

Alam, to receive his degree in September, holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh (2017).

Those aphids infesting your milkweed plants offer a surprising benefit.

Newly published UC Davis research suggests that the honeydew produced by aphids on milkweed plants increases plant growth.

"Educating young people has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work with the California Master Beekeeper Program and the UC Davis Bee Haven. We encourage curiosity and exploration through interactive activities, including answering questions to spin a prize wheel, handling 3D-printed models, examining pinned insects and creating pollinator-themed crafts."