Biology Students win Awards for Presentations at International Conference

Students Kinsley Adams (Biology, Senior), Erika Rivera (Environmental Science, Junior),
and Hunter Ivey (Biology, Sophomore) traveled to Vancouver, Canada, to present their
independent research at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America,
Entomological Society of Canada, and Entomological Society of British Columbia in
November 2022. This was the first time any of the students had presented their work
at a major conference, let alone an international conference.
Kinsley’s oral presentation, entitled “How to Safely Remove Honeydew Insects using
Histo-Clear Prior to DNA Amplifications,” was well received. Erika’s presentation
earned 1st place in the Biodiversity Poster Competition for her project entitled “How
do invasive ants interact and impact ant communities within the longleaf pine savannas
of North Carolina?,” while Hunter’s poster “Understanding Connections Between Diets
of Honeydew Insects and Fire Ants in Longleaf Pine Savannas of North Carolina” earned
2nd place. The students gained valuable experience, networked, learned about diverse
topics in the field of entomology, and received feedback on their research. Their
research mentors are Drs. Kaitlin Campbell and Lisa Kelly (Biology).
Research was supported by the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Sponsored Research
and Programs, the RISE Program (NIH Grant #5R25GM 077634), and the COMPASS II Program.
Travel was supported by RISE, COMPASS II, College of Arts and Sciences, and Pembroke
Research and Creativity Center (PURC), and a Humphrey Conference Travel Award (to
Hunter Ivey). Special thanks go to Alesia Cummings for helping coordinate travel.
Article Submitted by Kaitlin Campbell