Nouvelles
By Matt Yunik, Public Education, Entomological Society of Manitoba
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After a slow start, I can finally say that spring is in the air here in Manitoba. Summer students have started their work in the various labs and grad students are chomping at the bit to get back into the field. After the devastating flooding followed by unquenchable drought of last year, this field season shows promise for being more successful.
Memorial in the J.B. Wallis and R.E. Roughley Museum of Entomology, with a case of Dr. Roughley’s Dytiscid beetles.
The entomology museum here at the University of Manitoba has recently undergone some transformations. A modest but fitting re-dedication ceremony was held on March 27th for our newly named J.B. Wallis/R.E. Roughley Museum of Entomology. Dr. Roughley had always been a big promoter of the museum, earning it the status of being the largest insect museum in Western Canada and the first bar-coded database system for entomological collections in Canada.
The department’s Graduate Student Association, with the assistance of the current curator Dr. Barb Sharanowski, has secured funding and are assembling a stereoscope with digital imaging system that will provide stellar images that will be shown on later blog posts.
Finally, there are two points of interest to report from the ESM front. On April 18th the ESM held our new member social. Dinner and drinks were served with admission covered for all new members of the society. I personally enjoyed meeting other newcomers while spending time with some of the more senior members.
Also, the ESM youth encouragement and public awareness team is getting ramped up for the multitude of presentations through the summer months. We typically conduct over 60 presentations a year, the majority of which are for summer youth camps. It will be exciting to see how the influx of new faces in the society will add to these presentations.
On June 15, 2012, Rebecca Hallett, Chair of the Science Policy & Education Committee, sent a letter on behalf of the ESC to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Hon. Keith Ashfield (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans) and Hon. Peter Kent (Minister of the Environment) asking the Government to reverse their decision to close the Experimental Lakes Area. You can read the full text of the letter attached here. The letter was cc’d to Save ELA, and MPs Elizabeth May (Green Party Leader), Tom Mulcair (New Democratic Party Leader) and Hon. Bob Rae (Liberal Party Leader). The ESC was also added as a signator to an ad in support of saving the ELA printed in the Globe & Mail and the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday June 16.
You can read the ESC’s letter to the government here.
Anyone interested in learning more about the ELA and/or adding your individual support to this initiative, should visit the Save ELA site.
Responses:
On Monday June 19, a reply was received from Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, expressing her dismay at the closure of the ELA and her intention to table petitions in the House of Commons supporting the continued operation of the ELA in hopes of reversing the government’s decision.
You can read Elizabeth May’s response here.
On Friday June 29, a reply was received from Hon. Keith Ashfield (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans).
By Rose De Clerck-Floate, Chair of the ESC Achievement Awards Committee
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On June 4 I was on a high despite it being the end of a long work day, and a Monday no less. This is because I had the pleasure of informing two distinguished Canadian entomologists that they will be this year’s recipients of our Society’s most prestigious awards; the Gold Medal and the C. Gordon Hewitt Award.
Last December when embarking on my duties as Chair of the Achievement Awards Committee, I had no idea of how the whole process of serving on the Committee which receives and reviews the nominations and then selects the nominees for final ESC Board vote, would profoundly expand my understanding and appreciation of both our entomologist colleagues and our Society. First, I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Committee, which was made up of well-respected and accomplished entomologists in their own right. Secondly, I was taken aback by the quality of candidates, which made our job of choosing only one nominee per award challenging. Finally, I was impressed with the nomination packages themselves, and by how eagerly and selflessly our members rose to the large task of pulling together these rather detailed and long documents during their busy lives. It spoke volumes of the dedication, volunteerism, and team-work of our members, and ultimately, how vibrant we are as a Society.
When I placed the calls, I was both excited and nervous; the latter because there is a fair dash of humility that comes with realizing that these people, even though they are acquaintances and I have interacted with them in the past, all of a sudden stand out as amazing both academically and in their capacity for giving back to the communities they are part of. I honestly had no idea how accomplished they were until reading the nomination packages. Wow! Quickly though, their own humility shone through the phone call; both were thrilled and honored by the news, with one blurting with heartfelt candor, “I have always so loved entomology, and to be recognized by my fellow entomologists means a great deal to me”.
So what our current Prez, Michel Cusson, told me in December is very true. Having the opportunity to tell someone that they are being honored by peers for their contributions to science and society is really a very special moment. And for someone (i.e., me) who has never taken the time to nominate another for one of the awards our Society has to offer annually, this experience also has transformed me. I am now looking more closely at my colleagues; appreciating who they are and what they are contributing to Canadian entomology, and seeing future nominations everywhere! My hope is that others will be inspired down the same fulfilling path of recognizing and giving on behalf of our Society.
After all this, I guess I should let you know who the recipients of this year’s honors are: congratulations to Dr. Felix Sperling for being the awardee of the Gold Medal, and Dr. Brent Sinclair, awardee of the C. Gordon Hewitt Award…….more details to come.
Dr. Felix Sperling, recipient of the ESC Gold Medal
Dr. Brent Sinclair, recipient of the ESC C. Gordon Hewitt Award
Un évènement à ne pas manquer!
Les 1 et 2 novembre 2012, la SEQ tiendra à Boucherville sa 139e réunion annuelle sous le thème « Entomologie et agriculture biologique : de l’écologie à la pratique ». Lors du symposium, plusieurs conférenciers de prestiges viendront présenter les dernières avancées en agriculture biologique, les applications de leurs recherches ainsi que les défis à relever dans le futur en agriculture biologique. En plus du symposium, plus d’une trentaine de présentations étudiantes et professionnelles seront données sur différents aspects de l’entomologie agricole et forestière lors de la première journée du congrès. Pour plus de détails sur le programme et pour vous inscrire, consultez notre site Web à www.seq.qc.ca
An event not to miss!
On November 1st and 2nd 2012, the SEQ will hold its 139e annual meeting in Boucherville under the theme of “Entomology and organic agriculture: from ecology to practice”. During the symposium, prestigious speakers will present the latest advances in organic agriculture, practical applications of their research and challenges in the future of organic agriculture. In addition to the symposium, more than thirty talks from students and professionals on agricultural and forest entomology research will be given during the first day of the meeting. For more details about the program and to register visit our website at www.seq.qc.ca
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Sophie Rochefort
Présidente, Societé d’Entomologie du Québec
By Adrian Thysse, Photographer and co-organizer of the JAM 2012 Photo Competition
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The Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Alberta and the Entomological Society of Canada will be hosted in Edmonton, November 3-7, 2012 . All participants of JAM 2012 are eligible to participate in the photo competition.
The theme for the competition will be Canadian Arthropods, in the following categories:
1. Dead–pinned or preserved specimens
2. Alive–in the natural habitat
3. Dead or Alive–predators with prey
4. Alive with mites–insect mite symbiosis (Sponsored by International Journal of Acarology editor, Dave Walter)
$150 will be awarded to the winner for each category and the “Alive with mites” winner may be offered the opportunity to be a cover illustration for the International Journal of Acarology.
So far the judges include John Acorn, David Walter and myself, and we are looking forward to a wealth of submissions from all the many entomologists, amateur or professional, that will be attending JAM 2012.
Nothing to submit? There is a whole season of delicious bug photography still ahead!
The closing date for submissions is October 30, so get your macro lens on and get cracking! We are looking forward to a biodiverse flood of entries!
Sympetrum sp. Photo by Adrian Thysse
Originally posted at Splendour Awaits: http://bugs.adrianthysse.com/2012/06/jam-2012-photo-competition-canadian-arthropods/
CONTACTER LA SOCIÉTÉ
Assistant administratif : info@esc-sec.ca
SEC Président : ESCPresident@esc-sec.ca
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