SOPHIA SRINIVASAN RECEIVES
THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S
2009 CALVERT AWARD

In 1987, the American Entomological Society initiated the Calvert Award to be presented to a young person who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in insect-related study. The Award is named in honor of Dr. Philip P. Calvert who joined the Society as a teenager, later became its president, and was a member for 74 years. As Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and an Associate of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Dr. Calvert played an important role in stimulating an interest in insects among young people.

    This year, the 23rd Calvert Award was presented to Sophia Srinivasan, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, a tenth grade student at Parkland High School. Her project was entitled, “Does Halyomorpha halys use olfaction to locate its host plants?” Her project was selected from among 26 insect-related science projects presented at the annual Delaware Valley Science Fairs held April 2 at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.


Sophia Srinivasan with her Calvert Award winning project on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.


Selina Millan with her third place project on ant attractants.

Sophia said she was concerned by the rapidly increasing numbers of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug that get into houses during the winter. This invasive species is a crop pest in its native Asia and Sophia wanted to study its attraction to particular types of plants. The judges for the award, Hal White, Greg Cowper, Angela Caranci, and Larry Barrainger were impressed by Sophia's interest in invasive species of local entomological concern.



 


Awardees receiving their Certificate of Recognition from Jamie Cromartie, President of the American Entomological Society.

Five other students received recognition for their insect-related science projects. Prize winners included Kate Anderson (second place) a senior from Norristown, who studied whether certain viruses were responsible for the epidemic of Colony Collapse Disorder among honeybees and Selena Millan (third place) an eighth grade student from Bethlehem who studied ant attractants. Honorable mentions were awarded to three students, Lauren Hinkel a junior from Doylestown found that ginger repelled ants, Matthew Nicewinter, a senior from Morton, PA compared the feeding efficiency of two termite species, and seventh-grader Shyanne Marquette of West Chester studied the relationship between cricket chirping and temperature. Four of the Calvert awardees were recipients of other awards at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs. Kate Anderson received a 12th grade Honorable Mention in Environmental Science. Sophia Srinivasan received a 10th grade second place in Zoology. Lauren Hinkel received eleventh grade third place in Zolology. And Matt Nicewinter received a twelfth grade third place in Zoology.

Most of the students were able attend and be honored at the Calvert Award ceremonies held April 22 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Dr. Jamie Cromartie, president of the American Entomological Society, presented them with certificates of accomplishment and memberships in the American Entomological Society.

          The featured speaker for the evening was Dr. Doug Tallamy, Chair, Department of Entomology and Applied Ecology at the University of Delaware speaking on"Raising the Carrying Capacity of Suburban Landscapes". Several drawers of Philip Calvert's Dragonflies from the Academy's collection were on display in addition to  "inflated" & dried native caterpillars.


Allan and Barbara Kirchenstein
Matt Nicewinter with his project that compared wood consumption by two termite species.
  
Shayanne Marquette with her project on the relationship between temperature and cricket chirping.

Selina and her parents with other projects and attendees in the background.
Audience for the 23rd Calvert Award Presentation.
 \
Hal White introducing Philip P. Calvert
to the audience.

Shyanne Marquette reading Dr. Tallamy's book with her grandmother.
Matt Nicewinter with his parents.









Most of the photographs here were taken by Greg Cowper.

Calvert Award Home Page
Created 11 May 2009, Last up dated 120 April 2013 by Hal White [halwhite at udel.edu]
Copyright 2009, The American Entomological Society