ERICA
WU, RECEIVES
THE
AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S
2018 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
This year,
the 32nd
Calvert Award was presented to Erica Wu, from Holmdel, NJ, a
senior at Holmdel High School. She is
concerned about the accumulation of non-degradable plastics in our
environment
and wanted to explore possible ways to deal with this major problem.
The fact
that the larvae of certain moths and beetles can actually eat and grow
on
polystyrene inspired her project entitled, “Plastic polymer
degradation
by waxworms (Galleria mellonella).” Her
project was selected from among 16
insect-related science projects presented at the annual Delaware Valley
Science
Fairs held April 4 at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Four other
students
received recognition for their insect-related science projects. They
included Elizabeth
Piatkowski (second place), a 10th grade student from Brick,
NJ, who
studied the effects of oxalic acid vapors to control mites in bee
hives; Andy
Hill (third place), a 7th grade student from Schnecksville,
PA, who
studied the effect of temperature on the growth rate of beetle larvae;
Maddox
Pace (honorable mention), a 6th grade student from
Pedricktown, NJ,
who studied which fruit to take on a picnic that wouldn’t attract ants;
and Elissa
Bulkin (honorable mention), from Holland, PA, who was interested in the
use of
insects in forensic entomology.
All
students were honored
at the Calvert Award ceremonies held April 25 at the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia. Dr. Jamie Cromartie,
president
of the American Entomological Society, presented each with certificates
of
accomplishment and memberships in the Society. Harold White, Chair of
the
Society’s education committee and lead judge for the Calvert Award, was
impressed with the awardees and noted that this year’s group was
particularly
deserving of recognition. They were knowledgeable, curious, and
enthusiastic
about their work, all qualities needed in the next generation of
scientists.
Erica Wu with her First Place Project at the Calvert Award Ceremony, April 26, 2017, at the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia. |
Andy Hill displays his Calvert Prize second runner-up project . |
Maddox Pace displays his Calvert Award Honorable mention project. |
Elissa Bulkin displays her Calvert Award Honorable mention project. |
Elizabeth Piatkowski, Calvert Award First Runner up, being interviewed by Hal White at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs, 4 April 2018 |
Andy Hill, Calvert Prize second runner-up,.being interviewed by Hal White at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs, 4 April 2018 |
Rosemary and Carl Livingston, parents of the first Calvert Award winner in 1987, examining the display of Monach butterflies at the 25 April 2018 AES Meeting. |
Display of Monarch Butterflies, relatives, and mimics from the Academy of Natural Science Entomology Collection prepared by Greg Cowper. |
Stommy Blauth, Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist, speaker at the 25 April 2018 AES Meeting. |