CAROLYN ALMONTE, RECEIVES

THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S 2019 CALVERT AWARD

There was a time when it was dark at night. However, with the ever increasing outdoor lighting, it is easy to get around in most populated areas on a moonless night without a flash light. This so called light pollution makes it hard to see the stars and may have other less apparent consequences. For example, biologists have noticed a dramatic long term decrease in the abundance of insects that cannot be easily explained. Older people remember the time when clouds of moths and other flying insects would be attracted to and swarm around street lights on warm summer nights. Now they say there are almost no insects around those lights. They talk of windshields covered with dead insects hit during trips that needed to be cleaned off at every stop for gas—not any more.

One hypothesis for disappearing insects is that the normal night-day cycle, on which many depend, has been disrupted, and they now effectively live in a world of continuous light. This interested Carolyn Almonte, a tenth grade student from Burlington, New Jersey, who designed a science project to test the hypothesis. Her project, The Effect of Chronic Exposure to Artificial Light at Night on the Development and Fecundity of Manduca sexta, studied the tobacco hornworm moth. Each of the six groups she raised throughout life cycle from egg to adult moth was exposed to a different level of light at night, except for one group that was kept dark. She measured a number of traits associated with reproductive potential and found a consistent and significant negative impact of light at night that increased with light intensity. This supports her hypothesis. Carolyn also received the first place award for 10 grade Zoology and was 10th grade Bronze Metalist at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs. She will be one of 12 students representing DVSF at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, May 12-17, 2019.

Carolyn Almonte's Project displayed at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs

Carolyn Almonte describing her project to Jamie Cromartie and Kenneth Frank at the American Entomological Society meeting 24 April

Carolyn Almonte Receiving 2019 Calvert Award from Jamie Cromartie, AES President

Carolyn displayed her project at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs on April 3. From among the 20 insect-related projects presented, the American Entomological Society awarded Carolyn its 33rd annual Philip P. Calvert Award which was presented at the Society’s meeting held April 24 at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia. Dr. Jamie Cromartie, president of the American Entomological Society, presented Carolyn and other honored students with checks, certificates of accomplishment, and membership in the Society.

            Two other students earned recognition, both for their interest in the Spotted Lanternflies, an exotic species that has invaded southeastern Pennsylvania and likely will spread to other areas with damaging effects on hardwood and fruit trees, and vinyards. Rachel Bergey, an 8th Grade student from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, received second place for her project, Spotted Lanternflies: Sick’em or Trick’em. She developed methods to trap the Lanternflies that were feeding on trees on her family’s property. Rachel received other DVSF awards as well, including an award from the Phildelphia Chapter of the \American Statistical Association, Gold Metal for the Junior High Fair, and a second Place FMC Award.

            Rachel Bergey's project was among the top 30 in the nation selected by Broadcom for junior high science projects. As a finalist selected from a pool of 300 previously selected from among 2300 projects, she went to Washington DC for 6 days in October 25-30 where she emerged as one of the 9 winners of the Broadcom Masters competition! 

Rachel Bergey's Project displayed at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs

American Entomological Society members AES Members gathered around Rachel Bergey and her Spotted Lanternfly project

Rachel Bergey Receiving 2019 Calvert Award from Jamie Cromartie, AES President

Jacquelyn Fekula, an 8th Grade student from Orefield, Pennsylvania, received third place with her project, How does the Incubation of Spotted Lanternfly Eggs affect their Hatching? She explored the effectiveness of various household remedies to kill Lanternfly eggs.

Jacquelyn Fekula's Project displayed at the Delaware Valley Science Fairs. Jacquelyn was unable to attend the Calvert Award ceremonies due to a prior commitment.

            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.

Greg Cowper discusses the insect display to Carolyn Almonte and Rachel Bergey at the AES Calvert Award meeting April 24, 2019.	The insect display prepared by Greg Cowper for the April 2019 AES meeting featured a variety of insects including: Spotted Lanternflies and Manduca sexta, insects studied by the Calvert awardees, insects that had been prepared by Philip P. Calvert, and insects preyed upon by birds.
Charles Bartlett introducing Ashley Kennedy, featured speaker at the April 2019 AES meeting. Her graduate research at the University of Delaware involved a crowd-sourced project and a related image capture study of the diet of birds.	Ashley Kennedy's title slide for her talk. Check out Ashley's What do birds eat? Facebook page.
	Rachel Bergey and Carolyn Almonte displaying the books they recieved as part of their 2019 Calvert Awards. This is the first year that books have be part of the award. Rachel received a copy of Kaufman's, Field Guide to Insects of North America. Carolyn received a copy of For Love of Insects by Thomas Eisner