August 19-24, 2007 Dr. Margaret Allen presented two papers entitled “Transgenic screwworm applications and SIT” and “Functional genes of non-model arthropods” at the International Congress of Insect Biotechnology and Industry in Daegu, South Korea.

October 25, 2007, Dr. Margaret Allen presented a paper entitled "Insight into the genes of Lygus through ESTs" at the Mississippi Entomological Association Annual Conference in Starkville, MS.

November 25, 2007, Dr. Margaret Allen attended a governance workshop for Section Officers of the Entomological Society of America hosted by Dow Agrosciences in Indianapolis, IN. This workshop was designed to communicate reorganizational changes and discuss challenges associated with new Section assignments and priorities.

December 8 – 14, 2007 Dr. Margaret Allen presented a paper entitled "Expressed sequences of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris" at a the annual national meeting of the Entomological Society of America in San Diego, CA.

February 27 - 29, 2008 Dr. Margaret Allen presented an invited paper entitled "Designer Drool -host plants and plant bug salivary enzymes" at a the Arkansas Biosciences Institute of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and at the University of Arkansas Entomology Department.

April 10 - 13, 2008 Dr. Margaret Allen presented a paper entitled "ESTs uncover unique salivary enzymes of tarnished plant bugs" at a the 2^nd Annual Arthropod Genomics Symposium in Kansas City, MO.

March 27, 2008, Dr. J. T. Vogt was hosted by Dr. Alvin Simmons of the U. S. Vegetable Laboratory for a tour of the facility and a “behind the scenes” look at entomology research in Charleston, SC.

March 24-March 26, 2008, Dr. J. T. Vogt presented a paper entitled "Effects of insolation on fire ant distribution at a field scale" to colleagues in Federal Government, Academia, and Industry at the annual Red Imported Fire Ant Conference in Charleston, SC.

March 2-March 5, 2008, Dr. J. T. Vogt presented an invited paper entitled "The imported fire ant mound from near and far: Characterization, estimation, and detection" to the Remote Sensing/ GIS Symposium at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Branch, Entomological Society of America in Jacksonville, FL.

October 30-November 2, 2007, Dr. J. T. Vogt participated in the National Program 104 Stakeholder Meeting in Denver, CO. Stakeholders in other USDA agencies, Academia, and Industry provided input to NP 104 researchers to provide future direction for research programs.

October 25-October 26, 2007, Dr. J. T. Vogt presented a paper entitled “Fire ants and other urban pest insects in the popular press” at the annual Mississippi Entomological Society meeting in Starkville, MS.

August 2-4, Dr. DeFauw was a co-author on an invited paper presented by Dr. Steven Thomson (USDA, ARS, Application and Production Technology Research Unit) entitled “Thermal Imaging Using Small-Scale Aerial Platforms for Assessment of Crop Water Stress in Humid Subtropical Climates” at the 2nd Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture in Pyeongtaek, Korea.

October 25-26, Dr. Sherri DeFauw presented a paper entitled “Seasonal Changes in Broadband Spectral Reflectance Characteristics of Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mound Features” at the 54th annual meeting of the Mississippi Entomological Association held in Starkville, MS. She was also a co-author on a presentation entitled “Management Zone Delineation and Image Resolution Issues in the Site-Specific Control of Tarnished Plant Bugs in Cotton” (with colleagues from Mississippi State University –Delta Research and Extension Center and USDA, ARS, Genetics and Precision Agriculture Research Unit).

November 4-8, Dr. Sherri DeFauw presented a paper entitled “Influences of Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis spp.) Pedoturbation on Soils and Turfgrass in a Mississippi Sod Production Agroecosystem” at the International Meeting of the ASA, CSSA, SSSA held in New Orleans, LA.

February 26-28, Dr. Sherri DeFauw presented a poster entitled “Imported Fire Ant-Mediated Effects on Soil Chemistry and Turfgrass in a Mississippi Sod Production Agroecosystem” at the Joint Conference of the Mississippi Weed Science Society, Mississippi Association of Plant Pathologists and Nematologists, and the Mississippi Entomological Association. She was also a co-author on a presentation entitled “Detection of Heat/Water Stress in Irrigated Cotton Using Thermal Imagery” (with colleagues from Mississippi State University –Delta Research and Extension Center and USDA, ARS, Genetics and Precision Agriculture Research Unit).

March 2-5, Dr. Sherri DeFauw delivered an invited paper entitled “Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Turfgrass and Soils Influenced by Imported Fire Ant Mound Construction Activities” at a Special Symposium of the Southeastern Branch meeting of the Entomological Society of America. The symposium covered “Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing in Entomology” and included representatives from academia, extension specialists, consultants, USDA-ARS and USDA-APHIS.

March 24-26, Dr. Sherri DeFauw delivered a paper entitled “Seasonal Dynamics of Imported Fire Ant Pedoturbation on Soils and Turfgrass in a Mississippi Sod Production Agroecosystem” at the 2008 Imported Fire Ant and Invasive Ant Conference convened in Charleston, SC. In addition, she presented another paper entitled “Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Seasonally-Acquired Imported Fire Ant Mound Features (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Turfgrass”.

March 3-6, Dr. Margaret Lyn delivered an oral presentation entitled “New Mosquito Biolarvicide Formulation for Improved Residual Activity” at the 2008 American Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting in Sparks, NV.

Feb 5-8, Dr. Margaret Lyn delivered a poster presentation entitled “Viability of the Bioherbicide Myrothecium verrucaria in Tank-mix Suspensions: Effect of Herbicide Formulation, Rate and Suspension Time” at the 2007 Annual Weed Science Society of America meeting in San Antonio, TX.

Mar. 6-9, Dr. Margaret Lyn delivered an oral presentation entitled “Development of ULV formulation for mosquito control” at the Deployed War Fighter Program Review in Gainesville, FL to USDA-ARS-104 NPL, ARS colleagues, and to board and funding committee members of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board and the Deployed War Fighter Program.

May 28-29, Dr. Margaret Lyn was invited to participate in a contract research meeting between USDA-ARS-Center for Medical, Agricultural & Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Gainesville, FL.

Aug. 21-23, Dr. Margaret Lyn participated in the Vector Control Break-out Session at the Armed Forces Pest Management Board Orientation Program in Washington, DC.

Oct. 25-26, Dr. Margaret Lyn delivered an oral presentation entitled “New Mosquito Biolarvicide Formulation with Enhanced Residual Activity” at the Mississippi Entomological Association Annual (ESA) Conference in Starkville, MS.

Nov. 27-29, Dr. Margaret Lyn delivered an oral presentation entitled “ULV Formulations for Adult Mosquitoes” at the Deployed War Fighter Program Review in Oxford, MS to USDA-ARS-104 NPL, ARS colleagues, and to board and funding committee members of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board and the Deployed War Fighter Program.

Dr. Jian Chen has developed an innovative bioassay for evaluating fire ant repellants.  A manuscript on this new bioassay will be submitted to Journal of Entomological Science.  Using this fast and easy-to-perform bioassay, Dr. Chen has found that dimethyl and diethyl phthalates are strong fire ant repellants.

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