Our symposium at the Entomological Society of America meeting is set

We had what I would call a tremendously enthusiastic response to our solicitation of student talks for this year's ISH symposium at ESA. Exciting! Here's the draft schedule, which I'd say is quite compelling:

1. New insight into an old genus: revising Disholcaspis Dalle Torre & Kieffer, 1910 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae); Crystal McEwen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2. Phylogenetics and taxonomy of the enigmatic genus Coccobius (Aphelinidae: Coccophaginae); Jason Mottern and John M. Heraty, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 
3. Cremnops (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of the World: a phylogenetic analysis; Erika Tucker and Michael J. Sharkey, Departement of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 
4. Employing polydnavirus genes to uncover cryptic species in Ichneumonoidea; Victoria G. Pook, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 
5. Higher-level molecular phylogeny of Ophioniformes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae); Andrés Herrera and Barbara J. Sharanowski, Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
6. Break (10 mins)
7. The origin and diversification of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae); Juanita Rodriguez, Cecilia Waichert, Carol D. von Dohlen and James P. Pitts, Biology Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 
8. The shape of things to come: A morphometric analysis of the Dryinidae chela in relation to host choice; Carly M. Tribull, Dept. of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 
9. Systematics of the "well-known" family Chyphotidae (Hymenoptera); Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts, Biology Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 
10. Gustatory and odorant receptor genes in Trissolcus basalis (Platygastridae: Telenominae); Elijah Talamas and Norman F. Johnson, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 
11. Business meeting
12. Announcement of best talk(s) with prize(s)
13. Foraging and pollination

Send any questions or comments to adeans @ gmail . com. 

ISH Endowment Student Award 2012

Please join us in congratulating the first recipient of the International Society of Hymenopterists Endowment Student Award: Aline Christina Martins, from the Universidad Federal do Paraná, in Curitiba, Brazil.

Congratulations!

ISH at ESA: student research showcase

Are you going to ESA this year? Are you a student whose research focuses on hymenopterans? Then you should think about submitting your oral presentation to the International Society of Hymenopterists (ISH) symposium! Our meeting will highlight student research, and we'll be awarding a cash prize and one year membership for the best talk!

We need your talk title and author list by May 11, 2012 - that's exactly one week from now. Questions and talk information should be emailed to adeans@gmail.com. We're looking forward to a great meeting!

ISH student symposium at ESA - cash prizes for best talk(s)!

Right on the heels of our 2nd student award this year (the ISH Endowment Student Award; results will be announced imminently!) I am happy to announce that the International Society of Hymenopterists is hosting a student presentation competition at the next Entomological Society of America annual meeting, in Knoxville. We'll award cash(!) prizes to the best talks by ISH student members. Contact Andy Deans (adeans @ gmail . com) for more details on how to submit your talk, and watch this space and our Facebook page for more information.

ISH Endowment Student Award - deadline extended

The deadline for the ISH Endowment Student Award deadline has been extended to March 2, 2012!

2012 dues are due!

Now is the time of year to join the International Society of Hymenopterists or to renew your membership for 2012. There are several methods to pay your dues:

1. pay with your credit card, using PayPal
2. pay with a check (or your credit card), using our downloadable form
3. submit a request for sponsorship

Note that student dues have been lowered this year, to $15! A hard copy subscription of the Journal of Hymenoptera Research is not included in the dues. All members receive the Society newsletter, Hamuli.

HYM Course 2012, at Tovetorp Zoological Research Station, Sweden

(posted on behalf of the HYM Course instructors)

We are pleased to announce the fourth offering of HYM Course (http://hymcourse.org/), scheduled for August 5–12, 2012 at Tovetorp Zoological Research Station, Sweden (http://www.zoologi.su.se/tovetorp/). The main objective of HYM Course is to provide participants with knowledge and experience in identifying parasitic and predatory wasps, sawflies, wood wasps, bees, and ants. Information on natural history is also presented, and that information is reinforced with fieldwork. Techniques used to collect, rear, preserve, and curate specimens are presented in a hands-on manner to allow participants to learn directly by doing.

The course is limited to 25 participants. Applications are due March 2, 2012. Students in Sweden are eligible for financial aid through the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative. Please visit the HYM Course website (http://hymcourse.org/) for details, including information on how to apply, costs for taking the course, and logistics of travel to and within Sweden. We look forward to seeing you there!