Student Introduction: Jesse Starkey, Entomology M.S. Student

My name is Jesse Starkey and I'm in my final semester of my M.S. program in the Entomology department. I'm being advised by Dr. Etya Amsalem on my work that focuses on the evolution of reproductive division of labor in social insects.

Originally from Montebello, New York, my interests in entomology did not begin when I was younger (although I was interested in animals and the environment). Starting out interested in birds of prey, wildlife management, and the reintroduction of native species to the U.S, my interests shifted towards entomology after participating in a summer REU (research experience for undergraduates) at the Mountain Lake Biological Station where I was able to work with my current favorite insect, the bumble bee.

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Sustainability Science from Cornell University. During the latter part of my undergraduate career I became interested in the evolution of social behavior in various systems, insects being the most prominent. However, with little to no experience working with insects in general I figured it would be a good idea to put myself out there and work with the system before I journey forward with my education.

After completion of my degree I worked with Purina on developing a alternative honey bee protein supplement that has since made it to market as Hearty Bee. Since then I've returned to my roots as a budding entomologist and began studying aspects of the evolution of eusociality in insects, which led me to the Amsalem lab were I currently work.

I'm excited for this course because as a scientist I have an obligation, that often goes ignored, to convey the ideas and discoveries in the field to friends, family, and the community in a way that facilitates interest and growth. This class seems like a great opportunity to hone my ability to do this.

Student Introduction: Matthew McVey, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Ph.D. student

Hello everyone,

My name is Matthew McVey and I am in the first semester of my Ph.D. program in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.  I am being advised by Dr. Daniel Ciolkosz and am hoping to focus my research within some area of biofuel production. 

I am from Little Rock, Arkansas.  When I began my undergraduate studies at the University of Arkansas in 2010 I actually majored in creative writing.  After one semester, I realized majoring in creative writing might not provide the best opportunities and decided to switch my major.  My freshman roommate was an engineering major and convinced me to give it a try.  I chose to join the department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made!  In the summer of 2013 I took part in a summer research program at Auburn University.  It was because of this research program that I solidified my decision to go to graduate school. 

In January of 2016 I began my studies towards an M.S. degree here at Penn State (never in my life did I think I would live in Pennsylvania).  After successfully completing my Master’s degree at the end of 2017, I moved out of the state to pursue my Ph.D. and be a little closer to home at the University of Tennessee.  I soon realized that this was not a good fit for me and decided to look for job opportunities in Arkansas.  While applying for jobs, I was talking to my M.S. advisor (Dr. Ciolkosz who would eventually also be my Ph.D. advisor) and he informed me that there was funding available for a Ph.D. student.  So, after getting married this past October, my wife and I packed everything and moved back to Pennsylvania!  I am very excited to be back here in PA and given another opportunity to obtain my Ph.D.

I am really looking forward to this class as I have always had an interest in teaching and hope to use what I learn in this class towards my dream goal of moving back to my home state and becoming a professor focused on bioenergy at the University of Arkansas! 

Student Introductions: Devin Cunningham, M.S. Student, Animal Science

 " I didn't grow up on a farm" is the shocking answer I give when I am asked how I got to be passionate about agriculture, livestock, and animal sciences.

My story isn’t the usual, "I grew up on fifth-generation dairy farm in southeast Pennsylvania and everyone in my family farms, so here I am". My story is, no one in my family farms. My dad’s manager for custom kitchen and bathroom designer company and my mom worked as a teacher's aide. The closest thing to agriculture in my household was whatever was in the refrigerator. But as a small child, cliché of course, I loved animals. So, at the age of 8, I joined the local 4-H program and that is where my journey into agriculture began.

I work full time for Penn State Extension as a 4-H Educator in Dauphin County. Dauphin County is home to the state's capital, Harrisburg, along with the sweetest place on earth, Hershey. I started in Extension in June 2013, after graduating from Delaware Valley University with a dual degree in Livestock Science and Dairy Science. I was first located in Delaware County, PA, which is the neighboring county to Philadelphia. While there, I was the 4-H Educator and Farm Manager of a unique educational farm. These opportunities allowed me to teach urban youth about agriculture, food production, animal sciences and much more through hands-on learning experiences. Eye-opening moments like these made me aware of the need for agriculture education to youth and adults.

While being close to my Alma Mater, I became a part-time adjunct professor teaching various courses including; Suburban Goat Production, Livestock Judging & Evaluation and Anatomy & Physiology. Working and teaching college-aged students was enjoyable and developed a personal goal to return to academia as an animal science professor. 

As I continue to work in Extension, I have become invested in my future, which would include continuing my education to further advancement within Penn State. I struggled to find a professor that would accept a part-time animal science master's student who wasn't located in State College. For my first three years, I kept trying to get into the master's program, but I heard a lot of no, it's impossible, it won't work, quit your job, etc. I transferred to Dauphin County, hoping that the hour and a half commute to State College would open a door for me. In January 2017, Dr. Troy Ott took me on as a part-time animal science graduate student in the field of bovine reproductive immunology. Since then, I have been commuting to campus for classes and lab work to pursue my dream of getting my master's degree. 

I’m looking forward to AEE 530 to learn, laugh and meet others passionate about sharing knowledge with others! 

Azlan Zahid, PhD Student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Hola!
"if you put your heart and soul into something, you keep at it, you can achieve it"

University Park, PA Fall-2018

Originally from the South of Asia, born and raised in the beautiful city of Lahore, which is in the mid-eastern part of Pakistan. Like every other developing country in the region, Pakistan's economy is also driven by agriculture with more than 70% of the population linked directly or indirectly to farming and related industries. Being raised in the farming community, no surprises, my interest in agriculture began to develop at a young age.

I was always fascinated by machines and never missed a chance to learn how mechanical systems work. I did my undergrad in 2013 from University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). I developed a keen interest in mechanical systems and utilization of renewable energy at farms. I have worked on renewable energy for master's thesis and in my project, I introduced a novel technique of heat recovery to the solar thermal system which results in increased efficiency of the system. 

I have joined the Penn State in Fall 2018 for Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. My research is focused on developing a robotic pruning system for apple trees to minimize the production cost considering variation in tree architecture, illumination condition, and topographic feature. The overall goal of my research is to make the apple production system sustainable.

During my graduate program at UAF, I felt convinced that my true liking and aptitude lies in research and teaching. I am currently working as Lecturer (sabbatical) in the Department of Farm Machinery and Power, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering Technology, UAF since 2015. I worked there on machinery projects including precision/robotic agriculture systems. I have been teaching undergraduate students, and I am really looking forward to this class to learn; how to make teaching and learning more effective and interesting.

Student Introduction: Katie Hirl, PhD candidate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Good day all, 

I am a Midwest girl drawn out east to attempt a PhD in agricultural and biological engineering with the goal of teaching engineering. Originally raised in Minnesota, I fell in love with chemistry at a young age and later became acquainted with bioenergy systems from my Father who works in the field.  Upon graduation from high school, I decided to pursue engineering to work in the bioenergy industry. 

I spent my studies in rural Atchison, Kansas at Benedictine College working towards degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering. Two months in to my first semester I was asked to tutor a fellow engineer in chemistry. From that one request, I became a fixed engineering tutor for the rest of my studies and loved every minute of it….. even the ones spent helping my peers understand distillation columns at 1:00 am.

Engineering is a beautiful field because it takes the elegant complex workings of the natural world and applies them to solve problems. By my final semester last spring, I had found that helping someone else understand the beauty I had spent four years studying was even better than engineering work itself. 

Thus, I arrived at Penn State to take the next steps towards becoming a professor and switched to ag and bio engineering to spend my research time on a system called anaerobic digestion (my favorite renewable energy technology). I am taking AEE 530 to start gathering up and practice skills I will need to effectively facilitate learning. 

I look forward to working with all of you as we go through the semester to become better teachers in our varied disciplines.

Hi everyone, my name is Alejandro!

I’m from Colombia, the country located in the north-west corner of South America. Many people confuse Colombia with Columbia, which is another country completely different (just kidding! Columbia is not a country). Something exciting about my tropical country is that it is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse in the world. Also, our biological diversity is HUGE, being the second most diverse country in the world.

I grew up in Medellin, also known as the “city of eternal spring,” which is located within one of the three country’s mountains range: the central one. The mountainous geography of this region creates a great diversity of environments which allow us to grow numerous agricultural products; From pineapple, cacao, and bananas in the low altitude lands, to coffee, flowers, and potatoes in the mountains.

I studied Agronomist Engineer because I love rural areas; they are full of kind people, nature’s sound is lovely, and the sunsets are amazing. During the last semester of my bachelor’s degree, I got involved with the cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) sector while I did my internship in a Colombian chocolate company (Compania Nacional de Chocolates). Many of my friends thought that I was doing my internship in a chocolate factory like Willy Wonka’s one, but no. I was working on a fantastic cacao farm, in the Magdalena River Valley. I had the fortune of being hired by this company; my work was to provide training to cacao producers and to do research on diverse agronomical topics. This is what I did just before coming to Penn State.

Now I’m in my fourth and last semester of the Agricultural and Extension Education (AEE) Master of Science program. I'm in the framework of the program Cacao for Peace. My research focuses on the evaluation of a Colombian project which seeks to improve the life’s conditions of small farmers through the establishment of cacao crops. I evaluate the outcomes of this developmental effort, with the final goal of providing useful feedback to the project’s coordinators.

I love learning, and I also feel passionate about conveying what I know. This is why I’m so happy about participating in this great course.

Student Introduction: Shelby Kilpatrick, Entomology Ph.D. Student

Howdy!

My name is Shelby Kilpatrick and I am a second-year Ph.D. Student at the Pennsylvania State University. I am in the Entomology Program and am specializing in Melittology (the study of bees). As a Fellow in the Integrated Pollinator Ecology Graduate Training Program, I am co-advised by Dr. Margarita López-Uribe and Dr. Heather Hines. My current research projects include updating the checklist of bee species in Pennsylvania (#BeesofPA) and investigating the evolutionary history of squash bees [Hymenoptera: Apidae: Eucera: (Peponapis) and (Xenoglossa)], specialist pollinators of pumpkins, squash, and other plants in the genus Cucurbita.

I am originally from Copper Canyon, Texas. My interest in insects started at a young age. I find insects fascinating and have pursued multiple opportunities to learn about them and how they impact our world. When I joined 4-H in 2004, I was first introduced to entomology as a science and it quickly became my main project. In 2007, I began beekeeping as a Youth Scholarship Student in the Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association (CCHBA). 

Through my activities in 4-H and CCHBA, I was selected as the 2013 Texas Honey Queen, a spokesperson for the Texas Beekeepers Association. While serving in this role, I traveled across the state to educate audiences of youth and adults about honey bees, their pollination services, and how anyone could help preserve them. I reached 400,000+ people at 84 events while strengthening my leadership, communication, organization, coordinating, networking, and syllabus development skills through this rewarding experience.

In May 2017, I graduated from Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas with my Bachelor of Science degree, double majoring in Entomology and Agricultural Leadership & Development (A-Whoop!). While at TAMU, I was inspired to become involved in research projects by my professors and their graduate students. I also gained a unique perspective on education and leadership through the courses I took in my double major program.

I am incredibly thankful to have had many mentors throughout my life who have made it possible for me to live my dreams. I look forward to creating future opportunities to instill a desire to learn in others, and inspiring them to make a difference in our world, regardless of where their passion lies.

I recognize that each talk/presentation I give to an audience is the only chance that I have to positively and permanently impact their outlook on bees, other insects, entomology, agriculture, research, and science as a whole. I also realize that I can always work towards making the best better; I actively seek ways that I can improve so that I can positively influence future audiences. In an effort to reach this goal, I am participating in AEE 530 and earning PSU’s Teaching Certificate. This spring, I am also serving as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Dr. Kelli Hoover’s ENT 202: The Insect Connection course.

I aspire to pursue a career as a professor and principal investigator, integrating native bee research with educating new generations of scientists. I am also dedicated to translating scientific results into language that is interesting and understandable to all audiences, so that everyone has access to accurate information. 

I am really excited about the opportunities that I will have to continue positively refining my teaching and learning methods, alongside my fellow classmates, as a part of AEE 530 this semester! Specifically, after joining the first AEE 530 class earlier this week, I believe my time in this course will build off of my prior experiences and allow me to gain/enhance skills which will allow me to become a successful instructional leader in entomology.

If you’re interested in learning more about my academic and extracurricular activities, I invite you to visit my ePortfolio: http://shelbykkilpatrick.weebly.com/

Additionally, my Twitter handle is @SKK_Anthophila, and you can best reach me at my e-mail address, skk30@psu.edu.

Thanks & Gig’em!