UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

09/02/2026

🦋✨ What a Flutter-tastic Day at the UT Arboretum! ✨🦋

The 11th Annual Butterfly Festival at the UT Arboretum on August 29 was a tremendous success, with an estimated 2,200+ attendees joining us for a day full of discovery, learning, and fun!

EPP was proud to be part of the excitement with our 🐛 Insect Zoo, 🦋 two live butterfly-viewing tents, and 🌿 invasive species education tent. Festival-goers enjoyed hands-on activities and educational programs throughout the day while getting an up-close look at the amazing world of insects.

One of the most heartwarming activities honored the late Dolly Parton, as attendees wrote messages of hope, kindness, and encouragement on paper butterflies. These special messages will be shared with patients at Dolly Parton's Children's Hospital, spreading joy and inspiration beyond the festival grounds. 💜

A special shoutout to Rachel Baxter (USDA APHIS PPQ) for doing an outstanding job leading our invasive species activity book station and helping educate the next generation of environmental stewards!

We also want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to our incredible volunteers who made EPP's outreach tents possible:

👏 Jerome Grant
👏 Kelssye Baron
👏 Lindsey Coulson
👏 Rachel Baxter
👏 Conner Kennedy
👏 Amanda Penicks
👏 Emily Whitehead
👏 Matthew Longmire
👏 Nicole Lowder
👏 Meah Ford
👏 Davis Glidewell
👏 Trevor Buday

And a very special thank you to UT AgResearch (Dean Hongwei Xin) for sponsoring one of our butterfly-viewing tents!

We are grateful to everyone who visited, volunteered, and helped make this year's festival such a memorable event. We hope to see you at the next EPP outreach event!

🦋 As the great Dr. Grant always says:

"May the good bugs be with you!" 🐞✨

🦋🐝🐞

08/27/2026

UT Institute of Agriculture Recognizes Outstanding Faculty and Staff
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards luncheon. The 2026 ceremony was held on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 4. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the institute.

UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the celebration and praised the honorees for their devotion to the land-grant mission. “Our UTIA staff and faculty continue to overwhelm me with their enthusiasm and unparalleled expertise,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing Real. Life. Solutions. to the people of Tennessee. These award winners represent the efforts and accomplishments this past year that will most benefit all Tennesseans and society – impacts that will have lasting benefits through teaching, research and Extension for years to come.”

The highest honor awarded annually by UTIA is the Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor Award, and this year the title goes to Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes, professor in Entomology and Plant Pathology. This award is granted to a faculty member who has served at the rank of professor for a period of at least seven years and is a recognition of consistent outstanding performance over this period. The award recognizes excellence in teaching, research, Extension or clinical practice. Leadership and reputation through service at the national or international levels is also expected.

Jurat-Fuentes leads the Insect Molecular Pathology and Resistance (IMPaR) Laboratory – where his research focuses on insecticidal proteins from bacteria and gene silencing biotechnologies designed to control destructive pests in the USA and globally, such as plant borers and armyworms. He collaborates globally with scientists across academia, industry and government in advancing innovative and environmentally responsible pest management technologies to help protect crops, improve yields and support safer food and fiber production.

The Wharton Institute Professor award adds to a growing list of distinctions recognizing Jurat-Fuentes’ leadership and impact. In 2025, he received the UT AgResearch Dean’s Professor Award, which recognizes highly productive and impactful faculty members who demonstrate well-documented, consistent and outstanding research products and key program impacts. Over the course of his career, Jurat-Fuentes has built an internationally recognized research program through numerous publications, awards and professional achievements. He currently serves as elected president of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology, reflecting his leadership in the global scientific community.

08/24/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Kelsey Coffman for receiving the Early Career Award from the Society for Invertebrate Pathology. This is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Coffman’s outstanding scientific and academic contributions in the field of invertebrate pathology at this stage of her career.
The award is highly competitive, with applicants from all around the world, and was given to her during the annual meeting of the society in ’ s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands).
Way to go, Kelsey!

07/27/2026

🌟 Hands-On Learning in Action! 🦋🐞
Last Wednesday, EPP students Rebekka Horn, Makhali Voss, Jackson Turner, Marissa Nufer, and Alyssa Counce partnered with the Tennessee Pest Control Association to teach pest management professionals the art and science of insect preservation.
Organized by Rebekka Horn, the interactive workshop provided participants with valuable skills and knowledge while fostering connections between students and industry professionals. The event was a tremendous success and a big hit with everyone involved!
👏 Thank you to our students and the Tennessee Pest Control Association for making this educational experience possible and for helping strengthen the relationship between academia and industry.

06/26/2026

🌱 EPP Graduate Student Symposium Recap 🎓
Today, the EPP GSA proudly hosted our EPP Graduate Student Symposium, where five of our outstanding graduate students presented their ongoing research: Katie Wood, Rebekka Horn, Dipika Sharma, Charles Dawe, and Makhali Voss.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us this morning to support our presenters. A special thank you to our judges, Dr. Bernard and Dr. Onufrak, as well as to all of our presenters for the excellent work and engaging presentations they shared with us.

✨ Congratulations to our award winners:
🥇 First Place: Dipika Sharma
“Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Agroathelia rolfsii in Landscape and Ornamental Plants in Tennessee”
🥈 Second Place: Makhali Voss
“What Do the Flies Know? Tracking Persistence of Histomonas meleagridis in the Black Blow Fly, Phormia regina (Meigen)”

We are proud of all our students for their hard work and dedication to advancing research in plant and environmental sciences. Thank you again to everyone who helped make this event a success! 👏

06/12/2026

Julia Willingham, a 2016 MS graduate in Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee, recently passed the Entomological Society of America's Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) Exam with a specialty in Urban/Industrial Entomology. She is now a corporate technical manager at Cook's Pest Control. Congratulations, Julia - we are proud of you!
Tennessee Pest Control Association (TPCA)
UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
PSEP-University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
's Pest Control

05/21/2026

05/21/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Hannah Ginn for earning 3rd place in the MS category for her outstanding paper presentation:
📄 “Establishing Vector Surveillance in Areas with Limited Infrastructure through MEGA: BITESS - a Community-Driven Vector Surveillance and Education Program”
Hannah received this recognition at the National Conference on Urban Entomology and Invasive Pest Ants held this week in Atlanta, GA—a fantastic achievement on a national stage! 🏆
Your dedication to advancing community-driven approaches in vector surveillance is making a meaningful impact. Way to go, Hannah—we’re cheering you on! 👏👏👏

05/05/2026

🏆 One of our very own wins the High 5 Award!!!! 🏆

Meet Daria Safaipour, a Human Resources Representative from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Daria is this month’s recipient of the High 5 Award, which is given to a team member that exhibits exceptional customer service and promotes a positive workplace culture.

Daria is extremely approachable and helpful to faculty, staff and students from the department. She’s known for her friendliness and smile… which draws people to her. It’s said that Daria “goes the extra mile” to help- even if it’s outside her normal job duties.

Daria personifies what we want to promote across the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT AgResearch, UT Extension and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine- a helpful, friendly spirit.

Thanks, Daria, for your positive example. 🌱 🐛 🍊

04/28/2026

Angela Tucker and Becky Trout Fryxell recently published an Extension fact sheet on alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). The fact sheet contains information on foods to avoid if you have AGS as well as tips to prevent tick bites, which is the best prevention method for AGS as well as tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme Disease. It can be found following this link: https://utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2026/04/W1388.pdf

Although AGS is a relatively new condition, ongoing research enhances our understanding of its development and management. Case histories of individuals with AGS suggest that those with multiple tick bites are more likely to develop the condition. Since its identification, the syndrome has been linked to consumption of red meat after a known tick bite. Preventing tick bites is the best way to reduce the risk of developing AGS.