Tuesday, January 13, 2015

7:30 PM

Our future with Bees – A conversation with the author of The Bee: A Natural History

MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University

Noah Wilson-Rich
Founder of The Best Bees Company
The Bee- A Natural History
The world’s bees can create economic and ecological sustainability, if only we let them. We know the vital importance of bees, yet we also know that they are dying off. What does the future human condition look like in a world that incorporates bees into our architecture, healthcare, and every day lives?

Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D. is a behavioral ecologist, a beekeeper, and the founder of The Best Bees Company™. He is a 2007 graduate from the Bee School at the Essex County Beekeeper’s Association in Topsfield, MA. Noah earned his B.S. in Biology at Northeastern University (2005) and his Ph.D. in Biology at Tufts University (2011).
Noah lives in Boston where he continues to be inspired by the community gardens around the city. Growing up in Fairfield, CT, Noah was not fond of insects as a kid. This changed in high school when he participated in Project SEARCH, a state-run program using aquatic invertebrate species as bio-indicators for water pollution.
As an undergraduate at Northeastern University, he continued his involvement in research and produced three publications during this time. As a graduate student, he continued his investigations into the mysteries of the social insect world. Noah’s efforts as a graduate student have produced nine additional publications to date. Noah is currently researching the efficacy of three different vaccines for honey bees, for which a U.S. Patent is pending. As an academic scientist, Noah has published over a dozen articles relating to disease resistance in social animals and is the author of the new book The Bee: A Natural History (Princeton University Press 2014).

The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:00 PM) at Cambridge Common restaurant, on 1667 Massachusetts Ave.

CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

7:30 PM

The changing ecological and epidemiological landscape of mosquito-borne disease in New England. Are things getting worse? Why, and what can (or should) be done?

MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University

Catherine M. Brown, DVM, MSc, MPH
State Public Health Veterinarian, State Laboratory Institute, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Richard J. Pollack, PhD
Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management (EHSEM), Harvard University
Instructor, Department of Immunology & Infectious Disease, Harvard School of Public Health
Chair, Mosquito Advisory Group, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Commissioner, Norfolk County Mosquito Control District

We will provide an overview of the changing distribution of mosquito-borne viruses (e.g. EEE, WNv) in the region, introduce the cast of fascinating villains (mosquitoes, viruses, vertebrate hosts), describe their odd ecological requirements, and propose what we might expect to encounter in the coming years and decades. Come armed with questions and opinions.

The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:00 PM) at Cambridge Common restaurant, on 1667 Massachusetts Ave.

CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.