Catherine M. Brown & Richard Pollack

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.

Sebastian Pohl

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

7:30 PM

Decision making during the scouting behavior of the slave-making ant Protomognathus americanus

MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University

Social parasite and hostSebastian Pohl
University of Melbourne

Collective decision making is important for social insects living in highly organized societies. However, often only a few individuals acquire information relevant for the entire colony. In the slave-making ant Protomognathus americanus, workers focus on a single task: searching for and raiding host colonies to replenish their slave workforce. Single scouts search for colonies of their Temnothorax hosts, which are subsequently attacked by a group of raiding slavemaker workers. Scouts and raiders risk being killed by host workers defending their colony. Considering both the raiding risk and the potential benefit, slavemaker workers have to make several decisions: when to start scouting, whether or not to participate in scouting or raiding events, and whether a discovered host colony is worth attacking. I investigated the scouting behavior of P. americanus using a combination of behavioral observations and chemical analyses, in order to elucidate the course of these crucial interspecific interactions between a social parasite and its host.

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.

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