Students share work with leading entomologist

Stacie James, program coordinator for the University of North Georgia (UNG) Environmental Leadership Center, was one of three panelists at a recent U.S. Forest Service Hope for the Hemlocks Foothills Science Series event.

James said the partnership was a great opportunity for her students, as well.

"Our student workers displayed competency and enthusiasm for their work, and they were asked about future research ideas, included in planning discussions and asked for their contact information," James said. "This science symposium turned out to be so much more than a panel discussion, it became a place for students to gain confidence in their skills and network with possible future employers." 

James explained the student workers were part of UNG's Ecological Protection Lab. They spoke about their work with Dr. Bud Mayfield, an entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and one of the leaders in his field in the South.

UNG's Ecological Protection Lab is one of three rearing labs in Georgia that specializes in the rearing and release of the predatory beetles that combat the invasive pest the hemlock woolly adelgid. The lab works closely with others in the state and the USFS to preserve Eastern hemlocks.

Mayfield and Mike Hennigan, a USFS silviculturist, were the other speakers on Aug. 9 at Shenanigans Irish Pub in Dahlonega, Georgia.