Below is a list of the most recent graduate thesis and dissertation research topics

2013 graduates

 

John Wesley Gordy (MS, Stout) A survey of chemical elicitors and their effectiveness as promoters of plant defense against herbivory by Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith)

 

Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu (PHD, Stout) Development of integrated pest management for sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis in rice

 

Dawn Simms (MS, Husseneder) Effects of caste on the constitutive and induced expression of genes associated with immunity and detoxification in Formosan subterranean termites

 

 

 

2012 graduates

 

Sebe Brown (MS, Davis) Evaluating the efficacy of methoxyfenozide on Louisiana, Texas and the mid-southern soybean looper populations

 

Lee Eisenberg (MS, Johnson) The reproductive morphology and physiological age-grading of female Cyrtobagous salviniae, the salvinia weevil

 

Jason Hamm (PHD, Stout) Ecology and chemical ecology of plant-insect interactions in rice: implications for pest management

 

Van Hilbun (MS, Foil) Integrated Management of the Red Imported Fire Ant in Pastures

 

Owen Jones (MS)  The Effects of Spinosad on Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Non-target Insect Species

 

Srinivas Lanka (PHD, Stout) Incorporating neonicotinoid and anthranilic diamide insecticides into integrated pest management of rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus

 

Jessica Parker (MS, Leonard) Assessment of stink bug feeding damage in Louisiana soybean

 

David Wangila (MS, Huang) Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis corn containing pyramided traits for management of sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.)

 

 

2011 graduates

 

Julien Beuzelin (PHD, Reagan) - Agroecological factors impacting stem borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) dynamics in Gulf Coast sugarcane and rice

 

Michael L. Ferro (PHD, Carlton) - Ecology and systematics of Coleoptera in woody debris of eastern North American forests

 

Bal Krishna Gautam (PHD, Henderson) - Role of substrate moisture, relative humidity and temperature on survival and foraging behavior of Formosan subterranean termitesj

 

Matthew L. Gimmel (PHD, Carlton) - Revision and reclassification of the genera of Phalacridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea)

 

Jarrod Hardke (PHD, Leonard) - Contribution of Bacillus thuringiensis cotton cultivars and insecticides to a fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) management strategy

 

Erich Schoeller (MS, Allison) - Characterization of the subcortical interactions between larvae of the southern pine sawyer Monochamus titillator (F.) and the larvae of the southern pine beetle guild using molecular gut analyses

 

Joshua Temple (PHD, Leonard) - Redbanded Stink Bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood): Pest Status, Control Strategies, and Management in Louisiana Soybean

 

Blake Wilson (MS, Reagan) - Advanced Management of the Mexican Rice Borer (Eoreuma loftini) in Sugarcane

 

Yunlong Yang (PHD, Huang) - Molecular Mechanisms of Bacillus thuringiensis Resistance in the Sugarcane Borer

 

 

2010 graduates

 

Josh Copes (MS, Leonard) - Quantifying Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), Resistance to Acephate in Louisiana

 

Jennifer Gordon (MS, Ottea) - Association of esterases in resistance to naled and resmethrin in field-collections of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus (diptera: culicidae)

 

Pan Luo (MS, Henderson) - Toxicity Interaction of Fipronil and Imidacloprid against Coptotermes formosanus

 

 

2009 graduates

 

Quialong Qi (MS, Henderson) - Survivorship, Tunneling and Feeding Behaviors of Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Response to Trans-caryophyllene

 

 

2008 graduates

 

Mike Becker (MS, Foil) - Characterizing the Epidemiology of Bluetongue Virus Serotype One in South Louisiana

 

Padma Bommireddy (PHD, Leonard) - Survival, Growth, and Behavior of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Genetically Engineered Cotton Expressing the Vip3A Insecticidal Protein

 

Jessica Brauch (MS, Kramer) - THE INTEGRATION OF MOSQUITO AVIAN HOST PREFERENCE WITH WEST NILE VIRUS ACTIVITY IN WILD BIRD AND MOSQUITO POPULATIONS IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

 

Ana Maria Sanchez de Cuadra (MS, Stout) - Factors Potentially Influencing the Abundance of Mosquitoes in Louisiana Rice Fields

 

Stephanie Gil (MS, Carlton) - Succession of Coleoptera on freshly killed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and southern red oak (Quercus falcata Michaux) in Louisiana

 

Thomas Mascari (PHD, Foil) - Novel Methods for the Control of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

 

Xiaoyi Wu (PHD, Huang) - Resistance to Bacillus Thuringiensis in Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.)

 

 

2007 graduates

 

Paul Ott  (MS, Klepzig) - Chemical Ecology, Fungal Interactions and Forest Stand Correlations of the Exotic Asian Ambrosia Beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Curculionidae)

 

Albert Lee (PHD, Hooper-Bui) - Culture-Independent Identification of Gut Bacteria in Fourth-instar Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, Larvae

 

Isik Unlu (PHD, Foil) - Determination of the Bloodmeal Origin of Mosquitoes Collected at Alligator Farms, and West Nile Virus Activity in Mosquitoes Collected from Alligator Farms, Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Sites, and Larval Habitats

 

Andrew Mackay (PHD, Foil) - DETECTION OF WEST NILE VIRUS ACTIVITY IN MALE AND FEMALE MOSQUITOES, AND EVALUATION OF HOST-UTILIZATION PATTERNS OF MOSQUITOES, IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LOUISIANA

 

Michael Seymour (MS, Hooper-Bui) - Effect of Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) on the Nesting Success of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus L.)

 

Sunil Tewari (MS, Johnson) - Impact and Interaction of Samea multiplicalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Cyrtobagous salviniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Salvinia minima in South Louisiana and the Foraging Behavior of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Salvinia minima

 

Joshua Temple (MS, Leonard) - Evaluating Precision Agricultural Technologies in a Louisiana Cotton Insect Pest Management System

 

Donald Henne (PHD, JOhnson) - Population Ecology of Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), an Introduced Parasitoid of the Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana

 

 

2006 graduates

 

Poornima Jayasimha (MS, Henderson) Interactions between Formosan Subterranean Termites, Brown Rot Fungus (Gloeophyllum trabeum) and Some of the Fungi Present on the Termite Integument and Gut

 

Tara Smith (PHD, Hammond) Biology and Chemical Ecology of the Sugarcane Beetle and Integrated Pest Management of Sweet Potato Soil Insects in Louisiana

 

 

2005 graduates

 

Andrew Cline (PHD, Carlton) Revision of Pocadius Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

 

Rhett Hunter Gable (MS, Leonard) Evaluation of Selected Refuges in a Bollgard® Cotton Production System: Heliothine Movement and Effects on Boll Injury

 

Karen Elizabeth Nix (MS, Henderson) Evaluation of Vetiver Oil and Alate Biology as Preventative Measures against Formosan Subterranean Termites, Coptotermes Formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera:Rhinotermitidae)

 

Kathryn O'Brien (MS, Hooper-Bui) Liquid Feeding in the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

 

Dilipkumar Patel (MS, Fuxa) Evaluation of Beauveria Bassiana and Host Plant Resistance for the Management of Rice Stink Bug in Rice Agro-Ecosystem

 

Francis Reay-Jones (PHD, Reagan) Integrated Pest Management of the Mexican Rice Borer in Louisiana and Texas Sugarcane and Rice

 

Isidra Sabio (MS, Foil) Seasonal Abundance and Detection of West Nile Virus in Ceratopogonids (Diptera:Ceratopogonidae) in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

 

Alexey Tishechkin (PHD, Carlton) Phylogenetic Revision of the Genus Mesynodites Reichardt (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Hetaeriinae)

 

 

2004 graduates

 

Chanda Sara Bartholomew (MS, Prowell) Bees Associated with Louisiana Longleaf Pine Savannas

 

Brett W. Collier (MS, Henderson) Field Evaluation of Mosquito Control and Repellent Devices in Southern Louisiana

 

Shawn T. Dash (MS, Hooper-Bui) Species Diversity and Biogeography of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Louisiana, with Notes on Their Ecology

 

Aboubacar Diagne (PHD, Story) Seasonal Occurrence of Phyllophaga Species and Biological Studies of Phyllophaga ephilida (Say)on Sweet Potato, Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam, in Louisiana

 

Crawford Wood Johnson (MS, Goyer) The Performance of the Baldcypress Leafroller (Archips goyerana Kruse, Lepidoptera:Tortricidae) in Response to Fertilization, Thinning, and Genetic Variation in Host Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum L. Richard)

 

Robert Hankins Jones (MS, Leonard) Effect of Cotton Aphids, Aphis gossypii (Glover), on Cotton Plant Development and Yield Components

 

Paul McLaughlin (MS, Henderson) Volatiles Associated with Formosan Subterranean Termites and Related Methods Development

 

Edward Ashley Peters (MS, Leonard) Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Production from Alternate Host Crops and Their Contribution to a Non-Bollgard Cotton Refuge

 

Frederick R. Posey (MS, Reagan) Insect Pest Management Approaches among Currently Recommended Sugarcane Varieties in Louisiana

 

Jessica Rosson (MS, Hooper-Bui) Abiotic and Biotic Factors Affecting the Distribution of Solenopsis Invicta Buren, Brachymyrmex sp., and Linepithema Humile (Mayr)in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

 

Rebecca Faye Souther-Effler (PHD, Goyer) Interactions of Insect Herbivory and Multiple Abiotic Stress Agents on Two Wetland Tree Species in Southeast Louisiana Swamps

 

Kelly V. Tindall (PHD, Stout) Investigation of Insect-Weed Interactions in the Rice Agroecosystem

 

Erin Jean Grindley Watson (PHD, Carlton) Faunal Succession of Necrophilous Insects Associated with High-Profile Wildlife Carcasses in Louisiana

 

Melissa Marie Willrich (PHD, Leonard) Evaluation of Injury and Management Strategies for Stink Bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on Cotton, Gossypium Hirsutum L.

 

Li Zou (PHD, Stout) Integration of Management Tactics for the Rice Water Weevil Lissorhoptrus Oryzophilus Kuschel with Particular Emphasis on Use of Plant Resistance (Tolerance)

 

 

2003 graduates

 

Donald Ray Cook (PHD, Leonard) Thrips Species Composition in Louisiana Cotton and Associated Management Strategies

 

Glenn R. O'Remus (MS, Foil) Effects of Mid-Season Avermectin Treatments of Cattle on Pyrethroid Resistance in Three Populations of Horn Flies, Haematobia Irritans Irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae)

 

 

2002 graduates

 

Boris A. Castro (PHD, Leonard) Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis Transgenic Field Corn for Management of Louisiana Corn Pests

 

Deanna M. Colby (PDH, Prowell) Effects of Fire Frequency and the Red Imported Fire Ant on Native Insects in a Louisiana Longleaf Pine Savanna

 

Joyce L. Fassbender (MS, Carlton) Litter and Ground Dwelling Spiders of Mixed Mesophytic Forests in Southeast Louisiana

 

Huazhange Huang (PHD, Ottea) Development of Diagnostic Tools for Detecting Expression of Resistance-Associated Esterases in the Tobacco Budworm, Heliothis virescens(F.)

 

Jianzhong Sun (PHD, Fuxa) Screening and Characterization of Pathogenic Fungi for Possible Control of Coptotermes Formosanus

 

 

2001 graduates

 

Jessica Lee Finkelstein (MS) The demonstration of growth of Bartonella henselae in the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and a study on the effects of variance among cats upon flea feces as nutrients for flea development

 

Debra L. Murray (PHD) Systematics of neotropical satyrine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Euptychina) based on larval morphology and DNA sequence data and the evolution of life history traits

 

Anthony Michael Pranschke (MS) Influence of abiotic factors on mound population ratings and insecticide barrier treatment efficacy against Solenopsis invicta (Buren)

 

Melissa Marie Willrich (MS) Effects of insect growth regulators on soybeans and soybean insect pests : insecticidal efficacy, yield enhancement, and preventive use

 

 

2000 graduates

 

Stacy Lee Bearden (PHD) Evaluation of insecticide resistance in Louisiana adult mosquitoes and the efficacies of selected larvicides

 

Christopher Glen Clemens (PHD) Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis transgenic cotton on soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) : larval development, mortality, population dynamics, and resistance management on soybean

 

Huixin Fei (PHD) Comparative biology and ecology of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Louisiana

 

Jonathan Hunter Fife (MS) Determination of the last harvestable boll population and the effects of square abscission during flowering on cotton yield and maturity

 

Thomas Stacy Hall (MS) Performance of selected insecticides against soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) when applied to different host plants [transgenic cotton (Bollgard(R)), conventional cotton, and soybean]

 

Jeffrey D. Stancil (PHD) Insecticide resistance and resistance mechanisms in the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus

 

Brian L. Strom (PHD) Visual and semichemical disruption of host finding in pine bark beetles

 

Kelly V. Tindall (MS) Plant-mediated interactions between Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Kuschel) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)

 

 

1999 graduates

 

Lesly Carolina Calix (MS) Effect of planting date on field infestations by Carpophilus spp., Sitophilus spp. and other late season insects in northeast Louisiana

 

Jeffrey Gore (MS) Responses of non-transgenic and transgenic cotton expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis CryIA(c) delta-endotoxin to mechanical injury and bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), feeding

 

Yihua Lee (PHD) Capability of recombinant insect viruses for environmental persistence and transport

 

Lixin Mao (PHD) Influence of environment and genotype on the expression of host plant resistance in sweetpotato to the sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fab.)

 

James Scott Russell (MS) Effects of tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), feeding on cotton boll abscission and yield

 

Harold Paul Schexnayder, Jr. (MS) A sequential sampling plan for the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), on sugarcane in South Louisiana

 

 

1998 graduates

 

John Joseph Adamczyk, Jr. (PHD) Pest status of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), on conventional and transgenic cotton expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis CryIA (c) ơ-Endotoxin : development, survival, and host-strain influence

 

Thomas J. W. Clarke (MS) Fitness costs associated with the expression of target-site insensitivity in the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens

 

John A. Harold (PHD) Detection of mechanisms of profenofos resistance in the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.)

 

Justin Carl Hedlund (MS) Aspects of searching and tunneling behavior in resource utilization by the formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki

 

Deborah Landau (PHD) Moth diversity in Louisiana longleaf pine savannas and mixed mesophytic hardwood forests : species composition an management effects

 

Jennifer Annette McMichael (MS) Survey of subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in trees in Sam Houston Jones State Park, West Lake, Louisiana

 

Antonio Thadeu Medeiros de Barros (PHD) Dynamics and management of insecticide resistance in the horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.) (Diptera:Muscidae)

 

Lance M. Rodriquez (MS) Acute and chronic toxicity of tebufenozide to the sugarcane border, Diatraea saccharalis (F.)

 

Cynthia Roxanne Rutledge (PHD) Biology and ecology of the Anopheles quadrimaculatus sibling species complex in Louisiana

 

Andrew Evans Woolwine (PHD) Ecology and loss assessment of selected homopteran pests on sugarcane : interactions with fire ant, Solenopsis wagneri Santschi

 

 

1997 graduates

 

Amy M. Brannon (MS) Dynamics of lipid and carbohydrate mobilization in the hemolymph of the true armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Lepidoptera: noctuidae) during flight

 

Boris A. Castro (MS) Evaluation of planting date, sorghum hybrid and insecticide treatment on sorghum midge management in Northeast Louisiana

 

Donald A. Duerr (MS) Activity of selected insecticides aganist the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), using an artificial diet overlay bioassay technique : dosage mortality, discriminating concentrations, and resistance monitoring

 

Paul W. Ivey (PHD) Integrated pest management tactics for control of cabbage looper and diamondback moth in cabbage

 

Craig Stephen Martin (MS) Insect succession and species composition on swine carcasses in specialized habitats

 

Rosanne Nicholson Mascarenhas (PHD) Activity of selected insecticides aganist the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), using an artificial diet overlay bioassay technique : dosage mortality, discriminating concentrations, and resistance monitoring

 

Victor J. Mascarenhas (PHD) Pest status and management of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), on Cotton in Louisiana

 

Maragaret Ellen Oard (PHD) The evolution of landscapes and lineages in pitcher plants and their moths

 

Guomin Shan (PHD) Development of diagnostic technology for monitoring pyrethroid resistance mechanisms in the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.)

 

Jimmy Wedincamp, Jr. (PHD) Rickettsia felis, a newly discovered rickettsia associated with the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis Bouché)