Breakout Sessions
Tuesday, October 3 from 12:45-1:45 p.m.
Insects affect our lives in all sorts of ways. These breakout sessions give you a chance to explore some of those ways. Topics range from the expected and familiar (Monarchs and wild bees in Minnesota) to the unusual and unexpected (the roles of insects in literature and film). Here also is your chance to learn about the insect-related music we’re featuring in the conference.
The Monarch Butterfly Conservation session will be livestreamed.
#1 - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Insects in Literature and Film
Industrious ants and busy bees, a plague of locusts, and an infestation of cockroaches: for humans, insects have long served as a mirror and metaphor in literature and film. A panel of Gustavus faculty will share brief presentations on a few compelling examples of insects’ roles, including bees in poetry, locusts in film, and metamorphosis, which (don’t forget Kafka’s cockroach!) does not always result in a butterfly. Audience members will be invited to contribute examples that will extend the conversation across cultures,and time periods.
Presenters: Gustavus faculty members Yurie Hong, Department of Greek, Latin and Classical Studies; Martha Ndakalako, Department of English; and Nissa Parmer, Department of English
Location: Nobel Hall of Science Room 1412
#2 - Insects and the Nobel Prize
How did ants in a bathtub contribute to quantum electrodynamics? How did a fly in a urinal become a prime example of an economic theory? In this session, Tom Annesley will discuss stories behind human-insect interactions that played important roles in the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, Economics, and even Peace.
Presenter: Tom Annesley, Gustavus 1975 graduate, Active Emeritus Professor, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan
Location: Saint Peter Banquet Room, Jackson Campus Center
#3 - Wild Bees of Minnesota
Prior to surveys in the last eight years by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and others, little was known about the bee species that inhabit the prairies, forests, and peatlands of Minnesota. Thanks to these surveys, we now know that the state is home to approximately 500 bee species–a figure that provides a baseline upon which future conservation actions can be based. This presentation will showcase Minnesota’s diversity by highlighting various groups of bees, including the “specialists” that feed their brood pollen from a single plant type, and the “cuckoo bees,” so called because they lay their eggs in the nests of other species.
Presenter: Jessica Petersen, Invertebrate Ecologist, Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota DNR
Location: Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall North, Johnson Student Union
#4 - Monarch Butterfly Conservation: Simple Steps to Make a Big Difference
Monarchs are one of Minnesota's most beloved and well recognized insects. The monarch is even our state insect! They have captured the hearts of many and inspire action for conservation, which in turn benefits countless other organisms. This presentation will provide an overview of the complexities of the monarch life cycle, migration and conservation, and provide simple starting steps for anyone interested in helping this iconic insect recover from population decline.
Presenter: Katie-Lyn Bunney, Education Coordinator, Monarch Joint Venture
Location: Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall South, Johnson Student Union
This session will be livestreamed.
#5 - Vector-borne Disease Concerns in Minnesota
In Minnesota, mosquito bites are a generally tolerated inconvenience. Occasionally, these bites transmit pathogens, including West Nile Virus and several types of encephalitis, to human hosts. Ticks are not insects, but these eight-legged arthropods transmit pathogens for Lyme Disease, which is endemic in Minnesota. Climate change may expand the ranges of other such transmitted diseases. In this session you will learn about the risks of mosquito- and tick-transmitted diseases and what you can do to protect your health.
Presenter: Elizabeth Schiffman, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health
Location: Wallenberg Auditorium, Nobel Hall of Science
#6 - Insects in the Arts: Behind the Scenes of the Nobel Conference Opening Performance
For this year’s Nobel Conference, three artists collaborated to develop our unique conference opening, which uses music, light and dance to explore insect communication, a central theme in the study of insects. The fireflies’ light shows attract mates; ants' chemical trails help them build multi-story nests; and honeybees dance to indicate the best sources of food. All these activities involve communication among individuals. Join the creators of the opening performance to learn about their dialogues leading to the development of their program.
Presenters: David Stamps, Department of Music and Melissa Rolnick, Department of Theater and Dance, Gustavus; Dave Ryan, Media Artist, St. Paul
Location: Hillstrom Museum, Jackson Campus Center lower level
#7 - Insects and the Liberal Arts: The Legacy of Charles Hamrum and Entomology at Gustavus
We know that insects thrive in nearly every habitat on the planet including the Gustavus campus, but what about within the liberal arts? In this session, a panel of former Gustavus entomology students with vocations about or related to insects will reflect on insects and the liberal arts. After sharing their thoughts, there will be time for group reflections and questions.
Presenters: Gustavus alumni who have pursued vocations involving insects
Anthony Adams (2011) Small Farms/Local Foods Extension Educator, University of Minnesota
Neil Bentley (1997), Vice President, Market Management Agricultural Solutions NA
Ethan Degner (2012), Assistant Professor of Biology, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Mike Howe (2014), ORISE Fellow Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory, United States Forest Service
Elizabeth Murray (2004), Telford Family Professor of Entomology, Washington State University
Gina Quiram (2006), Strategic Planner, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Ryan Sklar (2020), nursery supervisor, GDM Seeds
Carl Stenoien (2011), Climate Change Research Scientist, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Location: Heritage Banquet Room, Jackson Campus Center
#8 - Monarch Migration: An Artistic Collaboration
So much of the conservation of wild things involves personal stories and our connections. Come hear how the natural history of one insect has inspired two artists - a writer and a composer - in a collaboration designed to connect our stories and ourselves to the monarch butterfly. The magnificent migration of monarchs across Canada and the United States to Mexico each fall and spring was brought to children by author Ann Hobbie’s Monarch Butterfly: Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World (Hobbie and Baumert, Storey, 2021). In 2023, award-winning Mexican composer Nubia Jaime-Donjuan put this story onto a score with “Monarch Migrations”, music for orchestra and symphonic band. Listen to the Gustavus Wind Symphony perform “Monarch Migrations” on Wednesday, October 4.
Presenters: Heidi Johanna Miller from the Department of Music at Gustavus; Ann Hobbie, author of Monarch Butterflies: Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World from St. Paul; and Nubia Jaime-Donjuan, performer and composer of “Monarch Migrations” from Hermosilla, Sonora, Mexico
Location: Nobel Hall of Science Room 1413
#9 - Who are the insects in our neighborhood? An insect catch, identify and release experience
Insects are everywhere on the Gustavus campus. This is an opportunity to appreciate them on their own turf. You will have a chance to safely catch insects; identify them and learn about their natural history; and then release them. Most insects are completely safe to humans and stings rarely occur. If you are allergic to insect stings, please bring appropriate safety measures. No experience needed. All equipment will be provided.
Presenters: Kirk Larsen, Department of Biology, Luther College and Luther College Entomology Students
Group size limited to 18.
Location: Gusavus Arboretum, Interpretive Center