Insect Collection Catalogue Now Online: The Natural History Collections is pleased to announce that the Entomology collection catalogue is now available for searching online at:              http://informatics.bio.umass.edu/museum/insect/.
     At the moment, the catalogue contains 109,587 specimens and 13,737 species and sub-species entries. Plans are being made to integrate this site within the current NHC site.
     This catalogue was produced through support from the NHC, Entomology collections fund, Steve Brewer, Dr. Benjamin Normark and two semesters of diligent work by the Entomology curatorial student staff: David Bays, Alex Gerasimchuk, Michael Mathewson, Nelson Milano, and Tyler Willis. Rodger Gwiazdowski, of the Graduate Program in Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences managed the project.

Summer Scholarships Announced:   The 2009 Natural History Collections Summer Scholarships have been awarded to the students listed below.
   Alexandra Coombs, Conservation Biology Department, Antioch University of New England, Project: “Flora of Mount Monadnock”, Advisors: Karen Searcy, Biology Dept, UMass and Peter Palmiotto, Antioch University of New England
   Thomas Eiting, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) Program, Project: “Morphological optimization of the nasal cavities of bats”, Advisors: Betsy Dumont, Biology Dept., UMass and Timothy Smith, School of Physical Therapy, Slippery Rock University,
   Matthew Gaucher, Bachelors in Biology, Project: “Anatomical variation of ramus lateralis accessorius in three species of electric fishes (Gymnotiformes)”, Advisor: Cristina Cox Fernandes, Biology Dept., UMass
   Justin Henningsen, OEB Program, Advisor: Duncan Irschick, Biology Dept., Project: “Do green anoles assess conspecifics based on dewlap size? An experimental test”
   Kimberley Kasper, Anthropology Dept., Advisor: Martin Wobst, Anthropology Dept., Project: “Plant use and human-environmental interactions of the Mashantucket Pequot Indians”
   Lindsay Meador, Anthropology Dept., Advisor: Laurie Godfrey, Anthropology Dept., Project: Computerized tomography as a tool for reconstructing diets of extinct primates”
   Sarah Reedy, Anthropology Dept., Advisor: Brigitte Holt, Anthropology Dept., Project: “Cranial base sex estimation in human skeletal remains”
   Carolyn Rounds, OEB Program, Advisor: Margery Coombs, Biology Dept., Project: “Possible new species of Moropus (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Chalicotherioidea) in the Batesland and Runningwater Formations, Great Plains area of North America”
   Michelle Staudinger, Natural Resources Conservation Dept., Advisor: Francis Juanes, Natural Resources Conservation Dept., Project: “Quantifying size-dependent predation and selectivity on squid: implications for fishery management