Announcements
November 5, 2009
This week's lab will cover identification of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Neuroptera. Please come prepared!
Exam 2 is next Tuesday, Nov. 10. It will be open book / open notes like the first exam. Be sure to look at the practice problems on life tables and physiological time (Homework #8). Questions like these will be on the exam. Ask questions if you need help with the homework problems -- don't wait until the last minute. DE students should let me know if there is any change in when or where they will take the exam.
October 22, 2009
Quiz #3 is scheduled for Oct. 27. It will cover material on insect behavior (nervous system through social insects). For DE students, that's all of Module 7.
Unless I hear differently, I assume you will take this quiz at the same time and place as you have taken the others.
October 6, 2009
It's time to start Module #7 (Insect Behavior) and prepare for the first Lab Practical on October 15 or 16. The practical will test your ability to "spot ID" insects to order, recognize external body structures on a grasshopper, identify different types of antennae, legs, wings, and mouthparts, and name the internal organs in a dissection of the cockroach. All of these things were covered in labs 2, 3, and 5.
Demo materials (including a spot ID self-test) are available on the back lab table in 4302 Gardner until next Wednesday night. Ask me for the door code if you've forgotten it. You are free to come and go as long as no other class is using the room.
Earn up to four extra points of HW credit by submitting a "minicollection" when you come to take the lab practical. Your minicollection should consist of one pinned insect, one pointed insect, one spread insect, and one insect in alcohol -- all correctly curated with a date/locality label (no ID or ecology label needed yet). My purpose is to insure that you are doing things correctly - it would be a shame to turn in your collection and discover that you lost points on every specimen becuase they were mislabeled. I will grade the minicollection while you are taking the lab practical and return it when you are done. DE students who take the practical at a remote site can send me a close-up photo of each specimen - just make sure I can read the labels!!
October 1, 2009
Your first major exam in General Entomology is scheduled for next Tuesday. It will cover everything in the course so far: modules 2-6. You will have one hour for the exam. It will be open book / open notes, but you may NOT use a laptop, PDA, or any wireless device that can link to the internet (including cell phones).
Exam format will include a wide variety of question types including T/F, multiple choice, matching, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and at least one essay. (see examples of old exams on your website).
Unless I hear differently, I assume you will take the exam at the same time and place as you have taken your quizzes.
September 16, 2009
This is the week for our aquatic field trip. Bring your net, killing jar, and plenty of collecting bottles. Wear boots or shoes that can get wet or muddy.
Quiz #2 is coming up next Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Quiz format will be similar to the first one.
Topics include all of external anatomy and development:
Integument
Head Capsule
Thorax
Locomotion
Abdomen
Egg structure
Embryogenesis
Morphogenesis
September 9, 2009
Scores for Quiz #1 have been posted in your Moodle gradebook.
This week's lab is External Anatomy. Bring dissecting tools,
insect pins, and your copy of Bland & Jaques.
Do NOT bring
your insects.
You can earn 5 points of homework credit this Saturday, Sept. 12, by attending
BugFest at the NC Museum of Natural
Science, Downtown Raleigh. The Plaza, Capitol Grounds, and all four floors
of the Museum will be filled with buggy fun! More info at:
http://www.bugfest.org/
To get credit, visit Station #43 (Stump the Experts) and ask to sign in on the ENT 425 clipboard.
September 4, 2009
The deadline for Module #3 assignments is Monday, September 7, and everyone should be planning to take Quiz #1 on Tuesday, September 8. All distance education students who have contacted me will take the quiz during lecture (10:15 am in 113 Harrellson Hall) or that afternoon (between 3:00 and 5:00 pm in 4302 Gardner Hall). If you have scheduled a time with DELTA or with a remote proctor, they should have the quiz ready for you. Have a good Labor Day!
August 26, 2009
By now, if you are on schedule, you should have nearly finished Modules #1 and #2. If not, buckle down and catch up. The real work starts in Module #3, so leave yourself enough time to completely assimilate all the information in the Taxonomy and Systematics reading assignments.
For those of you attending labs on campus, we will focus on Insect Orders this week.
Bring only the following items to lab this week:
1. your copy of "How to Know the Insects" by Bland & Jaques
2. the pinned insects you have mounted so far (in your black pinning box)
3. the cork observation block
For those of you NOT attending labs on campus, this is the week for Lab #2. Be sure to print off the list of spot ID characters and view the narrated slide show that illustrates how to recognize each order. The orders covered in this slide show are the only ones you will be expected to identify on a lab practical.
Homework #1 (It's Greek to Me), Worksheet #1 (Orientation),
and Discussion Topic #1 (Personal Introduction) and are due by midnight Aug. 28.
Homework #2 (Fear No Weevil), Worksheet #2 (Importance), and Discussion Topic #2
(Insect Extinction) are due by midnight Sept. 2. All of these assignments
are in the Moodle workspace.
Quiz #1 is coming up on Sept. 8. You will be tested on the following:
1. Common names and scientific names for each order of insects
2. Phylogenetic relationships -- who's related to whom in the tree of life
3. Distinctive physical characteristics of each order
4. Ecological role of each order (herbivore, predator, scavenger, etc.)
5. Economic importance (if any) to humans of each order
All this information can be found in the "Compendium" of insects.
It is also summarized on the last two pages of the topic outline (PDF)
for Module #3.
August 21, 2009
I hope you managed to survive the first (half) week of classes.
If you missed lecture on Thursday, please view the audio powerpoint for Module #1. This should get you up to speed on course requirements.
If you still need to pick up a set of collecting equipment, I will be in the lab (4302 Gardner Hall) on Tuesday, August 25 from 4 to 7 pm. If that time doesn't suit you, contact the TA, Shelley Rogers, to arrange an alternate time. You can do the lab "on your own" by following the Meadow Field Trip instructions.
Begin earning homework points by posting a "Personal Introduction" (3 pts) in the first discussion forum, submitting the first homework assignment called "It's Greek to Me" (5 pts) and completing the Orientation Worksheet (5 pts). All of these assignments can be found in the Moodle workspace -- click on "Course Materials" and then "Login to Moodle". All of these should be completed by August 28 to qualify for homework points.
August 18, 2009
My petition to postpone the start of fall semester has been denied!
The first class meeting for Ent 425 is on Thursday morning, August 20, at 10:15 am in 113 Harrellson Hall (that big round building south of the library). Labs WILL MEET the first week on Thursday and Friday afternoons. If you are in section 001 and have not registered for one of the labs, please do so ASAP.
The schedule for Fall, 2009 has been posted. Look around the website if you have some free time and get familiar with the resources that will be available to you.
Our first lab will include a short field trip to a weedy field. Please come dressed appropriately. I would recommend long pants and shoes (not flip-flops). The management is not responsible for cases of poison ivy or scratches from thorns....
Students taking the course by distance education (DE) may begin working on Module 1, but please don't start submitting homework or post to a discussion forum until Aug. 20. DE students should contact me by phone (919-515-1659) during the first week for a short conference and to arrange for pick up or delivery of your collecting equipment.
See you soon!!
March 16, 2009
Pre-registration has begun for the 2009 fall semester. If you're thinking about signing up for ENT 425, check out the course syllabus and browse through the resource library to find out what you're getting into!
If you do plan to take the course, you may want to consider starting your insect collection this summer. Two documents that will get you pointed in the right direction are:
- a list of collection requirements, and
- a few suggestions for mounting and preserving the insects you collect
Don't hesitate to call (919-515-1659) or e-mail (john_meyer@ncsu.edu) if you have any other questions.
All non-degree, lifelong, or continuing education students (i.e. anyone not currently enrolled in a degree program) must first register with the University as a Non-Degree Studies (NDS) student. Registration forms and other information can be found at: http://www.ncsu.edu/acp/application/
