Degrees
Bachelor of Science
Institution: Auburn University – Auburn, AL
Department: Biological Sciences
Major: Zoology: Conservation and Biodiversity
Minor: Entomology
Graduation date: May 2013
Master of Science
Institution: Auburn University – Auburn, AL
Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology
Program: Entomology
Advisor: Dr. David Held
Master’s thesis title: Impacts of Native and Non-native plants on Urban Insect Communities: Are Native Plants Better than Non-natives?
Completion date: December 2015
Doctor of Philosophy
Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Urbana, Illinois
Department: Entomology
Program: Entomology
Advisor: Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt
Dissertation Title: Assessing adaptive winter behaviors of beneficial arthropods, with a focus on the long-distance migratory ecology of Nearctic hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae)
Completion date: August 2021
Grants/Fellowships
USDA NIFA Education and Workforce Development Postdoctoral Fellowship – $160,000: Addressing key limitations to capitalizing on hover fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) pollination and biological control services. (Award No. 2021-67034-35132)
USDA NIFA Education and Workforce Development Predoctoral Fellowship – $120,000: Examination of Midwestern Hover Fly (Syrphidae) Winter Survival to Improve Pollination Efficiency and Conservation Biological Control (Award No. 2019-67011-29505).
U.S. Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship – $33,000: Received this twice; Two years of RA funding presented by University of Illinois School of Integrative Biology.
USDA North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Graduate Student Grant Program – $12,000: Understanding aphidophagous hoverfly winter survival strategies in Midwest farmscapes to improve conservation biological control (Award No. 2016-38640-25381).
Francis M. and Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant, 2017 – $1,000 presented by the University of Illinois School of Integrative Biology.
Honors and Awards
2021: 1st place – Graduate student 10-min oral research presentation competition: National Entomology Society of America Conference, Denver, CO October 31-November 4, 2021.
2021: 2nd place – Graduate student 10-min oral research presentation competition: North Central Branch Entomology Society of America virtual meeting, June 21-23, 2021.
2020: 2nd place – Graduate student poster competition: 22nd Annual University of Illinois Graduates in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (GEEB) Symposium, February 8, 2020.
2019: 2nd place – ESA Student research poster competition: National Entomology Society of America Conference, Saint Louis, MO November 18, 2019.
2019: 1st place – Graduate student 4-min lightning research presentation competition: 21st Annual University of Illinois Graduates in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (GEEB) Symposium, February 2nd, 2019.
2018: 1st place – ESA Student Debate Competition: National Entomology Society America Conference, Vancouver, B.C., CAN, November 11-14, 2018; Topic: Which technology will revolutionize entomology the most? (stance: high-throughput DNA sequencing).
2018: Travel Award – North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Conference: Travel support for Our Farms, Our Future Conference in St. Louis, MO.
2018: Honorable Mention – IPM Inspiration Award: 9th annual International Integrated Pest Management (IPM) meeting in Baltimore, MD.
2018: Travel Award: North Central Integrated Pest Management Center – Travel support for 9th annual International IPM meeting in Baltimore, MD.
2017: 2nd place – Triplehorn Challenge: North Central Branch Entomological Society of America Conference in Indianapolis, IN; This is a competition based on accuracy of insect pinning.
2017: Entomology Summer Stipend Award – 2 months of RA funding presented by the University of Illinois Department of Entomology.
2016: Kirby L. Hays Memorial Scholarship Award – Presented by the Entomological Society of America Southeastern Branch Awards Committee. Award is based on excellence in M.S. research and graduate program. One student from each school in the region is allowed to be nominated.
2016: 1st Place M.S. Oral Research Presentation Competition: Entomological Society of America Southeastern Branch Meeting March 15, 2016
2015: Outstanding Entomology Master’s Student Award – Presented by Auburn University Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology May 1, 2015.
2014: 1st place – M.S. Presentation and Paper Competition: Southern Nursery Association Conference July 22-24, 2014, Atlanta, GA.
2014: China Study Abroad Travel Scholarship – Traveled to Beijing, China with other Auburn University graduate students to present research and tour the Beijing School of Agriculture
2014: 2nd place – ESA Student Debate Competition: National Entomology Society America Conference, Nov 16-19, Portland, OR.; Topic: Should we completely ban neonicotinoid insecticides?
C. Scott Clem, PhD 