People in the Lamp Lab
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William Lamp
Professor Email: lamp@umd.edu Office: PLSC4138 Bill Lamp's work on plant-insect interactions and aquatic entomology has integrated molecular, physiological, community and ecosystem approaches to address IPM issues and the consequences of field- and landscape-level processes. His research helps define his unique role in teaching and outreach activities; and his interaction with students and stakeholders helps generate new directions for research. His combined activities in research, teaching, and outreach have enabled him to foster the discovery of knowledge, the development of students, the management of insect pests, and overall to contribute to the University and the science of entomology. Research Interests: The theme of my research is the ecology of insects in the human environment, and my projects align within three broad fields: integrated pest management (IPM) of forage crops, understanding ecology of emerging insect pests, and the implications of IPM and land use on invertebrates in streams and wetlands. 
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Jenna Kraemer
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Current graduate Students:
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Helen Craig
M.S. Entomology Graduate Student and previous Lab Manager Email: hcraig3@umd.edu Office: PLSC 4178 Helen graduated from University of Maryland in May 2022 after majoring in Ecology and Evolution and minoring in Sustainability. She joined the Lamp Lab as a part-time lab manager in January 2022 and moved to full time in June 2022. Prior to working with the Lamp Lab, Helen worked in Cerruti Hooks’ Lab studying with PhD student Veronica Yurchak looking at sustainable agriculture with cover crops and insect biological control, and Megan Fritz’s lab doing molecular DNA analysis on mosquito specimens. With this background, Helen assists in managing projects, data, and people in the Lamp Lab. Helen is now transitioning to a Master's student in the Fall of 2023! Research Interests: The intersection of sustainability and entomology, especially insects as food and feed. |
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Maggie Hartman
M.S. Entomology Graduate Student Email: mehartma@umd.edu My research examines the role of dragonflies and damselflies as biological control agents in agriculture, including their abundance, species richness and diet composition through next generation sequencing. |
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Amanda Brucchieri
M.S. Entomology Graduate Student Email: abrucchi@umd.edu Office: PLS 3153 Before attending the University of Maryland for graduate school, Amanda earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Organismal Biology from Kent State University. Her interest in research was piqued right after graduating high school when she participated in community, population and behavioral research of elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions and leopards in South Africa. Through her time at Kent Amanda took part in more research opportunities focusing primarily on plants and insects and studied abroad in Italy, Poland and Costa Rica. Graduating amidst the COVID pandemic Amanda interned at the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio where she studied pollinator visitation and plant community structure in response to restoration techniques. Through this internship she presented her research in various formats that inspired an interest in teaching and extension. She plans to foster these interests and build her research experience in Lamp Lab. Research Interests: Aquatic macro invertebrates in rural, urban and agricultural systems. |
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Robert Salerno M.S. Entomology Graduate Student Email: rsalerno@umd.edu Office: PLS 3153 Robert received a bachelor's degree in Organismal Biology from the State University of New York at Oswego (2022). In the past he worked with oak twig pruner beetles (Anelaphus villosus and A. parralelus) performing morphometric and molecular identification. Also, he has worked with discriminant functions separating the sexes of A. villosus as well as investigating the mechanisms of prostration in two species of wintergreen ferns. Poster and oral presentations were given for these projects at conferences such as the Northeast Natural History Conference and the Entomological Society of America 2021. Research Interests: My research interests include integrated pest management, conservation biocontrol, and biodiversity within agroecosystems. Publications:Brown, W. P., Salerno, R., & Cursino, L. (2021). Anelaphus villosus (Fabricius) and A. parallelus (newman) (coleoptera: Cerambycidae) can be accurately distinguished using body measurements and DNA barcoding. The Canadian Entomologist |
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Alireza Shokoohi
M.S. Entomology Graduate Student Email: shokoohi@umd.edu Office: PLS 4124 Website: https://shokoohia.wixsite.com/shokoohi After volunteering in the Lamp Lab while completing his bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, Ali joined the lab as a Master's student to pursue a degree in entomology. He is currently finishing his thesis project investigating the role and potential of ground beetles as a model natural enemy group in agricultural drainage ditches for conservation biocontrol of crop pests. Research interests: insect biodiversity, conservation biological control, integrated pest management |
Current Lab Technicians:
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Shane Windsor
Lab Research Assistant Email: windsor@terpmail.umd.edu Shane developed a deep fascination and appreciation for insects towards the start of his Sophomore year, after he started photographing them and uploading them to iNaturalist, which led him to pursue entomology as a career and field of study. Shane started working in the Lamp Lab in the summer of 2021, while working on his Entomology Honors thesis project on the diversity and distribution of parasitoid wasps. After successfully completing and defending his thesis, Shane was one of the first two students to graduate with UMD's entomology minor in May of 2022. Shane continues to work in the Lamp Lab using his experience in identifying insects and processing samples while looking into and applying for grad school programs. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and traveling to observe new species and add to his ever-growing iNaturalist profile. Research interests: Wasps, biological control, ecology, behavior |
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Jillian Stewart
Lab Research Assistant Email: jmstew98@umd.edu Hi, my name is Jillian Stewart. I am working part time in the Lamp lab, creating training materials on the natural enemies we are studying. I take detailed photos of insects under the microscope, then compile them in presentations that other people can use to learn what different families look like. My inspiration was my own struggle with the differences between what reference materials say an insect should look like and what they actually look like on a sticky trap. Currently, I am working mostly with parasitoid wasps. Once I have a solid reference presentation on them, I hope to branch out to other orders! When I am not at the lab, I am at home with my family. That includes my pet fish, cats, chickens, and houseplants! I hope to go to graduate school for Entomology and pursue a career in wetland ecology and/or natural enemies and wild pollinators in agriculture. I have a particular interest in the ecosystem services insects in wetlands can provide to humans, and how to leverage those services into protecting native species and their habitats. Research Interests: Wetland ecology, ecology in general, stormwater management as it relates to living wetlands, conservation, entomology, forest management, wild pollinators. My interests are simultaneously broad and specialized. I know I want to research insects and other arthropods, but I am also interested in the wider world they exist within. I couldn't study the biology of an organism without also thinking about the evolutionary pressures that shaped it, the anthropogenic threats it faces, and the role it fills in its ecosystem. |
Current Undergraduate Students:
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Anthony Righter (Class of 2024)
Major: Agricultural Science and Technology, Concentration in Environmental Horticulture Minor: Entomology Research Interests: Improvement of agricultural pest management and biological control |
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Felicia Shectman (Class of 2024)
Major: ENSP (Conservation Biology and Biodiversity) Minor: Entomology Research Interests: Entomology, Evolution, Biodiversity, Ecology |
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Yasmine Helbling (Class of 2025)
Major: Ecology and Evolution Minor: Entomology Research Interests: Ecology, biodiversity, conservation, integrated pest management, mycology, and animal behavior |
Current High School Students:
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Aimal Abid (Eleanor Roosevelt High School)
Research Interests: Analyzing Anisoptera diversity in farm ponds through environmental factors such as water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels and utilizing DNA Barcoding to identify these species and their species abundance. |
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Ayat Hasan (Eleanor Roosevelt High School)
Research Interests: DNA barcoding carabid beetles to measure biodiversity levels of agricultural ditches; studying the impacts of environmental factors on Carabidae. |
Former Postdoctoral Associates:
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Dr. Peter Jensen
Post-doc (2007-2009) |
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Former Masters Students:
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Former Doctoral Students:
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Former Lab Managers:
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