Meck Slagle Conference Summary

Meck Slagle Conference Summary

Meck Slagle
M.S. Candidate
Entomology & Insect Science

Entomological Society of America Annual Conference

St. Louis, MO
November 17-20, 2019

The Entomological Society of America’s (ESA) national conference was held in St. Louis, Missouri this year. I attended several tours in plant/insect research facilities, which gave me a good sense of how research outside of academia is funded and conducted. I presented my poster on edible insects, which helped me forge strong connections with the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture (NACIA) and some researchers at Montana State University that are also interested in edible insects. Through one of the many workshops I attended, I made a connection with an editor for a journal that is interested in my science communication writing; and another workshop focused on humor and how to captivate your audience with a little bit of comedy. I even talked to faculty at the University of Maryland about potentially applying to a PhD program. I am very optimistic about the networking I was able to do at ESA, and I’m pleased with the broader knowledge I have on insects and the research surrounding them. I am also grateful to the Carter Award for making my trip possible and giving me the opportunity to see St. Louis in the fall, the trees were gorgeous.