Fonseca Lab

A trip to stop them all

Rafael_Anne_DinaOctober 11, 2017 – Rafael, Anne Nielsen and Dina met up with Sven-Erik Spichiger (PA Department of Agriculture) and visited sites in Pennsylvania infested with the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycormia denticulata. A beauty and a beast. SLF was first detected in eastern PA (Berks county) in 2014 and has since spread to five others (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Lehigh and Northampton). Arrival in NJ is imminent and we need to be pro-active. Rafael carefully collected samples of honeydew, soil, leaves covered in sap and black mold. Will there be detectable SLF DNA?? That is the question. For the answer, keep tuning in.

 

Old (left, top) and new (center) egg masses
sticky band covered in dead adults
Sven Spichiger, PA Ag
Spotted lanternfly feeding

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 Posted on October 11, 2017 by

 eDNA, Species Expansion

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Sammi Schwab, is in the house

Samantha Rose Schwab, a mathematical modeler finishing her PhD with Dr. Nina Fefferman at U. Tennessee, is sharing an office with Agnesa downstairs in McLean. Funded by a NSF Zika RAPID Sammi has been examining the effects of timing and scale of mosquito control on Zika transmission.  Go visit: they have an expresso making coffee machine (!) Sammi will give a presentation on her research at lab meeting on October 19.

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 Posted on October 2, 2017 by

 1,000 Mile View, Visitors

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Hurricane Ritchie

Prof. Scott Ritchie
Scott, Brian and Rick
Prof. Rick Lathrop, CRSSA

Prof. Scott Ritchie visited Brian and the Fonseca Lab in mid August and left a “path of construction”! He spent a day in the salt marsh with Brian, Dina and Rick Lathrop (the PI of the NOAA funded salt marsh mosquito project) and back in the lab taught us how to collect and identify mosquito egg shells to assess marsh productivity. The next day, Dina took Scott and Brian to a town in Maryland developing a Citizen AcTS project where residents are deploying passive lethal oviposition traps (GATs) for urban Aedes control. The GATs were co-invented by Dr. Ritchie. Scott met the Mayor and marveled at the town’s lush gardens and tall trees, perfect to sustain large populations of Asian tiger mosquitoes.

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 Posted on September 30, 2017 by

 Citizen AcTS, Salt marsh, Visitors

     

How is climate change affecting New Jerseyans?

To learn about the implications climate change has on public health in New Jersey, watch this video created by the NJ Climate Adaption Alliance. Starting around minute 4 Dr. Dina Fonseca talks about how climate change affects mosquitoes. Visit the Rutgers University Climate Institute’s website to learn more about how climate change affects NJ and beyond.

 Posted on September 27, 2017 by

 In a Changing World, Press, Salt marsh

     

Welcome to the Lab Agnesa!

Agnesa Redere

Agnesa with her dog Laima on the left, and her former foster dog Willow on the right

The Fonseca Lab would like to welcome Agnesa Redere as the newest member of our lab. Agnesa is a PhD student in the Department of Ecology & Evolution at Rutgers University. Her research interests focus on evaluating expected utility in three scenarios of ecological importance: epigenetics in changing environments, in proactive versus reactive mosquito control strategies in curtailing the spread of Zika virus, and inthe psychological concept of priming in changing environments. Agnesa uses mathematical modeling and simulations to generate understanding of these concepts.

At Rutgers University, Agnesa is a member of the Rutgers Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (RASTL), which allows her to meets with faculty members and administrators on a monthly basis to discuss higher education and the issues centered on undergraduate instruction. Also, she is an Assistant Head Teaching Assistant (AHTA) for General Biology courses that are offered at Rutgers University.

Prior to her graduate studies, in 2011 Agnesa received her Associates of Science degree in Biology from Sussex County Community College. After graduating, she traveled south to Rutgers University to continue her learning trajectory in the sciences and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 2014.

In her spare time, Agnesa trains people and on how to teach their dogs basic obedience. In addition, she also trains her own dog in sports such as nosework, tricks, obedience and agility. Agnesa is a member of the American Belgian Malinois Rescue where she fosters and places dogs who are in need of their forever homes.

 Posted on September 13, 2017 by

 1,000 Mile View

     

Dr. Dina Fonseca’s career in the Princeton Magazine

DinaLabcropYou can read more about Dr. Fonseca, her early career, fears and successes and her discussion of the potential effects of climate change-driven sea level rise on salt marsh mosquitoes in the October 2016 issue of Princeton Magazine. Click on this link and then scroll to page 60-61.

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 Posted on September 12, 2017 by

 In a Changing World, Press, Salt marsh, Species Expansion

     

Congratulations Rafael!

Congratulations Rafael Valentin, on writing a manuscript on the worldwide expansion of brown marmorated stinkbug that has been accepted for publication in Scientific Reports! To access the PDF, go the Rafael ResearchGate page.

 Posted on August 14, 2017 by

 Publications, Species Expansion

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Center for Vector Biology
180 Jones Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
848-932-6853
dina.fonseca at rutgers dot edu

Fonseca Lab

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