158th Annual Meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science &
96th Annual Meeting of the Central States Entomological Society
April 10–11, 2026
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
Featuring keynote speaker Donald Huggins, aquatic ecologist and retired researcher focused on water quality, aquatic insect conservation, and natural resource preservation. Keynote address title: The good, the bad, and the personal.
Members of the CSES Governing board from left to right: Jeff Bradshaw, Liz Smith, Mary Burnett, Rachel Glynn, Diane Roeder, and Todd Hubbard.
Graduate Oral Presentation Winners
1st place
Relationships between physiological traits and critical thermal limits in a common Kansas butterfly. Cailin Kesson (University of Kansas)
2nd place
A cuckoo slumber party? Rediscovery of Nomada (Pachynomada) asteris Swenk, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with notes on unusual male aggregatory behavior. Natalie Herbison (University of Kansas)
3rd place
Butterfly records in Kansas: Contributions from museum collections. Anahi Quezada (University of Kansas)
Undergraduate Oral Presentation Winners
1st place
Microclimate matters: Influence of environment on native and non-native ant foraging. Emma Nelson (Augustana University)
2nd place
The result of a three-summer survey of the insect fauna of the Fort Leavenworth military installation. Isaac Fox (Fort Hays State University)
Graduate Poster Winners
1st place
Poster title: Illuminating potential implications of ALAN on Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) life history. Emma Frederiksen (University of Kansas)
2nd place
Poster title: 3D modeling improves bee surface area and volume estimates: Implications for thermal tolerance. Isabella Manning (University of Kansas)
3rd place (Tie)
Poster title: Efficacy of conventional neonicotinoid and carbon nanotube-based seed treatments against the Hessian fly. Selom Amego (Kansas State University)
3rd place (Tie)
Poster title: Utilizing natural history collections and data mining to assess flower associations and phenology of North American bees in the genus Andrena (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) subgenus Plastandrena. Wyatt Zabinski (University of Kansas)
Undergraduate Poster Winners
1st place
Poster title: Social aggregation or begrudging cohabitation in the opilionid Libitoides sayi? Ben Miller (University of Kansas)
2nd place
Poster title: Developing genetic markers for parental determination in Drosophila suzukii. Kiley Peterson (University of Kansas)
3rd place
Poster title: From Blood Meal to Eggs: ABC transporters in mosquito reproductive biology. Graham Vinton (Nebraska Wesleyan University)