美国马里兰大学昆虫学系 – 马里兰大学昆虫学研究与推广项目

美国马里兰大学昆虫学系（Department of Entomology, University of Maryland）创立于19世纪末，在马里兰大学系统内已有逾125年的悠久历史，是美国东部最具影响力的昆虫学教研机构之一。系部驻地设在马里兰大学帕克分校（College Park, Maryland），同时横跨两个学院体制——主归属计算机、数学与自然科学学院（CMNS），同时许多教师在马里兰农业试验站（MAES）和马里兰大学推广服务中心（UME）担任部分聘任，后者由农业与自然资源学院（AGNR）管理。系主任需同时向CMNS和AGNR两位院长汇报，这种双轨架构在全美昆虫学系中颇具特色。

历史沿革与组织归属

美国马里兰大学昆虫学系创立于19世纪末，距今已有逾125年的悠久历史，是美国东部历史最悠久的昆虫学教研机构之一。系部主归属计算机、数学与自然科学学院（College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, CMNS），同时因大量教师在马里兰农业试验站（Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, MAES）和马里兰大学推广服务中心（University of Maryland Extension, UME）担任部分聘任，而与农业与自然资源学院（College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, AGNR）保持密切的行政联系。系主任（Entomology Chair）需同时向CMNS和AGNR两位院长汇报，这种双轨架构在全美昆虫学系中颇具特色，使昆虫学系既能在基础生物学方向深耕，又能直接服务马里兰州的农业推广、城市害虫管理和公共卫生需求。系部每年定期接受外部评审，2021年秋季的外部评审推动了2022至2027战略规划的制定，将”价值驱动的卓越、多样性公平包容、影响力、创新、合作、服务人类”作为未来五年的发展主线。

教研方向与重点实验室

昆虫学系围绕五大核心研究方向构建科研体系：害虫综合防治与农林城市害虫生物防治、生态保护修复与气候变化、生物多样性进化与系统学、遗传基因组发育生物学与医学昆虫学、以及传粉昆虫学与养蜂业。系部同时提出四大”宏大挑战”作为跨学科命题：保障粮食安全未来、理解气候变化对生态系统的生物效应、应对全球生物多样性危机、以及减轻节肢动物媒介疾病对人体健康的影响。教研团队受益于马里兰大学紧邻华盛顿特区的地理优势，与史密森尼学会、美国农业部、国立卫生研究院、美国地质调查局帕图森特野生动物研究中心、国家公园管理局和沃尔特里德研究所等联邦机构保持密切合作。

学位项目与人才培养

昆虫学系每年招收约35至40名研究生，开设理学硕士（M.S.）和博士（Ph.D.）两类学位，研究生还可加入跨学科项目如 Biological Sciences（BISI）或 Marine Estuarine and Environmental Sciences（MEES）。系部还提供全在线的应用昆虫学理学硕士项目（Online M.S. in Applied Entomology），为在职专业人士和全球学生提供灵活的远程学习路径。本科生层面，昆虫学系提供昆虫学辅修专业、系级荣誉项目以及多个本科生科研机会。所有研究生均通过科研助理、教学助理或 Gahan Fellowship 等途径获得资助，2026 财年硕士生津贴起步为35,537美元，博士候选人后阶段可达36,810美元，资助通常涵盖每年最多10学分的学费减免及全套医疗保险。

主要成果与社会影响

昆虫学系在多个领域取得国际公认的学术成就：前系主任 Leslie Pick 教授长期从事果蝇及其他昆虫胚胎发育基因调控研究，实验室连续30余年获得 NIH 资助，发表超过75篇同行评审论文，2025年5月起升任 CMNS 研究生教育副院长；Evan Economo 实验室聚焦蚂蚁多样性的生态进化机制，成果发表于 Science、Science Advances 等顶级期刊；Karin Burghardt 实验室研究植物防御对群落生态系统的塑造作用，2024年于 Nature Ecology & Evolution 发表树木多样性实验成果。在公众参与层面，昆虫动物园（Insect Zoo）展出超过100种活体节肢动物，面向首都地区弱势学校开展低费或免费外展活动；虫虫营（Bug Camp）为7至12岁儿童提供为期一周的昆虫科学沉浸式夏令营；蜂蜜蜜蜂实验室（Honey Bee Lab）在校园和周边农场运营科研蜂群，所产蜂蜜销售收入反哺研究经费。

官网： https://entomology.umd.edu/

The Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland has built more than 125 years of continuous history since its founding in the late 19th century, making it one of the most influential entomology research and teaching institutions on the U.S. East Coast. The department is based at the University of Maryland, College Park campus in suburban Maryland and operates under a distinctive dual-college structure: while it is primarily housed in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), many faculty hold partial appointments in the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and University of Maryland Extension (UME), both administered through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR). The Entomology Chair formally reports to both the CMNS and AGNR Deans—an arrangement that is uncommon among entomology departments nationwide.

History and Organizational Affiliation

The Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland was founded in the late 19th century and has built more than 125 years of continuous teaching, research, and extension activity, making it one of the oldest entomology units on the U.S. East Coast. The department is primarily housed in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), yet because a large share of its faculty hold partial appointments in the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the University of Maryland Extension (UME), the department also operates under the administrative umbrella of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR). The Entomology Chair formally reports to both the CMNS and AGNR Deans—a dual-reporting arrangement that gives the unit an unusual capacity to bridge basic biological discovery with applied agricultural, urban pest management, and public-health work for the state of Maryland. The department undergoes regular external review; a successful Fall 2021 review led to the current 2022–2027 Strategic Plan.

Research Directions and Core Laboratories

The department organizes its scholarship around five primary research thrusts: Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control of Agricultural, Urban and Forest Pests; Ecology, Conservation, Restoration and Climate Change; Biodiversity, Evolution and Systematics; Genetics, Genomics, Developmental Biology and Medical Entomology; and Pollinator Science and Apiculture. Framing these are four university-level “Grand Challenges” that guide cross-disciplinary work: securing the future of food, understanding the biological effects of climate change, addressing the biodiversity crisis, and enhancing the future of human health through mitigation of arthropod-borne disease. The department’s geographic proximity to Washington, D.C., enables close research partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and Walter Reed Research Institute.

Degree Programs and Training

The department enrolls approximately 35 to 40 graduate students each year across its M.S. and Ph.D. programs, and students may also pursue interdisciplinary training through umbrella programs such as Biological Sciences (BISI) or Marine Estuarine and Environmental Sciences (MEES). For working professionals and distance learners, the department offers a fully online M.S. in Applied Entomology that delivers the same rigorous curriculum without requiring on-campus residency. Undergraduate students can pursue an Entomology Minor, the Departmental Honors Program, and a range of paid research opportunities. All admitted graduate students receive competitive funding through research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), or the Gahan Fellowship, with FY 2026 twelve-month stipends starting at $35,537 for M.S. students and reaching $36,810 for post-candidacy Ph.D. students; funding typically includes tuition remission of up to 10 credits per semester and full health benefits through the University System of Maryland.

Major Outcomes and Public Impact

The department’s scholarship is recognized internationally across multiple subfields. Former department chair Leslie Pick, whose laboratory has been continuously NIH-funded for over 30 years with more than 75 peer-reviewed publications on the regulatory genes that control embryonic development, was appointed CMNS Associate Dean for Graduate Education effective May 2025. The Economo lab advances understanding of how ecological and evolutionary processes regulate ant biodiversity, publishing in Science, Science Advances, and other leading venues. The Burghardt lab investigates how plant defenses shape communities and ecosystems, with recent work on tree diversity–herbivory relationships appearing in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Public engagement is delivered through the Insect Zoo, Bug Camp, and the Honey Bee Lab, while sustained philanthropy flows through the Charles F. Reichelderfer Memorial Fund, the Allen Steinhauer Scholarship Fund, the Honey Bee Lab Research Fund, and the Insect Zoo Fund.

Official Site: https://entomology.umd.edu/