Lecture and Q&A: The Spotted Lanternfly Project

Claire’s Bio:

Dr. Claire Rutledge got her Masters and her PhD in Entomology at the University of Illinois. After post-doctoral stints in Idaho and Indiana, she came to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station where she has predominantly worked on invasive wood boring insects. She started to work with Spotted Lanternfly in Fall 2022. She is currently an Associate Agricultural Scientist in the Entomology Department at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. 

Kelsey’s Bio:

Dr. Kelsey E. Fisher is an Assistant Agricultural Scientist II in the Entomology Department at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Kelsey served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Iowa State University (ISU) under the guidance of Steven P. Bradbury from 2021-2022. She earned her Ph.D. in Entomology from ISU in 2021, where she studied monarch butterfly conservation; her MS in Entomology from the University of Delaware in 2015, where she studied European corn borer management; and her BS in Biology from Widener University in 2013.

Kelsey is an insect movement ecologist. Her research focuses on discerning animal movement patterns and space use in fragmented landscapes to understand the movement and dispersal behavior of vagile insect species at various spatial scales. Kelsey employs multiple research methods in the field, greenhouse, and lab to address research questions related to the management of pest insects and conservation of beneficial species, including radio telemetry, population genetics, stable isotope analysis, geospatial analyses, and spatial modeling. Understanding movement and how space is used is fundamental to advancing pest management, natural resource management, and conservation programs.