PHOTO / JEFF JOINER
Native American freshmen choose an entomology adventure BY B E T H T H E I S
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The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, part of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, partnered with the Center for Sovereign Nations at Oklahoma State University in the spring of 2016 to establish the four-year grant program. It is designed to attract highly qualified Native American students into the entomology and plant pathology undergraduate program at OSU. The partnership and grant program were spearheaded by Hoback, the primary investigator on a research
project exploring why Native Americans suffer twice the rate of certain diseases compared to non-natives. “Entomology is a dying but important industry,” says Hoback, who noted the number of scientists trained in entomology has declined substantially since the 1990s, and very few Native American students earn degrees in the field. In general, the lack of trained entomologists from diverse backgrounds is challenging for the field of entomology because of the potential for
Wyatt Hoback, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology, works with students Natalee Taylor, left, and Taylor Coles. PHOTO / GARY LAWSON
klahoma State University freshman Natalee Taylor always wanted to be a veterinarian. In fact, she spent two summers interning with a veterinarian who specialized in large, small and some exotic animal medicine, and planned to major in biochemistry and molecular biology en route to vet school. Even with experience researching ticks from previous classes and an internship, studying entomology never crossed her mind. Then came the conversation with Wyatt Hoback, an OSU assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology, during a student event on the Stillwater campus. “I didn’t even know entomology was a major here,” Taylor says. “I met Dr. Hoback at new student orientation, and we started talking about my research project. After he discovered my experience with tick research, he began to tell me about the entomology department.” The friendly chat not only led Taylor to eventually change her major but also opened the door to a barrier-breaking scholars program designed to integrate the study of insects and Native American heritage. A Muscogee Creek citizen from Henryetta, Oklahoma, she is one of six inaugural scholars in Native Americans Trained In Various Entomological Sciences, or NATIVES.