July 11, 2011
University biologist Susan J. Brown named fellow of the Entomological Society of America
Susan J. Brown, a professor of biology and director of the Arthropod Genomic Center at Kansas State University, has been named a fellow of the Entomological Society of America.
Brown is one of 10 professors chosen for the honor. She will be formally recognized at Entomology 2011, the society's 59th annual meeting, Nov. 13-16 in Reno, Nev.
"I was really pleased to have been nominated for a fellow," Brown said. "Now that the final results have been announced, I'm very happy as it's quite a diverse and distinguished group who were chosen."
In order to become a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, individuals must have made significant research contributions to the field of entomology.
For Brown, this includes playing a prominent role in the international consortium responsible for sequencing and analyzing the genome of Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle; developing multiple genomic tools -- including molecular recombination maps, DNA libraries, RNA interference and comparative approaches -- that are aiding researchers to study of additional Tribolium species; and setting up databases for other laboratories on campus to work with insect genomics, among others.
"I'm pleased to be recognized for the work I've done with my research group and my colleagues, both at K-State and abroad," she said. "Many researchers now are using Tribolium in studies, as it's been distinguished as a genetic model organism and is the first beetle to have its full genome sequenced."
Brown also directs the Bioinformatics Center at K-State. Currently she's working on Agripestbase, a community database that contains genome data for pest insects.