Entomologist and Evolutionary Biologist

Dr. Elizabeth "Beth" Wade's fascination with research is something she is passing on to her Biology students at Curry College. 

"I'm an entomologist and an evolutionary biologist which means I'm interested in the genetics of insects." 

A typical day in Dr. Wade's classrooms could include going out into the field and collecting insects and seeing how they relate to other species or dissecting sheep hearts to learn about the cardiovascular system.

"We offer cutting-edge research opportunities for every Biology student and are increasingly offering these opportunities during their first year of study. Many institutions have research programs, but a limited number of students are able to take advantage of those opportunities. At Curry, we make sure every single student has a research experience that is publishable or one they could present at a conference."

Currently, Wade's research focuses on beneficial insects called green lacewings that are used in large-scale agriculture and greenhouse settings to combat pest species such as aphid populations. She and her students are sequencing the first green lacewing genome with colleagues at the University of Connecticut. In summer 2018, Wade plans to take several students on a trip around the U.S. collecting green lacewings. Students will host a population of the insects in the lab, rear them, and test how many of the larva eat aphids.

In Fall 2019, Biology students will have a new place to conduct such research in the Science and Integrated Learning Commons, a 36,500 state-of-the-art facility currently being built on campus. "In the new space, we will have designated faculty research space which will allow students to become much more integrated into our research programs. In addition, we're going to have renovated and larger lab spaces and innovative and active learning classrooms."

Wade closely follows trends in her field to ensure students' coursework positions them for the global workforce. In Spring 2018, she is introducing a bioinformatics class where students will learn how to analyze biological data using computer scripting and interfacing with super computers.

"Being a Biology major opens up more career paths with the idea that STEM jobs and careers are the future of America, certainly, and the more biology and science classes, the more computer and bioinformatics classes students take, the better off they are going to be for entering diverse careers in the STEM field."