Yukie Kajita

Ph.D. Biology and Ecology, Utah State University, Logan, August 2008

• Advisor: Dr. Edward (Ted) W. Evans
  Dissertation: Reproductive tactics of aphidophagous lady beetles: Comparison of a native species and an invasive species that it displacing it.

M.S. Agriculture and Entomology, Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, March 2002

• Advisor: Dr. Hironori Yasuda
  Thesis: Effects of two predatory ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on the guild structure of aphidophagous arthropods.

B.S. Agriculture and Entomology, Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, March 2000

• Advisor: Dr. Hironori Yasuda
  Thesis: Effects of indigenous ladybird species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on the survival of an exotic species.

• University of Kentucky, Department of Entomology, Lexington, Kentucky
  August 2008–Present

• Utah State University, Department of Biology, Logan, Utah
  May–August 2004–2008
  Worked with Dr. Evans on the research of biological control of invasive Canadian thistles in Utah, and the biological control of cereal leaf beetles.

Visiting Scientist: US-Japan Cooperative Science Program (NSF INT-0089374)

• Utah State University, Department of Biology, Logan, Utah
  August–September 2001
  Collaborated with Dr. Evans (Utah State University) and Dr. Yasuda (Yamagata University, Japan) on the research of the interactions between native and invasive predatory lady beetles in the United States.

Teaching Assistant

• Utah State University, Department of Biology, Logan, Utah
  September–April 2003–2008
  Worked in the general Biology Lab (Biol 1210/1220, Biol 1610/1620). Prep work for lab setting, writing lecture, and making exams.
  Worked in the Field Ecology class (Biol 3220). Assistant for data collecting in fields and data analyses.

Teaching Assistant

• Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan
  April 2000–March 2002
  Assisted Professor Hironori Yasuda in conducting two laboratory classes per semester (Insect Ecology and Applied Entomology), including lab preparation, equipment training, and demonstrations.

Ecology Center Graduate Research Support Awards, Utah State University, $2,500, 2005–2006, and $2,200, 2006–2007

• The research awards for MS and PhD graduate students pursuing ecology degrees to support thesis / dissertation research. The grants are competitive and selection is based on scientific merit, quality of the proposals, and relevance to the field of ecology.

James A. and Patty MacMahon Scholarship 2006, Utah State University ($1,000) 2006–2007

• The scholarship is for the graduate students in Biology who are seeking Ecology degree in Utah State University. Selected based on the students statements and academic excellence.

IOBC Fellowship (International Organization of Biological Control) Student Travel Grants (800 euros) 2007

• The fellowship for the meeting of the Ecology of Aphidophaga 10, Athens, Greece, September 6–10 2007. Selected based on the research abstract.

“Effects of indigenous ladybird species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on the survival of an exotic species” (Bachelor Thesis)
• Oral presentation at the 7th International Symposium of Ecology of Aphidophaga, August 31–September 4 in 1999, Quebec, Canada.
• Oral presentation at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology, March 29–31 in 2000, Ibaraki, Japan.
• Oral Presentation at the 88th Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, June 20–23 in 2004, Bozeman, Montana, U.S.A.

“Effects of two predatory ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on the aphidophagous arthropods” (Master Thesis)

• Oral presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology, March 31–April 2 in 2001, Shimane, Japan.
• Oral presentation at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan, March 25–30 in 2002, Sendai, Japan.
• Oral presentation at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology, March 28–30 in 2002, Tokyo, Japan.
• Poster presented at 8th International Symposium of Ecology of Aphidophaga, September 1–6 in 2002, Ponta Delgada Azores, Portugal.
• Oral Presentation at the 52nd Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, September 14–17 in 2004, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
• Oral Presentation at the 1st International Symposium of Biological Control of Aphids and Coccids, September 25–29 in 2005, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan.

“Reproductive tactics of aphidophagous ladybirds of the genus Coccinella: Comparison of a native species and a competing invasive species ” (Ph.D. Dissertaion)

• Oral Presentation at the 54th Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, December 10–13 in 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. (Travel expenses were supported by James A. and Patty MacMahon Scholarship in 2006, Utah State University).
• Oral Presentation at the Ecology of Aphidophaga 10, September 6–10 in 2007, Athens, Greece. Travel expenses were supported by IOBC fellowship and the Ecology Center, Utah State University.
• Oral Presentation at the 55th Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, December 9–12 in 2007, San Diego, California, USA.

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