MƒA teachers can register for this event on the Small-World Network. Other guests can register here.
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium
160 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor
The MƒA Thursday Think Speaker Series brings accomplished speakers who dive into cutting-edge topics in STEM education to MƒA. These talks, held once a month throughout the school year, invite MƒA teachers and the general public to learn and engage with these thought leaders and professionals in mathematics, science, and education.
Dragonflies and damselflies are among the earliest flying animals—before birds, before bats, before pterosaurs, the first animal to fly was something dragonfly-like! Existing for over 250 million years, they have evolved fascinating behaviors for mating, egg-laying, flight, and communication. Such behaviors have enthralled humans for millennia, with dragonflies and damselflies commonly featured in stories, music, art, and fashion across human cultures. In this talk, Dr. Jessica Ware will give an overview of our current knowledge of these remarkable insects, presenting new molecular estimates for damselfly and dragonfly evolution that tell us more about the evolution of flight. She’ll also discuss how human-driven climate change has led to a steady decline in these and all insect species and will provide guidance on how to best protect these colorful creatures and their kin.
Dr. Jessica Ware is an Associate Curator in invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Ware's research focuses on the evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations in insects with an emphasis on how these occur in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Dictyoptera (termites, cockroaches, and mantises). Her research group explores phylogenetics and phylogenomics and uses these tools to inform their work on reproductive, social, and flight behaviors in insects. Jessica holds a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. She is the former president of both the Worldwide Dragonfly Association and the Entomological Society of America. She was recently awarded a PECASE medal from the US government for her work on insect evolution.
