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This new program—a merger of two excellent graduate programs—offers interdisciplinary training in the biology of insects for a Master's or Doctoral degree.

The EIS program includes 33 faculty members representing 8 academic units. We encourage students to develop cross-disciplinary connections and bring together aspects of insect biology in unconventional ways. Our faculty and our students are collegial, collaborative, and highly productive.

In 2006, the University of Arizona ranked #2 in faculty scholarly productivity in entomology, with 53 faculty from the Center for Insect Science and the Department of Entomology included in the index. In 2007, faculty scholarly productivity rankings were #1 for Insect Science (based on 30 faculty, in the category of Agricultural Sciences, various) and #5 for Entomology (based on 27 faculty). In the field of Entomology/Pest Control, the University of Arizona ranked #1 among U.S. universities in average citations per paper for papers published from 2001-2005. (Unfortunately, ratings from recent years are no longer freely available).

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Mitochondria (green) in synaptic boutons of larval Drosophila axon terminals of motor neurons (red) innervating larval body wall muscle (blue). Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Mitochondria (green) in synaptic boutons of larval Drosophila axon terminals of motor neurons (red) innervating larval body wall muscle (blue). Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Doctoral student Chan Lin studies the neurobiology and behavior of whirligig beetles.
Doctoral student Chan Lin studies the neurobiology and behavior of whirligig beetles.
Looking into the brain of a fly.  Higgins Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Looking into the brain of a fly.  Higgins Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Lobula output neurons (green) terminating on descending neurons in the brain of the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala. Strausfeld Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience.
Lobula output neurons (green) terminating on descending neurons in the brain of the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala. Strausfeld Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience.
Larval neuromuscular junction of Drosophila. Nerve is in red and and synaptic vesicles are in yellow. Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Larval neuromuscular junction of Drosophila. Nerve is in red and and synaptic vesicles are in yellow. Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Doctoral student Chris Goforth collecting giant water bugs (Abedus herberti) in Florida Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains.
Doctoral student Chris Goforth collecting giant water bugs (Abedus herberti) in Florida Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains.
Asst. Professor Goggy Davidowitz demonstrates his circular flight mill and respirometer.The hawkmoth Manduca sexta is a strong flyer, and can fly for 18 hours (80 km) in the flight mill.
Asst. Professor Goggy Davidowitz demonstrates his circular flight mill and respirometer.The hawkmoth Manduca sexta is a strong flyer, and can fly for 18 hours (80 km) in the flight mill.
Larval eye disc of Drosophila. Photoreceptors develop continuously after the morphogentic furrow and send their axons into the developing fist optic ganglia (lamina) of the larval brain. Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Larval eye disc of Drosophila. Photoreceptors develop continuously after the morphogentic furrow and send their axons into the developing fist optic ganglia (lamina) of the larval brain. Zinsmaier Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience
Central complex and protocerebral neurons: Golgi impregnation, Pieris brassicae. Strausfeld Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience.
Central complex and protocerebral neurons: Golgi impregnation, Pieris brassicae. Strausfeld Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience.
Master's student Rousel Orozco investigates nematode bacterial symbionts' secondary metabolites and toxins involved in insect pathogenicity.
Master's student Rousel Orozco investigates nematode bacterial symbionts' secondary metabolites and toxins involved in insect pathogenicity.