DEPARTMENT CULTURE – LIFE IN THE DEPARTMENT
Entomology Graduate Organization (EGO)
The EGO is a group of graduate students in the department who meet regularly to discuss issues pertinent to grad life in Purdue Entomology and organize social events or activities. As a current grad student, you will receive an email from the EGO president regarding meeting times and location. Participation is voluntary. EGO also has a faculty representative (Brenna Decker) who is available if and when faculty input is required.
ESA Entomology Games Team
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) hosts Entomology Games, a college-bowl-style contest in which student teams from competing universities test their entomological knowledge by answering questions on insect science. Our department has an all-graduate student led Entomology Games Team that regularly participates in competitions at the regional and national levels.
Coffee Break
We have departmental coffee break every Wednesday at 10am in SMTH 131. The department provides coffee and tea, and a volunteer brings in food to share with the group. Contact Sabrina to sign up for a turn at bringing treats.
ENTM Seminars
During the fall and spring semesters, departmental seminars are held every Thursday from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM in WSLR 116, unless otherwise specified. Students beginning Fall 2025 and after are required to attend at least 50% of these seminars to receive a Pass/Fail grade, excluding the semester in which they are defending their thesis.
Notifications regarding upcoming speakers will be sent via email, and the semester schedule is consistently updated on the department webpage. The current co-chairs of the Department Seminar Committee are Brock Harpur (bharpur@purdue.edu) and Subhashree “Shubha” Subramanyam (ssubram@purdue.edu). Please reach out to them if you wish to host a speaker for a future seminar.