Sujaya Rao
Education
Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1991, Entomology

Areas of Interest
IPM in field crops
Behavior and Ecology of Native Bee Pollinators in Agricultural and Native Landscapes
Entomophagy - Changing social perceptions about edible insects as food for humans
Teaching
Fall 2020
- ENT 1909: Got Bees? Declines and Conservation of Honey bees and Native bees
- ESPM 2021: Environmental Sciences: Integrated Problem Solving
Spring 2021
- ENT 3211/5211: Insect Pest Management (Spring 2021)
- HSEM 2637H: Small but Impactful: Insects and the Environment (Honors) (Spring 2021)
Select Publications
(2015-2020)
Petersen, M., Olson, O. and Rao, S. 2020. University Student Perspectives of Entomophagy: Positive Attitudes Leads to Observability and Education Opportunities. Journal of Insect Science. 20(5): 30. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieaa120
Reilly, J., Artz, D. R., Biddinger, D…Rao, S. …Winfree, R. 2020. Crop yield in the USA is frequently limited by a lack of pollinators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20200922. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922
Neave, M. J., Brown, J., Batley, M., Rao, S., Cunningham, S. A. 2020. Phenology of a bee community over a ten year period in South Eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12488
Lybrand, R., Fedenko, J., Tfaily, M. and Rao, S. 2020. Soil properties and biochemical composition of ground-dwelling bees and sand wasp nests in agricultural settings. Soil Science Society of America Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20085
Nicholson, C., Ward, K., Williams, N., Isaacs., Mason, K., Wilson, J., Brokaw, J. Gut, L., Rothwell, N., Wood, T., Rao, S., Hoffman, G., Gibbs, J., Thorp, R., Ricketts, T. 2020. Mismatched outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem services: testing the responses of crop pollinators and wild bee biodiversity to habitat enhancement. Ecology Letters. 23: 326-335. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13435
Lande, C., Rao, S., Morré, J. T., Galindo, G., Kirby, J., Reardon, P. N., Bobe, G., Stevens, J. F. 2019. Linden (Tilia cordata) associated bumble bee mortality: Metabolomic analysis of nectar and bee muscle. PLoS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218406
Rao, S., Hoffman, G., Kirby, J., Horne, D. 2019. Remarkable long-distance returns to a forage patch by artificially displaced wild bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Apicultural Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2019.1584962
Hoffman, G., Lande, C., Rao, S. 2018. A novel pollen transfer mechanism by honey bee foragers on highbush blueberry (Ericales: Ericaceae). Environ Entomol. 47(6):1465-1470. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy162
Ostroverkhova, O., Galindo, G., Lande, C., Kirby, J., Hoffman, G., Rao, S. 2018. Understanding innate preferences of wild bee species: responses to wavelength-dependent selective excitation of blue and green photoreceptor types. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 204(7): 667-675. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1269-x
Ahn, S-J., Martin, R., Rao, S and Choi, M-Y. 2017. Neuropeptides predicted from the transcriptome analysis of the gray garden slug Deroceras reticulatum. Peptides. DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.05.005
Ahn, S-J., Martin, R., Rao, S and Choi, M-Y. 2017. The complete mitochondrial genome of the gray garden slug Deroceras reticulatum (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Stylommatophora). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2017.1318677
Rao, S. Poinar, G. and Henley, D. 2016. A scientific note on rare parasitism of the bumble bee pollinator, Bombus impatiens, by a mermithid nematode, Pheromermis sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae). Apidologie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-016-0451-9
Kang, L., Natarajan, A., Rao, S. and Chiang, P. 2016. Design and Optimization of Area-Constrained Wirelessly-Powered CMOS UWB SoC for Localization Applications. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.64: 1042-1054. DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2016.2536663
Rao, S. and Ostroverkhova, O. 2015. Visual outdoor response of multiple wild bee species: highly selective stimulation of a single photoreceptor by sunlight-induced fluorescence. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 201: 705-716. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-0983-x
Maxfield-Taylor, S., Mujic, A. B., and Rao, S. 2015. First detection of the larval chalkbrood disease pathogen, Ascosphaera apis (Ascomycota: Eurotiomycetes: Ascosphaerales) in adult bumble bees. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0124868. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124868
Awards
2006-2013 only
• Distinction in Student Mentoring Award, PBESA, 2013.
• Fulbright Scholar Award, Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 2012.
• Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, Entomological Society of America. 2010.
• Oldfield/ Jackman Team Award, College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU. 2006.
• Administrator's Award for team work in IPM, APHIS PPQ. 2010.
• Hodson Alumnus Award, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota. 2009.
• Deputy Administrator's Safeguarding Award for IPM team research, USDA. 2009.
• Western Region Extension Director’s Award of Excellence. 2009.
• IPM Team Award, Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. 2009.
• OECD Fellowship (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), France. 2008. (to Australia)
• L.L. Stewart Faculty Scholar (along with two colleagues), Oregon State University. 2007.
• Teaching Award, Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. 2007.
• Educator of the Year Award, Linn Soil and Water Conservation District, Linn County, Oregon. 2006.
• Oldfield/ Jackman Team Award, College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU. 2006.
• Rural Studies Program Faculty Fellow, Rural Studies Program, OSU. 2006.
Students Advised
Current:
Anh Tran, PhD.