Dear Fellow Hymenopterists,
The ISH executive committee is excited to announce our new podcast series “Hamuli LIVE!”. During each episode, we will be interviewing senior members of the Hymenoptera community and exploring their research, their career progression, favorite collection methods, best stories from the field and more. We want to use this as an opportunity to communicate skills, techniques and narratives that traditionally are not fit to be published in academic settings. The interviews will be held live, and audience members will have a chance to ask questions live or submit them ahead of time. Afterwards, the interviews will be transcribed and submitted for publication as a part of the Hamuli newsletter, and a recording of the interview will be made available on the ISH website.
Next Hamuli Live will take place during #Hymathon2026!
Join Zach Griebenow interviewing Philip Ward during a special Hamuli Live session as part of Hymathon 2026.
Philip Ward is Professor of Entomology at the University of California, Davis. His research focusses on the systematics and evolution of ants (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) and encompasses both species-level taxonomy and phylogenetics. Taxa of particular interest include big-eyed ants in the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae and carpenter ants and allies in the tribe Camponotini. Recent research attempts to integrate phylogenomic (UCE) and morphological evidence to clarify our understanding of species boundaries and evolutionary history.
Hamuli Live with Mike Gates – 29 April 2026
Recording is available here (you must be logged into the website and a financial member to access the recordings).
The first Hamuli LIVE! featured an interview of Dr. Michael Gates a research entomologist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Systematic Entomology Lab (SEL) in Washington D.C, and the curator of Chalcidoidea at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Dr. Gates has studied in Chalcidoidea, mainly Eurytomidae and Eulophidae, with USDA since 2000. Since 2019, Dr. Gates has been SEL’s Research Leader. Dr. Gates is also one of the founding members of the Smithsonian-USDA HymCourse. He enjoys rearing insect galls opportunistically and occasionally infested fungi for emergence of Hymenoptera. In his free time he enjoys good coffee and beer, native plant gardening and experimenting with fermentation of vegetables.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about Dr. Gates’s research program.