Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant – 2024 Award

With the continued high level of interest in the Ross Taylor Bell and Joyce Rockenbach Bell Research Grant in 2024, The Coleopterists Society is pleased to announce that two awards will be given again this year! The awardees are:

Dr. Héctor Jaime Gasca Álvarez and Dr. Paul Skelley for their project titled “A survey of the pleasing fungus beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae) of Colombia”. This project involves the principal investigators travelling to major entomology collections in Colombia to curate specimens, work on taxonomy and diversity, and document this poorly known but highly endemic group.

Paul Skelley and Héctor Gasca at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods in 2012; on the right, habitus images of Dyslexia belamyi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez. — Dr. Paul Skelley and Dr. Héctor Jaime Gasca Álvarez at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods in 2012 and habitus images of *Dyslexia belamyi* Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, 2020.

Dr. Marianna Simões for her project titled “Towards a stable classification of Cassidini Chapuis (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) using low-coverage whole genome sequencing”. This project involves sequencing the DNA from museum specimens in order to study the phylogenetics and evolution of this leaf-beetle tribe, which will make advances towards a stable classification of the subfamily Cassidinae.

Cassidinae beetles on a leaf and Dr. Dr. Marianna Simões — Cassidinae beetles on a leaf and Dr. Marianna Simões.

We would like to thank Joyce Bell for making this grant possible with her generous donation to The Coleopterists Society in memory of her husband, Ross Bell. This grant is awarded on April 23rd, which would have been Ross’s 95^th birthday.