SEMO professor awarded for wolf spider research

Southeast Missouri State University Department of Biology assistant professor Lucas Kirschman received a 2021-2023 Royal Entomological Society Journal Award for his research in ecological immunology.

Kirschman was recognized for an article he published in Physiological Entomology, a Royal Entomological Society journal focused on insects and arthropods, for a study investigating how reproduction trades off with immune function in a wolf spider species that provide parental care. Kirschman's research found no trade-off between reproductive effort and immune function.

“This recognition means a lot to me personally and professionally,” Kirschman said in a news release. “Smaller study systems like this often go overlooked compared to larger, more charismatic animals.”

In addition to his research, Kirschman makes extra effort to mentor his students. He taught a special topics course, Investigations in Ecoimmunology, in 2024 where students designed, conducted and published manuscripts in The Journal of Insect Physiology.

Kirschman expressed particular enthusiasm for a project being conducted by one of his graduate students, Hannah McKinnon Reish. The project explores the relationship between plastic-digesting bacteria and host species in an effort to help reduce plastic waste.

For more information about SEMO's Department of Biology, visit www.semo.edu/biology.