Page 12 - Thola Issue 17

10 Entomology Department
BUZZING AROUND
THE WORLD
The completion of a postgraduate degree is a highlight in anyone’s book. Kirstin Williams is blessed to be able to say that she enjoyed this highlight this year when she completed her PhD.
I spent the last three months of 2013 and the first three months of this year on sabbatical, and was able to submit my thesis in June this year. Huge thanks go to the NRF for awarding me a grant to be able to take the sabbatical and
to Allison Ruiters, our Director, for ensuring that I was able to make use of this opportunity. Entitled ‘Molecular systematics and biology of two closely related blowflies: Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina’ my thesis looks at two green bottle blowflies that occur in South Africa and other parts of the world, how they interbreed and how they are related to other species in this genus.
I was privileged to present
some of the work from my thesis at the 8th International Congress of Dipterology in Potsdam, Germany, in August. I presented a paper entitled ‘Morphological identification of Lucilia sericata, Lucilia cuprina and their hybrids (Diptera: Calliphoridae)’. This congress is held every four years and attracts 350-400 dipterists from around the world. I interacted with colleagues who specialise in forensic
entomology, including James Wallman from Australia, with whom I am collaborating on a new research project. I also had the opportunity to meet Knut Rognes, a world-renowned scientist in the Dipteran field whom I have regularly referenced in my research.
Potsdam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I got to see some of it on a three-hour bus tour of the city, which included the palace Sans Souci. This palace was built as a summer residence for Frederick the Great. It
has beautiful views of Potsdam and
has incredible gardens with numerous water features. On the last night of
the congress, we were taken to the Berlin Museum of Natural History for the opening of a fly exhibition. We
had the opportunity to explore the museum before the official opening of the exhibition. I particularly enjoyed the display of specimens in alcohol, which was backlit and very effective at night. The fly exhibition included live flies and an interactive section where people could view flies under a microscope. It was well attended by members of the public, who seemed to find the subject
both novel and fascinating.
I had one day in Berlin to do some
sightseeing and used the opportunity to do a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. Checkpoint Charlie was a stop on
the route that I found particularly interesting. Seeing what remains of
the Berlin Wall was a very emotional experience. Berlin and Potsdam are historical landmarks and I would love to go back and explore further.
The next congress will be hosted by South Africa in Stellenbosch in November 2018. I have been asked to be a part of the organising committee and I am very excited as this will be the first time that this congress is held in Africa!
The Museum hosted the ICOM (International Council of Museums) South Africa conference in August. Natasha, my technical assistant, and I both attended the conference, which featured not only natural science topics, but also social science and the arts.
It was a good opportunity to interact with colleagues from other museums in South Africa and share our expertise.
Natasha and I joined our colleagues
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15