Draft:Diane Ullman

Diane E. Ullman is an Entomologist who devotes most of her work to managing insect-transmitted plant pathogens. Her main research interest revolves around an insect called a thrip and the orthotospoviruses that thrips can transmit to crop plants. An example of a virus she has worked with is the Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) which is transmitted by western flower thrips. Her work with "thrips" and insects in general is what landed her the position as the former chair of the Entomology Department from 2004-2005 (now referred to as the Entomology and Nematology Department) at the University of California (UC) Davis. Her time at UC Davis allowed her to combine her dedication to science and her passion for art by teaching students. She doesn't have any current projects because her time at UC Davis recently ended due to her retirement at the end of the 2022-2023 UC Davis school year.

Education
Diane Ullman started her education by attending the University of Arizona and receiving her B.S. in horticulture in 1976. After earning her B.S. she enrolled at the University of California Davis and completed the Entomology Ph.D. program in 1985. She then relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii to further her academic career by teaching and working at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu as an Associate Professor and Associate Entomologist from 1987-1991. She then became an Associate Entomologist at the same university from 1991-1995. After 8 years of being at the University of Hawaii, she then moved to work at UC Davis to resume teaching as an established professor in the Department of Entomology. Dr. Ullman stayed at UC Davis for 25 years to continue teaching about insects through an artistic point of view and researching insect-transmitted plant pathogens. During her time at UC Davis, she became the Vice Chair of the Department of Entomology from 1995 to 2001, then she claimed the Department Chair for Entomology from 2004 to 2005. She also achieved the title of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from 2005 to 2014. During her time as Associate Dean she co-founded the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, which involves her entomological experience combined with art to teach students about insects. She became a professor only for the 2022-2023 Davis school year and retired shortly after.

Research:
Dr. Ullman is known to have dependable findings focusing on insect interactions with plants, and analyzing how insects can transmit pathogens to plants. Most of her work revolves around thrips but she focuses her studies on interactions between plants and insects because insects can become vectors for viruses. Specifically, Diane Ullman has heavily cited works about insect pathogens and how plants in the nightshade are affected like potatoes and tomatoes. One of her research goals is to contribute evidence to reveal how resistant plants are to viruses, so her focal point involves the process of plants resisting foreign pathogens. This feeds into her overall goal of research, which is to ultimately create a way to manage the spread of insect-carrying pathogens to important plant crops.

Professor:
Professor Ullman taught a class that allowed students to use art as a tool to learn insects. Her science/art fusion class is called Entomology (ENT) 001 and she teaches this class to undergrads at UC Davis to combine her interests into a teaching method. Her way of teaching also involves public outreach to create a way to expose the general public to the importance of insects. A piece that reflects her teachings is called "A Bird's Eye View" which she made with the help of her class, and Gale Okumura who is a lecturer in the Design Department at UC Davis. This piece is one of many she orchestrates and it can be found at the UC Davis Raptor Center.

Awards and Achievements
Diane Ullman has had a long and distinguished career and some of her awards that show her determination for entomological science :

- 2022:  Citation for Distinguished Teaching, Davis Division of the Academic Senate, University of California Davis.

- 2021:  Community Engaged Learning Faculty Fellow, Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement, University of California Davis.

- 2014:  Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

- 2014:  Entomology Society of America National Excellence in Teaching Award

- 2014:  Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch Excellence in Teaching Award and Pacific Branch nominee for the national award of the same name.

- 2011:  Fellow of the Entomological Society of America.

- 2007-2008: Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity and Community, University of California Davis.

- 1993: Western Region Award Recipient, Office of Higher Education Programs, National Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences

- 1993: University of Hawaii-Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Excellence in Teaching Award.

- 1993: University of Hawaii-Manoa Regents Medal for Excellence in Research.